Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · 1982 · 73 citations · 9 references
Social SciencesPsychologySocial PsychologyMental Health In Older AdultsPersonality PsychologyPsychometricsCoping StrategiesMental HealthPsychological TestingSocial IsolationSocial Relationships In AdulthoodSocial StressIsolationLoneliness In Older AdulthoodLoneliness In Older AdultsOlder Adult LonelinessOlder Adult Social IsolationSocial Isolation EffectsSocial Isolation In AgingSocial Risk Taking
The relationship of self-disclosure and of psychological masculinity and femininity to the experience of loneliness was examined in a sample of college students. Since both disclosure and sex-typing are important factors in close interpersonal relationships, it was expected that they would also be associated with loneliness the experience of a deficiency in one's social relations. As predicted, loneliness was negatively correlated with past disclosure, willingness to disclose, and social responsiveness, but only for women. High masculinity and high femininity offered protection against loneliness, with androgynous students being least lonely.
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