The unwillingness‐to‐communicate scale: Development and validation

Abstract

The construct of unwillingness to communicate represents a global predisposition to avoid communication, whether due to apprehension, alienation, low self‐esteem, introversion, or other causes. The lines of research supporting the existence of the construct are discussed. The program of research leading to the present form of the Unwillingness‐to‐Communicate Scale is reported, including results of two studies that have provided reliability and validity data. Based on factor analysis results, a 20‐item instrument with two factors, reward and approach‐avoidance, is recommended for research use.