Phenomenological approaches to loneliness: A conceptual review

This review examines key developments in recent research literature on the phenomenology of loneliness. In the behavioral sciences, loneliness is commonly defined as the perceived discrepancy between anticipated and actual quality of relationships. Understood as a subjective experience rather than an objective condition, loneliness is also of interest to philosophical phenomenology, which investigates lived experience through conceptual means. Concepts shape how a phenomenon is perceived as an object of study and determine which dimensions of experience are emphasized. Phenomenology examines loneliness from the first-person perspective, analyzing the fundamental structures — selfhood, intersubjectivity, affectivity, embodiment, and spatiality — that condition all experiencing. This article shows that theoretical commitments influence which types of practical solutions and therapeutic or social interventions authors propose for alleviating loneliness. The literature identifies evaluation as a notable theme, though it is mostly discussed from an individual perspective rather than in relation to the social norms and values that shape expectations of social connection. Therefore, future research should focus on analyzing these normative dimensions and their role in shaping experiences of loneliness.