“THE CASE STUDY OF LONE”

In Partial requirement for the Subject in Field Methods in Psychology

PSY156

Presented by

ASHLEY KATE D. HAMBRE

JOY ANNE T. ASDULO

Presented to

Maria Lourdes S. Eleazar, MP-SP

Professor

MAY 2023
 INTRODUCTION

Some people enjoy being alone themselves, some may even say they adore it. How do you perceive them to
be? Do images of the sociopath or the dreaded loner hiding out somewhere planning his next murder instantly
come to mind? Those caricatures don't accurately represent true loners. People that enjoy their alone time are true
loner. Those who act out are frequently forced to act alone. They desire acceptance. The objects of their desire
want to love them. But they've been shunned and turned away. Their animosity and rage are fueled, among other
things, by their rejection and marginalization. Being a loner indicates that you value your alone time over time
spent with others. This could be beneficial or negative, depending on the circumstances, your personality, and your
preferences. Other studies suggest that being a loner can make a person happier and even be beneficial to their
health. In this study, some participants reported higher life satisfaction with less social interactions. other studies
suggest that being a loner can make a person happier and even be beneficial to their health. In this study, some
participants reported higher life satisfaction with less social interactions.

Loners are sometimes associated with introverts. People like this prefer spending time alone because they
are more engaged in their own inner thoughts and feelings rather than because they dislike being among other
people. They can recharge their batteries by taking some time to themselves. Different levels of the urge or desire
to be alone can be shown in loner behavior. Both beneficial and healthy factors contribute to being a loner, as do
harmful and harmful factors. In fact, according to Feist, "there's a real danger with people who are never alone." It's
difficult to be introspective, self-aware, and truly relaxed until you have periodic alone. Furthermore, introverts
often have fewer, closer friendships, which has been associated with higher levels of enjoyment. Quality prevails
over quantity, as it does with many things. It might be healthier for you in the long run to focus on a small number
of close relationships rather than feeling the need to continually surround yourself with chattering voices. Thus,
you shouldn't feel pressure to change if your personality tends toward aloofness. Of course, there are limitations to
that. However, there is no need in worrying about how to fit a square personality into a round hole if you have
frequent social interaction, choose solitude rather than being pushed into it, have at least a few decent friends, and
your solitary is beneficial to your well-being or productivity.
 RELATED THEORIES

 BEHAVIORAL PERSONALITY THEORY

Behavioral personality theory also known as behaviorism., is the study of how an individual's actions
relate to their surroundings. This line of thinking's proponents holds that all behaviors are taught and that
changes in behavior are influenced by the people, circumstances, and environments in which they take place. In
1913, John Watson created the behavioral personality theory. Based on the behavioral patterns seen in his
patients and society as a whole, he thought it was possible to forecast and even influence human behavior.
Watson held that the environment was the only factor influencing personality and conduct and that the mind
was a tabula rasa, or "blank slate."

In relation to the behavioral approach, loneliness is defined by personality factors that are linked to
unhealthy patterns of interpersonal engagement and may even facilitate those patterns. For instance, loneliness
is linked to traits that make it difficult to engage in effective and satisfying ways, such as social anxiety, social
inhibition (shyness), melancholy, aggression, and low self-esteem. In fact, it has been demonstrated that lonely
people find it challenging to build and sustain meaningful connections. They report having less intimacy with
close friends because they are less likely to divulge personal information to their peers.

 HANS EYSENCK'S THEORY OF PERSONALITY

Hans Eysenck (1947; 1966; 1967) constructed a theory of personality which has a biological basis. He
believed that personality was the result of biological differences in individuals’ nervous systems which
ultimately affect their ability to learn and adapt to the environment.

According to Eysenck's theory, introverts have naturally high levels of arousal. Because of these high
arousal levels, introverts tend to seek activities and environments where they can escape from overstimulation.
Alone time gives them the opportunity to process and reflect on what they have learned.

