LEXICONS INDEXING SOCIAL ISOLATION AND TREATMENT: A DISCOURSEANALYSIS OF MEURSAULT'S LANGUAGE USAGE IN ‘THE STRANGER’ BYALBERT CAMUS

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of social isolation and its link to depression has drawn significant scholarly attention globally. Economic instability and shifting social structures have exacerbated these issues, leading to growing concerns about mental well-being. Previous studies define
isolation as an aversive psychological state associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes. However, this study analyzes the lexicon in Albert Camus’ The Stranger’ to examine how language reflects existentialist and absurdist themes with a view to investigating how
economic instability can contribute to distress and social isolation today. Qualitative research method was used for the study. To buttress this point, interviews were conducted with twenty (20) families to investigate how economic instability might have contributed to distress and social Isolation. The paper concludes by recommending strategies for fostering psychological resilience and reducing the impact of isolation on mental health.