We all know that adolescence is a complicated stage of life, of great discoveries, passions and disappointments, but loneliness is not usually a common feeling at that time , as has been verified by a group of researchers from the universities of Ghent, Leuven. (both from Belgium) and Duke (United States). And for those who experience it, it usually does not last long.
But according to the follow-up with periodic surveys that these experts have carried out among 730 young Belgians between 15 and 18 years old, a small group always feels disconnected from people their age. Arguably, they suffer from "chronic loneliness."
As psychologists have detected, the problem with these people is that when they receive social stimuli – they are invited to a party, let's say – they attribute it to chance. Their own merit is ruled out, and they believe that their loneliness is a direct consequence of their shortcomings and weaknesses. Whether they listen to them or not, their sense of exclusion increases.
Precisely, adolescence is an age in which interpersonal relationships intensify and closer ties are created, which makes this problem especially dramatic for those who suffer from it. Their negative attitude causes it to become a vicious circle from which it is difficult for them to get out.
Researchers now set out to find out when the feeling of loneliness becomes permanent so that they can identify the signs and tackle it in time. The results of the research have been published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology .
