Loneliness In Australia Essay

According to Flood (2005, p. 2), ‘Loneliness is a symptom of the absence of interpersonal relationships’. Australian’s are becoming lonely due to an increasing number of disconnected relationships, poor sense of belonging within communities and the rise of people living in single households (Flood, 2005, p. 3). In western societies, 25% of people are considered to be lonely and this has been increasing (Grenade & Boldy, 2008, p. 3). One third of Australians have experienced loneliness at some point in time during their lifetime (Grenade & Boldy, 2008, p. 3). Loneliness can be caused through the separation from a partner, a physical or mental illness, the death of a loved one or from being a victim of physical violence (Australian Institute

According to Cacioppo (2006), loneliness is more likely to occur when long periods of time are spent away from home, as well as the loss of a partner, friend or family member. Loneliness can be likened to feelings such as happiness, hunger and sorrow in the way that they can be managed but never entirely prevented (Cacioppo, 2006, p. 151). More traditional forms of settlement (where people lived in small tight knit communities) have changed over time, resulting in lonelier societies. Modern communities in Australia are now characterised by urban development. Today the suburban lifestyle is very common. People are beginning to loose contact with their neighbours their community (Beck, 2002). According to Beck (2002), modern suburbs are increasingly made up of people with similar characteristics such as cultural background as well as socio-economic status (SES). Through social control, people are becoming less engaged with one another which is resulting in social isolation and loneliness. As friends, neighbours and acquaintance’s social status change, social hierarchies form and relationships tend to