 ALBERT BANDURA’S SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

Albert Bandura, a psychologist, established the social learning theory, which contends that learning
happens through imitation, modeling, and observation and is influenced by things like attention, motivation,
attitudes, and emotions. The idea takes into account the combination of environmental and cognitive factors
that influence learning.

This theory states that an aloof or shy person may have fewer opportunities to gain social skills than
someone who is gregarious and actively seeks out social interactions, which may cause a person to become a
loner. Additionally, social learning in the environment can be used to shape personalities.

 COGNITIVE THEORY

The core concept of cognitive theory is that feelings and behavior are primarily influenced by thinking.
A typical way to describe this mental process is as information processing. The way the human mind works is
compared to how a computer works by theorists.

The cognitive approach to loneliness is based on the observation that unique disparities in perceptions
and attributions characterize loneliness. People who are lonely typically have a negative attitude on life in
general. They are more critical of the people, occasions, and circumstances in their lives than people who are
not lonely. They also frequently place the blame for their inability to form fulfilling social connections on
themselves. Additionally, the cognitive approach largely accounts for the attachment and behavioral
perspectives by explaining how (a) failure to meet the need for attachment, social integration, nurturance, and
other social needs results in perceived relationship discrepancies that are experienced as loneliness, and (b)
loneliness is sustained by way of a self-fulfilling prophecy in which poor social skills result in unsatisfactory
personal relationships that in turn result in loneliness

 ATTACHMENT THEORY

According to attachment theory, a child will develop a close emotional link with a caregiver within the
first six months of life provided the caregiver is properly responsive. This hypothesis is based on research in
developmental psychology. The theory was created by British psychologist John Bowlby and focuses on how
emotions are felt, expressed, and controlled at both the species-level (normative) and personal-level (person-
specific) levels of analysis.

Bowlby thought that the attachment system, as he and others referred to it, had two main purposes: to
safeguard vulnerably against dangers or harm, and to control negative emotions in response to such threats or
harm. Since this theory highlights the value of a close emotional connection between the child and the
caregiver; it is a precursor to modern ideas of loneliness. In accordance to this viewpoint, children with
 insecure attachment patterns act in ways that make them unwanted with their classmates, which causes them to
feel lonely. Their social abilities are hampered by these rejections, and they grow warier of other people, which
prolongs their loneliness.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

(Tuovinen, Tang & Aro, 2020), Learning through social interaction has been documented widely; however,
how introverted people are socially engaged in learning is largely unknown. It shows that the social engagement
scale is a valid measure for the Finnish school context. More importantly, it reveals that social engagement plays
an important role in introverts' self-esteem. Although, in general, introverts tend to have low social engagement,
the results of this study show that they can have high social engagement in their learning, and once they are able to
join groups and enjoy teamwork, their self-esteem can grow. Higher self-esteem is not necessarily better, as former
studies have found (Baumeister et al., 2003), but this does not mean that it should be ignored. Low self-esteem has
detrimental effects on learning and motivation (Baumeister et al., 2003), and this study show that by encouraging
and ensuring that introverts engage with their peers in learning, their risk of low self-esteem can decrease and they
can enjoy the same level of self-esteem as their extraverted peers. These findings also remind teachers to take their
students' personalities into consideration and encourage introverted students to engage more in peer learning.

According to this literature Self-esteem among introverts is significantly influenced by social involvement.
Introverts require social interaction just like everyone else. They are picky when it comes to making social
connections, though, and they need more time alone to unwind after social events since they are prone to becoming
overstimulated.

