Episode
About this Episode:
Mike speaks with Terry Freiberg on the growth of chronic loneliness in the United States, the use of relational cultural theory in response to loneliness, and the unique features of loneliness during Covid-19.
Presenter
About Terry:
J. W. Freiberg holds a PhD from the University of California and a JD from Harvard Law School. He has been called “the Oliver Sacks of law,” given the story format in which he elects to address the topic of loneliness. His publications on the origins of the ever-growing chronic loneliness that plagues contemporary society consist of three books. Four Seasons of Loneliness: A Lawyer’s Case Stories (2016) presents four engaging case studies that exemplify how living disconnected and in isolation can terminate in chronic loneliness. Growing Up Lonely: Disconnection and Misconnection in the Lives of Our Children (2019) presents the written papers from the 2018 Symposium on Loneliness in Children organized by Freiberg and held at the Kennedy Center in Boston. Finally, in Surrounded By Others and Yet So Alone: A Lawyer’s Case Stories of Love, Loneliness and Litigation (2020) Freiberg switches back to a story format to present five more enchanting case stories that illustrate the different manners in which compromised and unrewarding relationships constitute another route by which misconnected individuals can end up chronically lonely. He is also the author of two critically acclaimed earlier books: Critical Sociology and The French Press as well as over thirty-five articles, book introductions, and other scholarly works on social psychology and legal issues. Freiberg often contributes to radio commentary on the epidemic of loneliness that plagues contemporary society; links to his commentaries can be found on thelonelinessbooks.com. Freiberg, a member of both the Massachusetts bar and the bar of The Supreme Court of the United States, lives in the Boston area, and continues to both write and lecture about how to deal with the loneliness epidemic.
Links and References
Citation
APA Citation for this Episode:
Shook, M. (Producer). (2020, May 21). EP171: Surrounded Yet So Alone – Addressing Loneliness through a Relational-Cultural Lens with J.W. Freiberg [Audio Podcast]. The Thoughtful Counselor. Retrieved from https://wp.me/p7R6fn-Xhy.
Thanks
Thanks to the Following:
Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
