The Meaning Crisis of Youth in A World of Risky Strangers: Mental Disorders and Suicides
Today, it is possible to say that the prevalence of mental disorders, completed suicide and suicide attempts are come to the fore in many countries in the world and show an increasing tendency among younger individuals. These seemingly obvious problems of the liquid modernity or risk century we live in, can be related to the sense of meaninglessness of young people. In this context, this study is aimed to examine and discuss the liquid social conditions of the 21st century, which have a potential to create meaning crisis and increase mental disorders and suicide attempts, from a sociological perspective through various approaches and institutional macro empirical statistics. For this purpose, it has been tried to relate meaning crises arising from the conditions of today's age with the increasing rates of mental disorders and suicide cases among young people. Various statistical data derived from current data archives of WHO, OECD and TurkStat constitute the empirical data of this work. According to the arguments that arises, in a world of risky strangers which is based on constant consumption and hedonism, the process of young people's making their lives meaningful is getting more difficult. Structural features of the liquid or late modernity such as the spread of risk and fear culture, the erosion of trust, the glorification of materialistic values, the spiritual and emotional emptiness, the tendency to consume more, loneliness, alienation and individuation make the individuals more unhappy, tired, fragile, stolid, worried, anxious and stressful, and ultimately creating a very intense meaning crisis. Given the existing mental disorders and suicide statistics, it appears that poor reformist policies or strategies for the prevention of the meaning crises of the new age societies often fail to solve the meaninglessness problem of individual's. If the existential needs of the unhappy, anxious and isolated young individuals of the new age are not adequately satisfied, their meaning crises will become more inevitable.
Keywords: Youth, Risky world, Uncertainty, Mental disorders, Suicide, Meaning crisis
The Meaning Crisis of Youth in A World of Risky Strangers: Mental Disorders and Suicides
Today, it is possible to say that the prevalence of mental disorders, completed suicide and suicide attempts are come to the fore in many countries in the world and show an increasing tendency among younger individuals. These seemingly obvious problems of the liquid modernity or risk century we live in, can be related to the sense of meaninglessness of young people. In this context, this study is aimed to examine and discuss the liquid social conditions of the 21st century, which have a potential to create meaning crisis and increase mental disorders and suicide attempts, from a sociological perspective through various approaches and institutional macro empirical statistics. For this purpose, it has been tried to relate meaning crises arising from the conditions of today's age with the increasing rates of mental disorders and suicide cases among young people. Various statistical data derived from current data archives of WHO, OECD and TurkStat constitute the empirical data of this work. According to the arguments that arises, in a world of risky strangers which is based on constant consumption and hedonism, the process of young people's making their lives meaningful is getting more difficult. Structural features of the liquid or late modernity such as the spread of risk and fear culture, the erosion of trust, the glorification of materialistic values, the spiritual and emotional emptiness, the tendency to consume more, loneliness, alienation and individuation make the individuals more unhappy, tired, fragile, stolid, worried, anxious and stressful, and ultimately creating a very intense meaning crisis. Given the existing mental disorders and suicide statistics, it appears that poor reformist policies or strategies for the prevention of the meaning crises of the new age societies often fail to solve the meaninglessness problem of individual's. If the existential needs of the unhappy, anxious and isolated young individuals of the new age are not adequately satisfied, their meaning crises will become more inevitable.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Youth, Risky world, Uncertainty, Mental disorders, Suicide, Meaning crisis