Coping with Loneliness and Locus of Control

Abstract

The present study sought to determine the relative ability of internal and external subjects to handle the problem of loneliness. Research by Johnson and Sarason (1978) has suggested that an internal locus of control is much more effective in helping one deal with stressful life events. If this is the case, one should find a positive relationship between degree of loneliness and number of emotional and psychosomatic complaints on the Cornell Medical Index Form N-2 (Weider, Wolff, Brodman, Mittelman, & Wechsler, 1949) for external subjects but not for internal ones. Subjects were 150 college sophomores in introductory psychology. A score of 11, the median, was used to define extercality. Pearson correlations between loneliness scores on the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Peplau, & Ferguson, 1978) and on the Cornell Index were for male internal subjects ( N = 41) .48 ( P .05), for female internal subjects ( N = 35) .38 (P :05). The results indicate positive and significant small to moderate relationships between loneliness and somatic and psychological distress for internal subjects but not external subjects although the correlation for female external scorers falls just short of significance. These results call into question the conclusion of Johnson and Sarason that internal subjects cope better with stress. This certainly is not true for the stress of loneliness. On the contrary, it was particularly the male external subjects who appeared to be least affected by loneliness. This seems to be one of the few areas reported so far in the literature where an external orientation seems to hold some advantage. Whether the advantage is temporary or long-term remains to be determined.