In this volume, we present the three most significant, now classic, psychoanalytic approaches to loneliness, which are complemented by two newer studies exploring the potential benefits of solitude from the perspectives of psychoanalysis, spirituality, and social psychology.

In recent years, there has been an increase in claims, both from scientists and non-scientists, that loneliness, along with depression, is set to become one of the major epidemics of the 21st century. The phenomenon of loneliness has profoundly engaged, throughout the centuries, art, philosophy, and literature, and today the social sciences, particularly applied sociology.

Contrary to what one might expect, there are not many studies from mental health professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychotherapists, the majority of whom focus on and emphasize the pathology and painful consequences of loneliness. In contrast, there are studies, like those of the leading psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, which refer to an individual's ability to be alone, considering this ability to be one of the most important signs of maturity in emotional development and contributing to a person's independence and creativity.