Clothing and Human Bonds from the Perspective of the Valency Theory for University Students

Abstract

Clothing is a reflection of one’s personality and a means to connect with people. The way of individuals relate to clothes and how they choose their clothing to wear every day is also a reflection of their relationship with others. The goal of this study was to develop project learning based on a psychoeducational approach. We first developed a scale to measure the correlation between clothing and human bonds, using clothing for self-understanding. Subsequently, we examined university students’ thoughts about clothing to verify the scale’s effectiveness. We employed the valency theory which focuses on the bonds among people. Accordingly, we analyzed the relationship between valence type (a personality tendency) and clothing selection. The results revealed that clothing selection reflected the characteristics of valency. Furthermore, the participants’ clothing behavior could be interpreted using the valency theory. Finally, we want to create a reliable scale and develop project learning.