BOREDOM: DIFFERENT TYPES OF THE EXPERIENCE

Abstract

The study examines phenomenological experiences of boredom in an effort to reveal its varied meanings and classifications. Based on interviews of 127 university students, whose responses were analyzed by qualitative (content analysis) and quantitative (discriminant analysis) methods, the research found the discriminating functions of boredom to run along axes of connection/loneliness and coping/depression, yielding four distinct types of boredom: external boredom, situational boredom, deep boredom and social boredom. The findings support the theory that boredom is multivalent and encompasses more than one distinct experience. They point to the paradoxical and vague nature of the experience, particularly salient in social boredom, which includes high levels of loneliness as an emotional element, even though it always appears in situations in which the individual is with others.