Resumen de Some communicator correlates of loneliness
Since few studies have examined how communicator characteristics may predispose individuals to loneliness and perpetuate the condition once it has developed, this essay explores the relationships between such characteristics and loneliness. Self‐reported loneliness was hypothesized to be related to assertiveness, Machiavellianism, self‐monitoring, social‐communicative anxiety, conversational involvement, and communicator style. The results suggest that lonely people find communication to be a problematic activity. They are apprehensive and anxious about communication and social situations, report difficulty being responsive to others, have problems with self‐assertion, tend to be nondisclosive, have a constrained and unfriendly style of communication, and evaluate their abilities as communicators negatively. The findings support the value of a communication skills perspective on loneliness.
