Friendships and life satisfaction among adults with hermit-like personality traits : a psychosocial perspective

Đumić, Tihana (author), Veljković, Božidar (author)

The article explores the relationship between friendships and life satisfaction among adults who have pronounced hermit-like personality traits. Data from 190 participants were analysed, among whom 24 met the criteria for a hermit-like profile. The results show the number of friends (both offline and online) was not a significant predictor of life satisfaction. Instead, participants’ well-being was associated with reflective self-regulation and selective social connectedness. Demographic variables, including age, education, occupation, and marital status, proved not to be significant predictors. The findings reveal that life satisfaction in individuals with hermit-like characteristics stems from a balance between introspective solitude and authentic relationships more than the breadth of their social networks.

• Language: English
• Keywords: hermit-like personality traits, introspective solitude, selective social connectedness, offline and online friendships, life satisfaction, psychosocial well-being, interpersonal relationships, quality of life, hermits, friendship
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 24.04.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 33-60
• Numbering: Letn. 63, št. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183413
• UDC: 316.62:316.728
• ISSN on article: 0040-3598
• DOI: 10.51936/tip.63.1.33
• COBISS.SI-ID: 276848899
• Publication date in RUL: 12.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Teorija in praksa : revija za družbena vprašanja
• Shortened title: Teor. praksa
• Publisher: Fakulteta za družbene vede
• ISSN: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 763652

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Prijateljstva in zadovoljstvo z življenjem pri odraslih s puščavniškimi osebnostnimi lastnostmi

Abstract

Ta raziskava raziskuje povezanost prijateljstev in zadovoljstva z življenjem med odraslimi z izrazitimi puščavniškimi osebnostnimi lastnostmi. Analizirani so bili podatki 190 udeležencev, od katerih jih je 24 izpolnjevalo kriterije za puščavniški profil. Rezultati so pokazali, da število prijateljev, tako v dejanskem kot tudi v spletnem okolju, ni pomemben pokazatelj zadovoljstva z življenjem. Dobrobit udeležencev je bila povezana z refleksivno samoregulacijo in selektivno socialno povezanostjo. Demografske spremenljivke, kot so starost, izobrazba, poklic in zakonski stan, se niso izkazale za pomembne pokazatelje. Ugotovitve nakazujejo, da zadovoljstvo z življenjem pri posameznikih s puščavniškimi značilnostmi izhaja iz ravnovesja med introspektivno samoto in pristnimi odnosi, ne pa iz širine socialnega omrežja.

• Keywords: puščavniške osebnostne lastnosti, introspektivna samota, selektivna socialna povezanost, spletna in dejanska prijateljstva, zadovoljstvo z življenjem, psihosocialno dobro počutje, medosebni odnosi, kakovost življenja, puščavniki, prijateljstvo