Social Withdrawal: Self-Efficacy, Happiness, and Popularity in Introverted and Extroverted Adolescents

Prior research has not concurred on whether withdrawn children are at-risk for maladjustment, and therefore whether intervention is of value to them. The present study hypothesized that when assessing possible future maladjustment one must look not only at introversion but also emotional stability (neuroticism). Participants were 243 grade 7 and 8 students identified by self-report measures as stable introverts, stable extroverts, unstable introverts, and unstable extroverts. Results confirmed that unstable introverts regarded themselves as less happy and popular than other subjects. They saw themselves as less academically self-efficacious than extroverts and emotionally stable, introverted adolescents. Introverts and unstable adolescents regarded themselves as less socially self-efficacious than extroverts or stable children. The results in general suggest that it is not simply introversion that determines negative social consequences, but that emotional stability or neuroticism must also be considered and that unstable introverts may be more likely than stable introverts to suffer from maladjustment. The findings may help psychologists, teachers, and counsellors determine which socially withdrawn children benefit from intervention.