The impact of Internet use on women's relationships: Do personality preferences matter?

摘要

Widespread implementation of the Internet has revolutionized the way individuals connect with one another; however, the effects of the Internet on relationships are largely unknown. Relational-cultural theory stresses the importance of connection in women's development and growth of self through their relationships with others. Engagement, or mutual interest and attention, is a component of an individual's relational health, a basic necessity for development of a healthy sense of self (Jordan et al., 1991), which can occur through some types of Internet use. In interacting with others, individuals prefer to perceive and judge others according to personality styles, including sensing versus intuitive and thinking versus feeling, respectively (Jung, 1923/1971; Keirsey, 1998; Myers & Myers, 1980).;Research has found conflicting results concerning the potential negative effects (e.g., depression, loneliness, anxiety, and isolation; Jackson et al., 2001; Kraut et al., 1998; Vanzetti & Duck, 1996) as well as potential positive effects (e.g., social connection and allowing expression of one's true voice; Conforti, 2001; Silverman, 1999) of the Internet. The role of individual difference, or personality preferences, may explain the differential impact of types of Internet use on relational and emotional health.;The present study investigated the relationship between types of Internet use and depression, anxiety, and engagement, or connection among users as moderated by personality variables, or preferences, including the perception preferences of sensing and intuition and the judgment preferences of thinking and feeling. The types of Internet use variables were unreliable and invalid as they had too much variance. Therefore, interpretation of the results was guarded. Disconnecting (information seeking and entertainment seeking) and connecting (e-mail and chat room) Internet use were correlated. Engagement buffered the detrimental relational effects (depression and anxiety) for those using the Internet in a connecting way. Those with an intuitive personality preference may experience depression and anxiety as a result of disconnecting Internet use. The results suggest that those using the Internet do so in a variety of ways. In addition, the present study lends support for the role of personality and interpersonal strengths in determining outcomes of interactions with others, such as on the Internet.