Loneliness and Belongingness in the College Years

Abstract

Although loneliness and belongingness could be thought of as opposite ends of a single continuum, we propose that they are nonetheless distinct dimensions of psychological experience and should be studied as equally important and only partially related phenomena. As part of this proposal, we discuss a widespread assessment problem, namely that assessments of loneliness and belongingness have contained diverse and confounding item content that overlaps with the hypothesized causes of each type of experience. Our contention is that once highly focused measures of each construct are used it will become clear that loneliness and belongingness are distinct experiences with distinct as well as overlapping causes. Emerging research with college students lends support for this view. Our expectation is that the distinction between loneliness and belonging will prove useful in examining patterns of solitude, withdrawal, and isolation during the developmentally significant college years.

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