The article aims at complementing the phenomenological analyses of trauma from a sociological point of view. Trauma is considered to be an impression, which cannot be integrated to the subject’s identity in a coherent manner. Such irreconcilable impressions could originate not only from individual life events, but also social dysfunctions. In order to map these dysfunctions classic and contemporary social theories are called upon: with their help those modern social sufferings are overviewed, which threaten with the emergence of traumatic experiences. The three thematic focus points of the article (in parallel with the dysfunctions identified by classical sociology) are anomie, reification and loss of meaning. In the fourth section of the article those forms of sociability are highlighted, which hold the potential of providing answers to the challenges of modernization: the emancipatory bourgeoisie public sphere and the intimacy as mutual disclosure. Finally, based on these conclusions a critical-network social work is highlighted.