Overcoming loneliness: Psychological support at JUVENIS Vienna

Lack of social contact: When people have little or no social interaction, it can be very stressful—especially for those who live alone. There can be many reasons for this: some people live in a place where they don't know anyone else, while others are less mobile due to their age or health restrictions. Migration or the loss of partnerships, work, or other important points of reference can also cause those affected to withdraw. Often, disappointment, hurt feelings, or resignation are behind this, making it difficult to reach out to others again.

Friendship loneliness: Friendships usually develop through repeated encounters and shared experiences. They thrive on reciprocity, trust, and the certainty that you will be there for each other in times of need. Such relationships provide support and enrichment. However, a lack of stable friendships can trigger a deep feeling of loneliness—this is very different from simply having few contacts.

Intimate loneliness: Intimate relationships can include sexual intimacy, but they don't have to—just as sexuality can occur without genuine intimacy. In a loving relationship, people usually share not only their everyday lives, but also physical intimacy, personal thoughts, and emotional feelings. If this kind of connection is missing, intimate loneliness arises. It is often closely linked to insecurities in one's own self-image as a woman or man.

For women, traumatic experiences—such as sexual abuse or violence by trusted individuals—can lead to physical intimacy later in life triggering feelings of disgust or strong defensiveness. This can impair the development of a stable female identity. Identity development also plays a major role in men: intimacy loneliness can hide behind exaggerated macho behavior as well as behind shyness or withdrawal. In addition to experiences of violence, shameful situations are particularly formative.

Emotional loneliness: This form describes a deep, inner loneliness that affects a person's basic emotional needs. It often develops in childhood. Especially in men, learning to suppress emotions at an early age—for example, due to social expectations—can contribute to this. Heart loneliness is usually closely linked to experiences such as loss, disappointment, betrayal, or deep hurt. In order to protect itself from further pain, the "heart" closes itself off, making it difficult to access one's own and other people's feelings.

Attachment loneliness: In early childhood, children display different attachment styles—especially in their contact with their primary caregiver, usually their mother. If important attachment needs are not met during this period, it can lead to difficulties in forming relationships later on. These difficulties manifest themselves, for example, in intense but very short-lived relationships or in partnerships in which the couple lives together but avoids each other emotionally because the connection has long since broken down internally. Attachment loneliness describes this feeling of not being able to form a genuine bond despite being in a relationship.