Social and emotional loneliness: An examination of Weiss's typology of loneliness.

Examined R. S. Weiss's (1973) conceptualization of social and emotional loneliness, using survey data on 505 college students that included the UCLA Loneliness Scale—Revised. Social and emotional loneliness, Ss' affective and behavioral reactions to loneliness, Ss' social relationships, and their judgments of the degree to which their relationships supply the 6 social provisions described by Weiss were measured. There were differences in the subjective experiences of social and emotional loneliness, although both forms of loneliness were also characterized by a common core of experiences. Results generally support Weiss's ideas concerning the determinants of social and emotional loneliness. Predictions concerning the affective and behavioral consequences associated with each type of loneliness, however, were only partly supported, although the 2 forms of loneliness were associated with different affective reactions and coping behaviors. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)