Discursive Psychology and the Study of Loneliness

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical review of the mainstream literature on loneliness which forms a backdrop to the rest of this book. It addresses the key thinkers in the field, their contributions to the understanding of loneliness, and some of the major studies over the last several decades. It then introduces the methodology (Wiggins 2017: 7) of Discursive Psychology, which is a form of discourse analysis, as a new way of approaching the study of loneliness. The study underpinning this research is introduced, and a rationale is given for the focus on a higher education context. The book problematizes the assumptions on which mainstream loneliness research is currently being conducted and suggests a new lens through which researchers can engage with this issue. It is shown that a close qualitative linguistic analysis of interactions between individuals discussing loneliness can shed new light on loneliness disclosures as a collaborative and interactive achievement. This is in contrast to the self-reporting and quantitative approaches currently favoured in mainstream research on this topic.