Abstract
This study had four purposes: (1) to create two scales related to the time spent alone by undergraduate students; (2) to examine the relationship between how the students spent their time alone, and their thoughts and assessments about spending time alone; (3) to examine what types of groups with what characteristics were observable, specifically as to how the subjects spent time alone and what their thoughts and assessments were about spending time alone, and (4) to examine the relationship between ego identity and how the subjects spent their time alone and their thoughts and assessments about spending time alone.
An investigation was carried out using a questionnaire given to 347 undergraduate students. The results revealed the following. (1) Their thoughts and assessments about spending time alone could be described, using four subscales: loneliness/anxiety, desire for independence, fulfillment/satisfaction, and desire for isolation. (2) How the subjects spent their time alone also comprised four subscales: self-introspection, self-liberation, immersion in personal activities, and release from stress. (3) A cluster analysis identified five different cluster groups: the Anxious-When-Alone Group, the High-Desire-for-Independence Group, the Moderate Group, the Feeling-One’s-Way Group, and the Desire-for-Isolation Group. (4) A path analysis found that the way in which students spent their time alone, and their thoughts and assessments about spending time alone, had an influence on ego identity.