According to Ren and Evans (2020), They discovered dependable proof from five research showing those
who intentionally seek alone are more likely to be shunned. This finding is supported by correlational data from
studies 1 and 2 that used participants' self-reported experiences and perceptions of others' experiences, as well as
experimental data from studies 3-5 that used verbal descriptions and simulated personality profiles. The study of
those who enjoy alone is still in its early stages. This research contributes to the comprehension of the social effects
of a general propensity for isolation. It suggests that the desire for solitude—a largely private behavior with
numerous potential advantages—comes at the expense of social inclusion. They found that people are more likely
to avoid target individuals who have a high (vs. low) propensity for solitude across two studies employing verbal
descriptions (Study 3) and simulated personality characteristics (Study 4). In both experiments, the majority of
replies remained lower than the scale midpoint, indicating that people are typically reluctant to exclude others. In
earlier research with comparable designs, this resistance was noted (Hales et al., 2016; Rudert et al., 2020).
The fact that inclusiveness is typically the norm in social interactions and that people don't purposefully utilize ostr
acism until it's necessary (Sommer & Yoon, 2013) could be one explanation for this reluctance.
Nevertheless, we consistently found evidence that people are more prone to shun targets who value isolation more.

The researchers conclude that Racist intent may be driven by both self-interest and other-centered factors.
People may foresee that interacting with the target won't be joyful (the self-interested concern), and thus they may
choose to exclude the target in advance to prevent any unfavorable consequences for themselves. The target may
also be excluded to prevent any negative results for the target (the other-regarding concern) if it is assumed that the
target would not find social interactions agreeable. In this study, they evaluated both of these worries, examined
how our manipulation of solitude preference affected them, and explored if these concerns might be used to explain
how the manipulation affected ostracism intentions.

REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

(Green, 2018) This transcendental phenomenological study's aim was to characterize the experiences of shy
undergraduate students in an English class that used active learning in a community college setting in Florida. This
study was informed by the Experiential Learning Theory and Eysenck's Personality Theory, which give relevant
information on how people learn via experience and about introverts' preferred learning styles, respectively. Even
though many researchers have argued that active learning strategies have many advantages, introverted students
have not been given a voice regarding their experiences in active learning settings. This study aimed to give
introverts a voice because they are generally seen but not heard. Person-environment fit is a crucial factor for
optimal learning (Akiba & Alkins, 2010; Pawlowska, Westerman, Bergman, & Huelsman, 2014). It is most
certainly the study's most important finding. The results of this research revealed that the active learning
environment in the classroom does not suit the personality traits of introverted students. For introverted students
who are obliged to participate in activities created for an active learning classroom, this mismatch may present
learning issues. To address the needs of their pupils, teachers must then differentiate instruction based on
personality and VAK learning styles. To give their introverted pupils time to assimilate new knowledge, they
should specifically include contemplative exercises.
 The findings of this study also suggested that, in the event of a mismatch, introverts may be able to design
an environment that accommodates their preferred modes of learning. Introverts might employ "in class" and "out
of class" techniques to help them find time to think and to restore their energy levels. One of the main ideas is that
teachers must adjust the environment to the needs of their students. To equalize the playing field between introverts
and their extroverted peers, teachers should take use of introverts' well-documented capacity for adaptation.

According to Wipfli (2022), Understanding the lived experiences of nerds who participated in
extracurricular activities while enrolled in a four-year, undergraduate institution was the aim of this qualitative,
empirical investigation. Because this study investigated the participants' views and perceptions of their time in
extracurricular opportunities, these replies are purely based on the participants and cannot be expected to represent
the feelings of all involved introverts during their undergraduate journey. Each person who participates has a
different reason for wanting to be involved in extracurricular activities and preferences. It can provide greater
possibilities for students who identify as introverts if we can fully comprehend their needs and desires.

This study advocates accessible extracurricular engagement options to aid in the development of introverted
personality. Participation in extracurricular activities by students can have a big impact on how they build their
sense of self as students, as well as increase their sense of belonging and wellbeing. However, individual traits like
friendliness may have an impact on whether kids participate in extracurricular activities.

REPORT (CONTENT)

10-DAY JOURNAL OBSERVATION

Day 1

She has shown interest in taking part in the study. We talked about the case study's objectives and gave her
our assurances about privacy. She appeared curious and was ready for something different.

