ON THE THRESHOLD of SOCIAL EROSION: THE DYNAMICS of SOCIOLOGICAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL COLLAPSE
Sr No:
Page No:
155-160
Language:
English
Authors:
Prof. Dr. Kursat Sahin Yildirimer*
Received:
2025-07-30
Accepted:
2025-07-17
Published Date:
2025-07-20
Abstract:
Throughout history, societies are not only with large -scale disasters such as wars,
natural disasters or economic crises; At the same time, value abrasions, collective consciousness
and collective mental fatigue have entered into collapse processes. In the modern age, this
collapse has taken a quiet, invisible and progressive form. The loneliness of the individual, the
weakening of social ties, the loss of meaning and the widespread psychological disorders are no
longer individual problems; It should also be considered as an indicator of a structural and
cultural dissolution. Émile Durkheim's concept of “anomi, is still valid in explaining the
increasing alienation in today's societies; Viktor Frankl's definition of “meaning gap” also
summarizes the existential crisis of the modern individual. This article aims to address how the
basic basis of the social structure crashes and how a multi -layered dissolution process works
from family to institutions, from values to individual mental health. It is observed that these
symptoms of collapse become more visible and intense in societies that experience rapid social
change processes such as Türkiye. In the study, both structural (macro) institutional dissolution,
value erosion and social insecurity; As well as individual (micro) burnout, digital loneliness and
psychological fragility indicators will be examined. The social collapse shaped by concepts such
as anomy, alienation and depreciation in the historical process reveals itself with structural
indicators such as insecurity in institutions, deterioration of family structure and dysfunctional of
collective values. Parallel to this process, anxiety disorders, burnout syndrome, digital isolation
and sense of meaninglessness are becoming widespread; Collective traumas are eroding the
psychological strength of individuals. In this study, the dynamics of collapse in which
contemporary societies are exposed to on the basis of socio-psychological interactions are
analyzed; A comparative perspective supported by field studies and up -to -date data from
Turkey is presented. In addition, solutions such as reconstruction of social capital, community -
based mental health support and restorative social policies are developed to increase the capacity
of social resistance to collapse. The findings allow both pessimistic and hope for the future of the
society.
Keywords:
Social collapse, psychological erosion, anomy, digital loneliness, burnout, social capital, psychological strength, socio-psychological interaction.