Comparison of transitory and chronic loners on selected personality variables.

This study is concerned with an investigation of personality differences between transitory and chronic loners. Two groups of subjects were studied: Group I consisted of 232 Iranian students studying in American universities; and Group II comprised 305 Iranian students studying in Iranian universities. Based on responses to a question concerning duration of experiencing loneliness, 83 subjects in Group I and 114 in Group II were identified as transitory loners. Also, 43 subjects in Group I and 82 in Group II were identified as chronic loners. Chronic loners in both groups scored significantly higher than transitory loners on measures such as global loneliness, anxiety, depression, neuroticism and external locus of control. Also, chronic loners scored significantly lower on self-esteem, and extraversion scales. When the effect of the global loneliness was controlled, no significant difference was observed between transitory and chronic loners in Group I but, in Group II, the difference on depression and extraversion remained significant.