Day 2

She claims that being alone is peaceful because no one can criticize her ideas. She has no one to hold
responsible for anything. There is only one person—she—who will speak and also listen. No one has the power to
harm her.
Day 3

There was a group activity in their classroom, and she was forced to socialize and share her ideas for the
sake of her grades. She feels intimidated, so she tries to share her ideas by writing and is trying to talk to one of
their members because she can’t say her thoughts aloud in front of everyone.

Day 4

She won’t talk to anyone unless they speak to her first, but if they do, she rarely responds. She's got 1-2
friends, and even though she’s with them, you can hardly hear her speak. She obviously loves to listen more than to
talk.

Day 5

It was lunchtime, and she was eating alone in the canteen when someone approached her and asked if she
could join her table. She replied yes since she assumed the girl was alone, but the girl had company, and they were
making a lot of noise, so she chose to leave even though she wasn't done eating.

Day 6

Every time she needs to talk to someone, she feels slightly nervous. For instance, she needs to ask her
classmate about something; she took maybe an half hour to prepare herself. She has to take some time for herself in
order to recharge after engaging in too much social interaction.

Day 7

We agreed to do it online since she couldn't meet me in person. Her belongings are neat and tidy at home.
She also has an enormous collection of books. She was chattier during the online meeting than in person. It feels
like talking to another person.

Day 8

She worries about meeting or talking to new people and wonders if they'll like her, so she prefers having
conversations online. That’s why, in my 7th day of observation, it feels surreal. Her confidence is at its highest
when speaking online, in contrast to in person.

Day 9
 INSTRUMENT USED

For a 10-day journal observation period, the researcher used unstructured interviews, particularly face-to-
face and telephone interviews. The researcher schedules a meeting on a day when both the researcher and the
subject are available, and if the subject is unable to attend for whatever reason, we have an alternate solution in the
form of a tele-interview. Throughout the course of ten days, the researcher records each meeting's conversations
and actions.

This method of design made it possible to record the subject's experiences in real-time, giving rise to a
detailed and accurate report of her actions. With the use of this qualitative approach, the subject's own experiences
might be thoroughly explored, yielding insightful information about the occurrence in her unique situation.
Throughout the data collection procedure, regular communication between the researcher and the subject generated
clarifications, directions, and assistance. The objective of the study was to acquire extensive qualitative information
that would help to elucidate the peculiar behavior of the subject.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

“The Lived Experiences of Introverts and their Extracurricular Involvement in a Four-Year University
Environment”, Maigan Wipfli (2022). https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5529&context=etd

"Attachment Theory". Encyclopedia Britannica, Simpson, Jeffry A. and Beckes, Lane. 12 Apr. 2017,
https://www.britannica.com/science/attachment-theory. Accessed 20 May 2023.

"Loneliness" Hawkley, Louise., 16 May. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/loneliness. Accessed 20

May 2023.

“Behavioral Personality Theory: Background, Study & Application”, Jennifer Carnevale 17 Apr. 20222,
https://study.com/academy/lesson/applying-behaviorism-to-personality-changes-
differences.html#:~:text=Behavioral%20personality%20theory%2C%20also%20known,places%20in%20which
%20they%20occur.

Introversion and Social Engagement: Scale Validation, Their Interaction, and Positive Association with
Self-Esteem. Front Psychol. Tuovinen S, Tang X, Salmela-Aro K. 2020 Nov
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7734327/

How Social Learning Theory Works, Kendra Cherry (2022).https://www.verywellmind.com/social-

learning-theory-2795074

Leaving the Loners Alone: Dispositional Preference for Solitude Evokes Ostracism. Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin, Ren, D., & Evans, A. M. (2021). 47(8), 1294–1308.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220968612
 “Breaking The Silence: A Phenomenological Study of Introverted Undergraduate Students’ Experiences in
The Active Learning English Classroom”, Richard Lee Green (2018).
Https://Core.Ac.Uk/Download/Pdf/213462663.Pdf