Parasocial relationships as a factor reducing the severity of experiencing loneliness in a society of trauma

Nemirovsky V.G.

Abstract

Loneliness is one of the attributes of the society of trauma, which is an essential characteristic of modern Russian society. This article is aimed at analyzing parasocial relationships as a factor of mitigating the severity of the experience of loneliness in a society of trauma. The article is based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines sociological and psychological theories: the conceptions of cultural trauma by P. Sztompka, trauma society by Zh.T. Toshchenko, parasocial relations by D. Horton and R.R. Wohl, the concepts of loneliness developed by other authors. It is shown that parasocial relations act as an important form of compensation for the experiences of loneliness, but do not relieve a person from this state.

Keywords

parasocial relations; trauma society; social exclusion; loneliness.

DOI: 10.31249/rsoc/2023.03.04

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