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Relations of Fundamental Beliefs about Human Nature with Loneliness, Preferred Solitude and Satisfaction with Social Relationships in Adulthood

Ivana Tucak Junaković orcid.org/0000-0003-2166-1089 ; Odjel za psihologiju Sveučilišta u Zadru
Vera Ćubela Adorić ; Odjel za psihologiju Sveučilišta u Zadru

Sažetak

The study was conducted with the aim of testing the relations of positive and negative beliefs about human nature (i.e. trust in people and cynical beliefs about people) with loneliness, preferred solitude and satisfaction with social relations in adulthood. Loneliness was described as an unpleasant and emotionally disturbing experience that appears as a response to a difference between desired and achieved level of social contacts, while preferred solitude is defined as a person’s desire to be alone while experiencing positive, not negative, emotions. 300 people - 25 to 75 years old (M= 50.5 years) from different regions of Croatia participated in the study. Relevant constructs were measured by: Cynicism and trust scale (Ćubela Adorić and Tucak, 2006), adapted short version of UCLA loneliness scale (Lacković-Grgin, Penezić and Nekić, 2002), Adapted scale of preferred solitude (Lacković-Grgin and Nekić, 2002), and by one item assessing satisfaction with social relations.
Contrary to results of some previous studies among Croatian subjects, which demonstrated that cynicism and belief in human good nature did not correlate significantly, the results of this study showed that these two fundamental beliefs about human nature correlate, although modestly, significantly and negatively. Trust in people did not correlate significantly either with loneliness, or with preferred solitude, while it correlated positively with satisfaction with social relations. On the other hand, cynical beliefs about people correlated significantly and positively with loneliness, and negatively with satisfaction in social relations, while their relation with preferred solitude was not significant. Relations between loneliness, preferred solitude and satisfaction with social relations, as well as sex and age differences in examined constructs were also considered in this study.

Ključne riječi

trust; cynicism; loneliness; solitude; adulthood

Hrčak ID:

39922

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/39922

Datum izdavanja:

30.6.2009.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

Posjeta: 4.199 *