Compelled loneliness and necessitated social isolation
It's like being on the other side of a mirror, just looking in
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2250316 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Natalie Wotherspoon (0000-0002-6023-0751, Department of Sociological Studies University of Sheffield Sheffield UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 744-761 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociology of Health & Illness (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0141-9889 • E-ISSN: 1467-9566 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-9566.13732 |
| PMID | 38069691 |
| OpenAlex | W4389509572 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 96 |
This article develops the conceptualisation of loneliness by drawing on 42 accounts of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). While illness experience is a central concern of the sociology of health and illness, experiences of loneliness alongside contested and chronic illness have received less attention. The analysis illustrates how loneliness can be an integral part of living with ME and offers two novel conceptual contributions - necessitated social isolation and compelled loneliness. Necessitated social isolation concerns how ME symptoms can make social lives increasingly restricted. Compelled loneliness highlights how the combined experiences of both stigma and contested illness can lead to social withdrawal and rejection, which create a sense of loneliness. The article argues that loneliness and social isolation can be conceptually distinct yet recursive and overlapping. With the worsening of ME, the participants experienced a cycle of loneliness, in which social isolation and loneliness reproduced each other. Three key themes draw attention to how loneliness is affected by the situational aspects of living with a chronic and contested illness: (1.) spatial and temporal restrictedness (2.) communicative alienation and (3.) discreditation. The article highlights how health challenges can impact on loneliness and how the stigma of contested illness exacerbates loneliness
Alienation · Developmental psychology · Isolation (microbiology · Loneliness · Political science · Psychiatry · Situational ethics · Social isolation · Stigma (botany · Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research · Health disparities and outcomes · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology
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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and the Medical Encounter
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |