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Europes Journal of Psychology, Vol 2, No 4 (2006)

Personality Traits And Feeling Of Loneliness In UnemployedYouths

Brijesh Kumar Upadhayay

Departement of Psychology, Gurukul Kangri University, Hardwar, Uttranchal, India

C.P. Khokhar

Departement of Psychology, Gurukul Kangri University, Hardwar, Uttranchal, India

ABSTRACT

Unemployment has been a recurring social problem throughout the century and bringing a mental health problem. In

addition to feelings of excitement and anticipation, there may also be the feelings of loneliness. Loneliness is an

important personality variable. Aim of the present investigation is to know the effect of personality traits on the

perception of perceived loneliness in unemployed youths. The sample consists of 200 subjects within the age group of

26-32 yrs of age drawn from district Haridwar, clear demarcations were observed in the groups of different levels of

personality traits on perceived loneliness

Introduction

Unemployment is a reality for many young people. You may be skilled, qualified, willing to work, r eady for work anddesperately wanting a job, but for many young people this does not guarantee you will get work, because in many

places there just are not enough jobs around for everyone. It can make you feel low, bored, frustrated, sick that

effect your lifestyle. You might feel low or upset, example you might feel like a fai lure or there is something wrong

with you. Unemployment doesnt fit with your career dreams and ambitions. You are knocked back for the fiftieth

job. You feel your life is wasting away. Your mates can go out and have a good time while you sit home and get bored

out of your brain! You might start to wonder whether it is worth try ing anymore.

Studies show a link between unemployment and feeling suicidal. This can include other forms of hurting yourself like

self-punishment or abuse. Some studies show a link between unemployment and mental illness or diagnosed mental

disorder. These can be things like insomnia (not being able to sleep), anxiety, clinical depression. Increased drug,

tobacco and alcohol use there is a link between unemployment and drug, tobacco and alcohol use. Especially

smoking and alcohol. Several people use drugs, tobacco or alcohol as a way of coping. These can harm your health

and hook you into a lifestyle that makes it harder to keep motivated about life.

According to Jahoda: employment makes the following categories of experience inevitable : it imposes a t imestructure on the waking day; it compels contacts and shared experiences with others outside the nuclear family; it

demonstrates that there are goals and purposes which are beyond the scope of an individual but require a collectivity;

it imposes status and social identity through the division of labour in modern employ ment; it enforces activity

Growth and change during unemployment produces a variety of feelings in youths. In addition to feelings of

excitement and anticipation, there may also be feelings of loneliness. Loneliness is not necessarily being alone. We

may be alone for long periods without feeling at all lonely. On the other hand we may feel lonely in a familiar setting

without really understanding why.

Personality characteristic is to recognize that loneliness is something that can be changed. It is also important to know

that loneliness is a common experience. According to a recent national survey, one quarter of all adults experience

painful loneliness at least every few weeks, and the incidence among adolescents and unemployed youths is even

higher. Loneliness is neither a permanent state nor bad in itself. Instead it should be viewed more accurately as a

signal or indicator of important needs that are going unmet.

Some of the personality dispositions directly related to loneliness include shyness, introversion, and self-consciousness

(e.g. Jones et al. 1985a), whereas attachment quality (Hecht & Baum 1984), likeability (Moore & Schultz 1983),

communication competence (Spitzberg & Canary 1985), self-disclosure and interpersonal competence (Jones, 1985;

Sarason, Sarason, Hacker, & Basham 1985) are inversely related. Researchers have also reported inverse

correlations between loneliness and social risk-taking (Moore & Schultz 1983; Sermat 1978).

Another common concomitant of loneliness is low self-esteem with several studies indicating substantial co-variation

between measures of these two constructs (Jones, Freemon & Goswick 1981; Russell et al. 1980). As would be

expected, low self-esteem is more strongly related to chronic than to transitory or situational loneliness (Jones, et al.

1985a; Wilbert & Rupert 1986). Not surprisingly then, the personality dimensions most closely related t o loneliness

are those pertaining to confidence and skill in initiating and developing r elationships with o thers (Jones, et al. 1985a).

Also, longitudinal studies have demonstrated that the personality correlates of loneliness often precede feelings of

loneliness (e.g., Jones & Moore 1987; Shaver et a l. 1985). Given the variety of personality factors related to

loneliness and the common finding that many of these variables are r elated to one another, the question arises as to

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which aspects of personality a re most predictive of loneliness. Two independent studies (Jones et al. 1985a;

Wittenberg & Reis 1986) reported that deficits in two composite variables appear to account for the unique connections

between personality and loneliness: (a) relational competence or initiation skills (e.g. low shyness); and (b)

enhancement skills or communality (e.g. trust).

