Social Isolation in Modern Society

Social contacts are of utmost importance for the personal and communal well-being of people. Social contacts constitute an elementary human need, are a considerable source of support and prove necessary for the integration and mutual commitment of people in society. Dues to processes of individualization and social fragmentation in modern western societies, social contacts have come under increasing pressure. Individuals are finding it increasingly hard to develop and maintain a meaningful personal network, and more and more people can be characterized as socially isolated, experiencing feelings of loneliness or not participating in society. Although social isolation has serious repercussions on people and communities, knowledge about this phenomenon remains rather limited.Social Isolation in Modern Societyis the first multidisciplinary study to look at this issue. The book integrates relevant research traditions in the social sciences; bringing together sociological theories of social networksand psychological theories of feelings of loneliness. Both traditions are embedded in research, with the results of a large-scale international study being used to describe the extent, nature and divergent manifestations of social isolation. A new typology of social contacts is developed in order to take into account the number of network members and the quality of social contacts measured in terms of feelings of loneliness. The book provides a clear insight into personal, social and socio-economic causes and the consequences of social isolation and contains concrete policy recommendations.

Anja Machielse is a lecturer in philosophy in the Interdisciplinary Social Science Department at Utrecht University.