From the abyss of loneliness to the bliss of solitude : cultural, social and psychoanalytic perspectives Cover Image

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From the abyss of loneliness to the bliss of solitude : cultural, social and psychoanalytic perspectives / edited by Aleksandar Dimitrijević and Michael B. Buchholz.

Dimitrijević, Aleksandar, (editor. ). Buchholz, Michael B., (editor. ).

Summary:

"Social isolation and loneliness are increasingly being recognised as a priority public health problem and policy issue worldwide, with the effect on mortality comparable to risk-factors such as smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity. From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude sheds much-needed light on a multifaceted global phenomenon of loneliness, and investigates it, together with its counterpart solitude, from an exciting breadth of perspectives: detailed studies of psychoanalytic approaches to loneliness, developmental psychology, philosophy, culture, arts, music, literature, and neuroscience. The subjects covered also range widely, including the history and origins of loneliness, its effects on children, the creative process, health, lone wolf terrorism, and shame. This is a timely and important contribution to a growing problem--greatly exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic--that has serious effects on both life quality and expectancy. The book features contributions from a diverse host of leading international experts: Dominic Angeloch, Patrizia Arfelli, Charles Ashbach, Manfred E. Beutel, Elmar Brahler, Jagna Brudzinska, Michael B. Buchholz, Lesley Caldwell, Karin Dannecker, Aleksandar Dimitrejevic, Mareike Ernst, Jay Frankel, Gail A. Hornstein, Colum Kenny, Eva M. Klein, Helga de la Motte-Haber, Gamze Ozcurumez Bilgili, Inge Seiffge-Krenke, and Peter Shabad. The contributors address the developmental and communicative causes of loneliness, its neurophysiological correlates and artistic representations, and how loneliness differs to solitude, which some consider necessary for creativity. They also provide insights into how we can help those suffering from loneliness, as classical psychoanalytic papers are revisited, contemporary therapeutic perspectives presented, and detailed case presentations offered. From the Abyss of Loneliness to the Bliss of Solitude is essential reading for mental health professionals and those searching for a better understanding of what it means to be lonely and how the lonely can better voice their loneliness and step out of it."--Provided by publisher

Record details

ISBN: 9781800131095
ISBN: 1800131097
Physical Description: xxvi, 347 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Publisher: Bicester, Oxfordshire : Phoenix Publishing House, 2022.
Copyright: ©2022

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Part I: Philosophy and culture -- Introduction to Part I / Aleksandar Dimitrijević -- 1. The hidden sociality of the solitary subject: phenomenological and psychoanalytical reflections on loneliness / Jagna Brudzińska -- 2. "And live alone in the bee-loud glade"? Asceticism, hermitage, and the technologies of the self / Colum Kenny -- 3. Lone wolves' loneliness about a special variant of terrorism / Michael B. Buchholz -- 4. Historical roots of solitude and private self (with continual reference to Shakespeare) / Aleksandar Dimitrijević -- Part II: Art and literature -- Introduction to Part II / Michael B. Buchholz -- 5. Loneliness and solitude: historical transformations of meaning and their expression in art, especially in music / Helga de la Motte-Haber -- 6. Myth of the solitary artist / Aleksandar Dimitrijević -- 7. Places of loneliness / Karin Dannecker -- 8. Seven kinds of loneliness: mental pain, language, and interaction in David Rabe's play Hurlyburly / Dominic Angeloch -- Part III: Developmental psychology and health -- Introduction to Part III / Michael B. Buchholz -- 9. Loneliness and imaginary friends in childhood and adolescence / Inge Seiffge-Krenke -- 10. Loneliness and insecure attachment / Aleksandar Dimitrijević -- 11. Epidemiology of loneliness / Eva M. Klein, Mareike Ernst, Manfred E. Beutel, and Elmar Brähler -- 12. Loneliness and health / Gamze Özçürümez Bilgili -- 13. Loneliness and the brain / Gamze Özçürümez Bilgili -- Part IV: Psychoanalysis -- Introduction to part IV / Aleksandar Dimitrijević -- 14. The silent cry, the maze of pipes, the mice, and the cellar: the many voices of infantile loneliness / Patrizia Arfelli -- 15. Landscapes of loneliness: engaging with Frieda Fromm-Reichmann's pioneering work / Gail A. Hornstein -- 16. Loneliness and being alone: the contributions of two British analysts / Lesley Caldwell -- 17. Traumatic aloneness in children with narcissistically preoccupied parents / Jay Frankel -- 18. The clinical encounter with the lonely patient: trauma and the empty self / Charles Ashbach -- 19. Shame and its cover-up: the self-enclosed prison of isolation / Peter Shabad -- 20. Strengthening the human bond: in psychotherapy, "doing We" is more important than intervention / Michael B. Buchholz