ERIC Number: EJ1478488
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Aug
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0961-205X
EISSN: EISSN-1467-9507
Available Date: 2025-07-08
Using Language to Test Developmental Differences in Attitudes toward Solitude in Adolescents and Emerging Adults
Social Development, v34 n3 e70010 2025
The goal of this study was to assess developmental differences in adolescents' and emerging adults' attitudes toward solitude using three different methodologies. Participants were N = 1224 adolescents (n = 367, ages 15-18 years, M[subscript age] = 16.13, SD = 0.54; 65.7% female) and emerging adults (n = 857, aged 18-29 years, M[subscript age] = 19.75 years, SD = 2.28; 70.2% female). Participants completed a rating scale assessing explicit attitudes towards solitude. Linguistic indices of attitudes were also derived from participants' descriptions of someone who 'enjoys and values solitude', using both content analysis and sentiment analysis. Themes derived from a content analysis of these descriptions included 'Introvert', 'Ambivert', 'Neutral', 'Positive' and 'Negative'. Lexicon-based sentiment analysis was also completed to assess levels of valence, arousal and dominance in each description. Results indicate a complex set of inter-associations among methodological approaches to measuring attitudes toward solitude. However, across all three methodologies, emerging adults displayed more positive views of solitude than adolescents.
Descriptors: Adolescents, Young Adults, Developmental Stages, Age Differences, Interpersonal Relationship, Language Usage, Emotional Response, Positive Attitudes, Negative Attitudes, Gender Differences, High School Students, Undergraduate Students, Foreign Countries, Individual Characteristics, Extraversion Introversion, Personality Traits
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada