* What impact does a child's death have on family relationships? * How might differences in the way mothers and fathers deal with bereavement contribute to increased marital tension? * Why are bereaved siblings so deeply affected by the way their parents grieve? An Intimate Loneliness explores how family members attempt to come to terms with the death of an offspring or brother or sister. Drawing on relevant research and the authors' own experience of working with bereaved parents and siblings, this book examines the importance of social relationships in helping parents and siblings adjust to their bereavement. The chances of making sense of this most distressing loss are influenced by the resilience of the family's surviving relationships, by the availability of wider support networks and by the cultural resources that inform each's perception of death. This book considers the impact of bereavement on self and family identity. In particular, it examines the role of shared remembering in transforming survivors' relationships with the deceased, and in helping rebuild their own identity with a significantly changed family structure. Problems considered include: the failure of intimate relationships, cultural and gender expectations, the invisibility of fathers' and siblings' grief, sudden and 'difficult' deaths, lack of information, and the sense of isolation felt by some family members. This book will be of value to students on courses in counselling, health care, psychology, social policy, pastoral care and education. It will appeal to sociology students with an interest in death, dying and mortality. It is also aimed at professionally qualified counselling, health and social service workers, at informed voluntary group members, the clergy, teachers and others involved with pastoral care.

In this work, the authors discuss two of the most fundamental of human experiences: loneliness, and belonging. There have been other publications, over the years, about each of these topics separately, but none about how they interact and influence one another, in one integrated volume.

"A guide intended to help readers become less lonely"--

This book examines the very basic human need to belong. It looks at the intimacy that is a cornerstone of such belonging and closeness, romantic relationships, which signify belonging in the Western world, and loneliness and love, which are inextricably linked to the subject. The book examines these constructs and considers other issues such as the basic human need to belong; the different love styles and how are they expressed; empathy, social support and humour and their influence on looseness and romantic elations; loneliness and marital adjustment; the influence of culture on relationships and the loneliness felt by the partner. This book is based on papers that were originally published in the Journal of Psychology.

“What does it mean to be lonely?” Thomas Dumm asks. His inquiry, documented in this book, takes us beyond social circumstances and into the deeper forces that shape our very existence as modern individuals. The modern individual, Dumm suggests, is fundamentally a lonely self. Through reflections on philosophy, political theory, literature, and tragic drama, he proceeds to illuminate a hidden dimension of the human condition. His book shows how loneliness shapes the contemporary division between public and private, our inability to live with each other honestly and in comity, the estranged forms that our intimate relationships assume, and the weakness of our common bonds. A reading of the relationship between Cordelia and her father in Shakespeare’s King Lear points to the most basic dynamic of modern loneliness—how it is a response to the problem of the “missing mother.” Dumm goes on to explore the most important dimensions of lonely experience—Being, Having, Loving, and Grieving. As the book unfolds, he juxtaposes new interpretations of iconic cultural texts—Moby-Dick, Death of a Salesman, the film Paris, Texas, Emerson’s “Experience,” to name a few—with his own experiences of loneliness, as a son, as a father, and as a grieving husband and widower. Written with deceptive simplicity, Loneliness as a Way of Life is something rare—an intellectual study that is passionately personal. It challenges us, not to overcome our loneliness, but to learn how to re-inhabit it in a better way. To fail to do so, this book reveals, will only intensify the power that it holds over us.

This practical book probes the causes of loneliness, shows that it is a normal, healthy signal of need for intimacy and acceptance, and tells how to overcome loneliness

There are three universal experiences that we cannot escape: loneliness, illness, and death. The Psychological Journey To and From Loneliness addresses what was termed the plague of the 21st century--loneliness. Loneliness is stigmatized in our society, so untold number of people walk around lonely, unable to do what is so naturally called for--make their suffering known, and approach others for company and support. Thankfully, loneliness is slowly, but steadily, coming out of the "closet." This book will highlight not only the experience and what can be done about it, but also the experiences that influence it (i.e., our childhood, cultural and religious influences, and our way of life) as well as the effects that loneliness has on various population groups and how it is experienced at different times in our lives. This volume reviews theoretical approaches to the study of loneliness: the (positive) functions that loneliness may serve in our lives; the stages in life when loneliness is quite "visible" and its effects on us; the life experiences that may strengthen the feeling that one is all alone and forgotten; life experiences that we do not commonly connect to loneliness but it is clearly present in them (e.g., pregnancy and childbirth); and the approaches that are available to copy with its pain and limit its negative effects on us. The book closes with a review of how psychotherapy can assist those who need encouragement and support in their struggle with loneliness. The book is particularly suitable for academics, researchers, and clinicians who aim to help clients identify, address, and cope with loneliness. - Presents the latest research on the development, causes and effects of loneliness - Studies loneliness in childhood, adolescence, and middle and old age - Outlines what can be done to limit the negative effects of loneliness on an individual - Looks at how childhood, cultural, religious and other influences affect loneliness

After contracting polio as a child, Sandra Gail Lambert progressed from braces and crutches to a manual wheelchair to a power wheelchair—but loneliness has remained a constant, from the wild claustrophobia of a child in body casts to just yesterday, trapped at home, gasping from pain. A Certain Loneliness is a meditative and engaging memoir-in-essays that explores the intersection of disability, queerness, and female desire with frankness and humor. Lambert presents the adventures of flourishing within a world of uncertain tomorrows: kayaking alone through swamps with alligators; negotiating planes, trains, and ski lifts; scoring free drugs from dangerous men; getting trapped in a too-deep snow drift without crutches. A Certain Loneliness is literature of the body, palpable and present, in which Lambert’s lifelong struggle with isolation and independence—complete with tiresome frustrations, slapstick moments, and grand triumphs—are wound up in the long history of humanity’s relationship to the natural world. Purchase the audio edition.

It is perfectly normal to be alone and feel lonely, and then be with someone and still feel the same way. The difference between being alone and lonely, and being in a relationship and lonely is very clear. Aloneness is intentional, where we might be at ease and fulfilled, but loneliness is a helpless situation. One of the reasons why we go into a relationship is to be sheltered from the feeling of loneliness. Relationships should make one have a sense of 'wholeness,' but what if you don't have that anymore in your relationship? It has been reported that loneliness disrupts the regulation of cellular processes deep in the body, exposing us to premature aging. Loneliness in a relationship can cause depression, and render you unhappy for a very long time. Although you might appear fulfilled and satisfied, something is dying inside you. The good news is, loneliness in a relationship can be controlled and adjusted once you follow a predetermined strategy. This book is a quick guide to help you overcome loneliness in a relationship and build emotional intimacy. You will begin to understand the causes of loneliness personally and take personal steps to stop loneliness in your life. You will begin to have a fulfilling relationship, where happiness is going to be final. Optimum mental and physical health is assured in people with a healthy relationship. So, this book will guide you through building an interactive relationship and overcoming loneliness completely. Tag: loneliness workbook, how to beat depression and loneliness, how to fight loneliness, prayers for loneliness, how to overcome loneliness, how to cope with loneliness, lonely marriage, relationship between parent and child, relationship communication for couples, relationship anxiety, relationship advice for women, relationship workbook for couples