ABSTRACT
As humans, we possess a fundamental need to belong. Loneliness is our personal recognition that the quality of social and emotional contact we have with others is not sufficiently fulfilling and meaningful enough to meet our needs. Loneliness can be temporary or chronic, simply present or intensely disturbing and can manifest in a number of conditions both physical and psychological. At the same time, social contact and loneliness can be relatively independent of each other, reminding us that loneliness is not a condition measurable by the number of social contacts but by their nature and our perception of them.
