Adolescence is a developmental period when spending time alone becomes particularly important. The aim of this study was to explore adolescents’ experiences of solitude, with a focus on the implications of both spending too much time alone—as well as not enough time alone. Participants were N = 869 adolescents (15–19 years of age, M = 16.14, SD = 0.50), who completed a series of self report measures assessing time spent alone, activities while alone, social motivations (shyness, sociability), affect, and the recently introduced construct of aloneliness (i.e., negative feeling that arise from the perception that one is not getting enough time in solitude). Among the results, person-oriented analyses provided evidence of distinct subgroups of socially withdrawn adolescents (e.g., shy-withdrawn, unsociable, socially avoidant) as well as an alonely group (high aloneliness, low time alone). There was also preliminary support for the notion that solitary activity activities that are intrinsically motivated may be particularly effective at satisfying the need for solitude (and thereby reducing feelings of aloneliness). Taken together, these results highlight the importance of considering the implications of getting both too much—as well as not enough solitude for adolescents’ well-being.

青春期是一个发展时期，独处时间变得尤为重要。本研究的目的是探索青少年的独处经历，重点关注独处时间过多和独处时间不足的影响。参与者是N  = 869 名青少年（15-19 岁，M  = 16.14，SD = 0.50），他们完成了一系列自我报告测量，评估独处时间、独处时的活动、社会动机（害羞、社交）、情感、以及最近引入的孤独构造（即，由于认为一个人没有足够的时间独处而产生的负面感觉）。在结果中，以人为本的分析提供了社会退缩青少年（例如，害羞、孤僻、社交回避）和孤独群体（高度孤独、少独处时间）的不同亚组的证据。也有初步支持这样一种观点，即具有内在动机的单独活动可能特别有效地满足对孤独的需求（从而减少孤独感）。总而言之，这些结果强调了考虑获得太多和没有足够的孤独对青少年幸福的影响的重要性。