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Studenters berättelser om ensamhet

Nyberg Eiroff, Ebba LU (2019) SOPA63 20191
School of Social Work
Abstract
Author: Ebba Eiroff
Title: Students narratives of loneliness
Supervisor: Kristina Göransson
Assessor: Mats Hilte

The aim for this qualitative study was to examine university students experiences of loneliness based on Erving Goffman’s dramaturgy theory, together with the conceptions of normality, shame and guilt. How students describe feelings of loneliness and how they relate their experiences to social situations and what strategies they use in order to cope with their experiences, served as guidelines to help answering the purpose of the study. By conducting six semi structured interviews with university students ages from 20-26, I collected, transcribed and analyzed my research data by using qualitative content analysis focusing... (More)
Author: Ebba Eiroff
Title: Students narratives of loneliness
Supervisor: Kristina Göransson
Assessor: Mats Hilte

The aim for this qualitative study was to examine university students experiences of loneliness based on Erving Goffman’s dramaturgy theory, together with the conceptions of normality, shame and guilt. How students describe feelings of loneliness and how they relate their experiences to social situations and what strategies they use in order to cope with their experiences, served as guidelines to help answering the purpose of the study. By conducting six semi structured interviews with university students ages from 20-26, I collected, transcribed and analyzed my research data by using qualitative content analysis focusing on the students vocabulary, with influences of Gubrium & Holsteins method, analytical bracketing. The study found that loneliness was shown as a topic rarely spoken of amongst the participating students, due to discomfort and concern of how it would be recieved. It also showed how students tend to control their self-image of how they want to be perceived by others as a not lonely person. Moreover, the study also found that students experiencing loneliness were prone to feelings of guilt, and in some cases shame, regarding their loneliness. Other findings showed how students actively chose to be lonely when facing other more worrying situations which challenges the idea of loneliness by choice as a more positive phenomenon.

Keywords: loneliness and students, Goffman, normality, guilt, shame (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Nyberg Eiroff, Ebba LU
supervisor
organization
course
SOPA63 20191
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
loneliness and students, Goffman, normality, guilt, shame
language
Swedish
id
8993780
date added to LUP
2019-09-03 08:18:33
date last changed
2019-09-03 08:18:33
@misc{8993780,
  abstract     = {{Author: Ebba Eiroff
Title: Students narratives of loneliness
Supervisor: Kristina Göransson
Assessor: Mats Hilte

The aim for this qualitative study was to examine university students experiences of loneliness based on Erving Goffman’s dramaturgy theory, together with the conceptions of normality, shame and guilt. How students describe feelings of loneliness and how they relate their experiences to social situations and what strategies they use in order to cope with their experiences, served as guidelines to help answering the purpose of the study. By conducting six semi structured interviews with university students ages from 20-26, I collected, transcribed and analyzed my research data by using qualitative content analysis focusing on the students vocabulary, with influences of Gubrium & Holsteins method, analytical bracketing. The study found that loneliness was shown as a topic rarely spoken of amongst the participating students, due to discomfort and concern of how it would be recieved. It also showed how students tend to control their self-image of how they want to be perceived by others as a not lonely person. Moreover, the study also found that students experiencing loneliness were prone to feelings of guilt, and in some cases shame, regarding their loneliness. Other findings showed how students actively chose to be lonely when facing other more worrying situations which challenges the idea of loneliness by choice as a more positive phenomenon. 

Keywords: loneliness and students, Goffman, normality, guilt, shame}},
  author       = {{Nyberg Eiroff, Ebba}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Studenters berättelser om ensamhet}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}