Social Loneliness vs Emotional Loneliness

 BLOG POST #1

What is intimacy? Intimacy can be discovered in the influence of multicultural society, & the impact of sex roles/ sexuality. Intimacy is not just for romantic relationships. It is also something that occurs in our closest immediate family ties. We can even learn more about our identity as we learn about the kind of family we belong to. Social scientists have found that intimacy is needed in order to thrive. Good intimacy includes love, affection, caring, and deep attachment to a friend, lover, spouse, or relative. Intimacy actually begins with our own family, which is one of the reasons why the family is the most important unit. As humans we are social creatures, and for that reason

“The experience of loneliness, the feeling of being slated from desired relationships, dramatizes the fact that we are social creatures. Everyone feels lonely sometimes. From some people, however, loneliness is serious.” Loneliness can be categorized in two parts. Social loneliness and emotional loneliness. Social loneliness is when there is a lack of social interaction. Emotional loneliness is due to lack of intimacy. 

Maybe you can think of a time where you have felt social loneliness or when you have felt emotional loneliness. I saw social loneliness hit a lot of students when COVID 19 hit. A college setting is typically a very social situation. And when you take out the classrooms of fifty plus people a young adult will easily feel the impact of social loneliness. Emotional loneliness might be felt in the college situation pre COVID. Young adults who are in college often find themselves lacking intimacy which leads them to Emotional loneliness. With the rigid schedule of full time school often part time or full time work it is very easy for them to exhaust themselves and not have time to form those intimate relationships. 

My first two paragraphs are a summary of the first chapter of my class text which is: Marriage & Family: The Quest for Intimacy, 8th Edition by Lauer, Robert H., and Lauer, Jeanette C. I love reading this text because it helps me understand where certain aspects of loneliness have come into my life. And it helps me better identify why intimate relationships within the family are so important. Now that I have summarized the text I will share some of my thoughts regarding the topic. I am lucky enough to have grown up in a family where developing personal relationships with each of my family members was important. I can see how these relationships have benefited me in my life. As I have gotten older I’ve seen different trials. But during each of these trials I have seen how my close family relationships have held me together. Especially the relationship I have with my siblings. Each sibling of mine has been able to comfort me in different ways. I give the credit to our intimate relationships. As a single person I think it would be nice to have a boyfriend or spouse. But the truth is if I was single the rest of my life I believe I would be okay because of the close relationships I already have with my family members. That being said, I do believe it is important to develop romantic relationships and that everyone deserves someone to keep them from being lonely. But I can see how it is important to start these intimate relationships in the home. There we learn how to care for one another and empathize with other humans. I am grateful for this opportunity. I have to start blogging what I am learning. I am hoping that as time goes on I can improve my writing, and help you gain a better knowledge of why the family is the most important unit.