Loneliness refers to an individuals subjective perception that he/she lacks close interpersonal relationships. An

individual is lonely if he or she desires close interpersonal relationships but is unable to establish them. According to

Peplau and Perlman(1982), loneliness is t he unpleasant experience that occurs when a persons network of social

relations is deficient in some way. There are three approaches which describe loneliness. The first approach

emphasizes inherent human needs for intimacy. The second emphasizes peoples perception and evaluation of their

social relation and the third approach to loneliness identifies insufficient social reinforcement as the main deficiency

experienced by lonely people. Sever al personality factors have been linked to loneliness. Lonely people tend to be

more introverted and shy, more self conscious, and less assertive (Jones, Briggs and Smith, 1986).

The main objective of the present investigation is to find out the effect of five personality traits that is Activity and

Passivity, Enthusiastic & Non enthusiastic, Assertive & Submissive, Suspicious and Trusting, Depressive & Non

depressive, Emotional Instability and Emotional Instability on perceived loneliness of unemployed youths.

Methodology

Tools:

1 - Dimensional Personality Inventory (DPI), by Bhargava, M.(1981).

2 - Perceived Loneliness Scale (PLS), by Jha, P.K.(1971).

Sampling:

A sample of 200 unemployed youths within the age range 26 to 32 years, non-technical graduates belonging to middle

socioeconomic status are selected from Haridwar districts. Subjects having the score +1 S.D. above the mean and -1

S.D. below the mean are selected as high or low respectively on personality dimensions. Their corresponding scoreson loneliness are taken as dependent measures.

Results and Discussion

Table 1 - Indicate Significance of difference between two levels of personality traits on loneliness.

Trait Mean on Loneliness SD SED T P

Activity 102.8 27.7 13.72 .189 N.S

Passivity 100.2 12.8

Enthusiastic 93.4 6.5 5.61 3.46 < .01

Non enthusiastic 112.8 10.73

Assertive 90 2.83 2.6 3.0 < .01

Submissive 97.8 5.12

Suspicious 114.6 12.2 7.09 3.35 < .01

Trusting 90.8 10.13

Depressive 111.6 15.47 7.0 2.63 < .01

Non depressive 93.2 2.39

Emotional Stability 2.73 87.4 7.70 9.44 < .01

Emotional Instability 113.2 12.2

Significant at .05(1.97, 199)

Significant at .01(2.60, 199)

Significance of differences between means on loneliness of unemployed youths on the dimension of Enthusiasm,

Assertiveness, Suspiciousness, Depression, Emotional stability are established. The Non-enthusiastic, submissive,

suspicious, depressive personality and emotional unstable unemployed have scored significantly higher on the

measures of loneliness.

Enthusiastic unemployed youths feel less lonely than the non enthusiastic unemployed youths. Enthusiastic are more

hopeful than non enthusiastic about their future. Enthusiastic unemployed are more optimistic about the settlement of

their job.

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No doubt loneliness is related to situational aspect of unemployed but the personality traits like

assertiveness/submissiveness governs the felling of loneliness in unemployed. Study o f Hansson, Robert O. Briggs,

Stephen R. Rule, Bonnie L., 1990 supports the results of present investigation.

Present inquiry also agrees with the above Hansson, et 1990 study that fully unemployed youths feel helplessness,

hopelessness, worthlessness, depressed, unwanted, unloved, suicidal ideas, feeling of inferiority than the fully

employed. Frictionally unemployed youths have more depressive feelings than seasonally unemployed youths that

gradually inculcate the feelings of loneliness.

Present inquiry agrees with the Creed and Peter, 1999 study that unemployed youth have feeling of inferiority and

lack of confidence. The loneliness is an indirect product of inferiority, lack of confidence, non-enthusiasm, submissive

and suspiciousness. Unemployed youth with negative personality traits like submissiveness, suspiciousness,

depression and emotional instability are more susptable to loneliness. It develops a cyclic stage weaker the trait

higher the feeling of loneliness leading to unemployment.

Although one study by Joshi, Purushottam de Grace, Gaston Rene, 1985 that duration of unemployment would impact

on an individuals self esteem, depression, loneliness and affective communication found no significant difference. I t is

to be investigated further with a suitable design.

Unemployment leads to social and economic crises that hinder the self esteem and identify of self. Such individual has

no further help form other to get out o f the hell of unemployment. Finally it leads him to loneliness (Peplau and

Perlman, 1982).

Earlier study by Jones, Carpenter and Quitana, 1985 is congruent with the present investigation that lonely people

often have low self esteem and in some cases, have poor social skills. Loneliness is also associated with anxiety and

depression. A lonely individual experiences a feeling of profound sadness and the whole w orld becomes joyless and

gray. Nothing seems worthwhile any more; emptiness prevails, and only bad things are expected. Unemployed youths

also having same feeling as they have pool self esteem, joylessness and emptiness in their life.

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