Current research tends to describe loneliness among the elderly as an individual issue, focusing on psychological or biological causes and negative effects on health. This dissertation lays the groundwork for an alternative, sociological approach. Drawing on the model developed by Durkheim in his study of suicide, the argument operates on three levels.
First, it critically examines the dominant analytical framework for studying loneliness, highlighting the influence of concepts and methods inherited from psychology.
Next, it contextualizes loneliness historically, tracing through the archives of international organizations (especially the ILO, the WHO, and the Council of Europe) the emergence of policies that contributed to loosening intergenerational ties and isolating the elderly from the rest of society.
Finally, the dissertation introduces an innovative quantitative approach based on data from a major European telealarm provider. These "organic" data, derived from real-life settings rather than conventional survey-based research, reveal the macrostructure of the phenomenon.
Taken together, the findings point to the need to reconceptualize loneliness not as mere absence of interpersonal connections but as a misalignment of the individual with group norms, especially norms related to time. This has both theoretical and practical implications in terms of the nature of the phenomenon and the types of interventions needed to address it.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:columbia.edu/oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/16cj-5643 |
| Date | January 2025 |
| Creators | Barnay, Martin |
| Source Sets | Columbia University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Theses |
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