Perception of Lonely and Non-Lonely Persons as a Function of Individual Differences in Loneliness

Abstract

Ninety-six male and 179 female undergraduates were administered the UCLA Loneliness Scale and judged as people who were prototypically lonely or non-lonely. Consistent with a `social stigma' view of loneliness, individuals attributed lower psychosocial functioning to and were less accepting of the lonely than the non-lonely person. This provided evidence for the prevailing perception of the lonely person as a negative stereotype and the social tendency to reject him or her. Females attributed lower psychosocial functioning to the lonely person than did males. In contrast to Borys & Perlman's (1985) findings, individuals did not attribute lower psychosocial functioning to nor were less accepting of the lonely person when identified as a male rather than a female. It was found that lonely individuals were less accepting of the non-lonely person than were non-lonely individuals. This latter finding was attributed to the negative effects of upward social comparison and was regarded as a factor that would maintain loneliness.