Shades of Loneliness: Pathologies of a Technological Society

In this incisive and controversial book, Richard Stivers rejects genetic explanations of psychological problems, arguing instead that the very organization of technological societies is behind the pervasive experience of loneliness. In its extreme form, loneliness assumes pathological dimensions in neurosis and schizophrenia, which reflect the contradiction between power and meaninglessness that characterizes modern life. Loneliness, in its many manifestations, seems to be the price we must pay for living in a technological world. Yet nurturing family, friend, and community ties can mitigate its culturally and psychologically disorganizing power. This book is a clarion call for a renewal of moral awareness and custom to combat the fragmentation and depersonalization of our technological civilization.

Author: Richard Stivers
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 02/09/2004
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.56lbs
Size: 8.46h x 5.58w x 0.51d
ISBN13: 9780742530034
ISBN10: 0742530035
BISAC Categories:
- Computers | Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
- Psychology | General

About the Author
Richard Stivers is professor of sociology at Illinois State University.