Social rejection
Social rejection happens when a person is not allowed to be part of an interpersonal relationship.[2] A person can be rejected by a group. This can be caused by bullying or discrimination.[2]
The experience of rejection can have bad psychological consequences,[3] It can also cause increased insecurity and sensitivity to future rejection.[4] such as loneliness, low self-esteem, aggression, and depression.[3]
Background
[change | change source]According to Abraham Maslow, humans need love to live.[5] Meanwhile, psychologists believe that social interactions alone are not enough.[6] Instead, the relationships need to be stable and satisfying.[6] They therefore consider rejection a significant threat,[6] and human anxiety a reflection of concerns over being isolated.[6]
Mark Leary, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University,[7] considers social acceptance a key element of one's self-esteem that forms his or her identity.[8] His view is further supported by social psychological research,[9] which confirms the motivational basis of the need of social acceptance[9] ‒ associated with the tendency to conform to norms out of fear of rejection.[9]
In children
[change | change source]According to psychology professor Karen Bierman of Pennsylvania State University,[10] most children who are rejected by their peers have one or more of the following behavioral patterns:[11]
- Higher rate of social anxiety
- Higher rate of aggressive or disruptive behavior
- Higher rate of immature, impulsive, or inattentive behavior
- Lower rate of prosocial behavior, e.g. sharing, taking turns
Bierman's research reports that well-liked children tend to have better social skills,[11] while those at risk of rejection are either more likely to insert themselves into play groups disruptively.[11]
The problem is worse for disabled children,[11] who tend to be victims of bullying by those with better social skills.[11] The phenomenon of reputational bias is observed when well-liked children are seen more positively than the less-liked,[11] regardless of their personality.[11]
Mental issues
[change | change source]In addition, rejected children are more likely to have mental health conditions,[11] particularly depression.[11] Some rejected children would be aggressive,[11] leading to a negative cycle worsening over time.[11][12]
School shootings
[change | change source]A study of 15 school shootings between 1995 and 2001 found that peer rejection was present in all but two of the cases (87%).[13] The shooters were often victims of long-term bullying who ultimately responded with extreme aggression,[13] while social stigma makes the problem continue.[13]
Rejection sensitivity
[change | change source]Some individuals take rejection very personally.[14] This trait is known as rejection sensitivity,[14] or rejection sensitivity dysphoria if serious.[14][15] Typical signs of rejection sensitivity include but not limited to:
- Low self-esteem[15]
- Difficulty regulating emotions[15]
- Constant desire for reassurance[14]
- Strong reactions to rejection or criticism[15]
- Fear of intimacy over concerns of not being liked once the true self is known by a partner[15]
- Interpretation of mildly negative social cues (e.g. delay in text message replies) as outright rejection[14]
Experts found that those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had have higher rejection sensitivity,[15] correlated with differences in the brain's frontal lobe that complicate emotion regulation.[15]
Many rejection-sensitive children with ASD or ADHD struggle to interpret behavior,[15] leading to higher chance of perceiving non-existent betrayal or failure,[15] and being rejected by peers.[15] Such rejection often comes with bullying and poor quality of life.[15]
Impact
[change | change source]Physical health
[change | change source]On top of the impact of rejection on mental health, physical health can be endangered by rejection.[16][17] Divorced women were found to be more likely to have illnesses than married or non-married women.[16][17] Social rejection and physiological problems are said to be highly correlated as humans, in terms of evolution, are social animals requiring relationships for survival.[18]
The immune system of a person tends to be harmed by rejection,[19][20] which can be deadly for those already immunocompromised,[19][20] including those infected with HIV.[19][20] The health of socially rejected HIV-positive gay men is found to be more likely to worsen,[19][20] partly due to faster rates of T helper cell drop.[19][20] The risk of tuberculosis is also found to increase in those being socially rejected.[21]
Related pages
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- ↑ McCausland, Shane (2003), First Masterpiece of Chinese Painting: The Admonitions Scroll, British Museum Press, p. 75, ISBN 978-0-7141-2417-9
- 1 2 Baumeister, R. F.; Tice, D. M. (1990). "Anxiety and social exclusion". Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 9 (2): 165–195. doi:10.1521/jscp.1990.9.2.165.
- 1 2 McDougall, P., Hymel, S., Vaillancourt, T., & Mercer, L. (2001). The consequences of childhood rejection. In M. R. Leary (Ed.), Interpersonal rejection. (pp. 213–247). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
- ↑ Richman, Laura Smart; Leary, Mark R. (April 2009). "Reactions to Discrimination, Stigmatization, Ostracism, and Other Forms of Interpersonal Rejection". Psychological Review. 116 (2): 365–383. doi:10.1037/a0015250. ISSN 0033-295X. PMC 2763620. PMID 19348546.
- ↑ Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY: Harper.
- 1 2 3 4 Baumeister RF, Leary MR (1995). "The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation". Psychol Bull. 117 (3): 497–529. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497. PMID 7777651. S2CID 13559932.
- ↑ "Mark R. Leary | Scholars@Duke profile". Duke University. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
- ↑ Leary, M. R., Downs, D. L., (1995). Interpersonal functions of the self-esteem motive: The self-esteem system as a sociometer. In M. H. Kernis, Efficacy, agency, and self-esteem. New York, NY: Plenum Press, pp. 123-144.
- 1 2 3 Baker, C.R. (1979). Defining and measuring affiliation motivation. European Journal of Social Psychology, 9, 97-99.
- ↑ "Karen Bierman - Department of Psychology". Penn State University. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Bierman, K. L. (2003). Peer rejection: Developmental processes and intervention strategies. New York: The Guilford Press.
- ↑ Coie, J. D. (1990). Toward a theory of peer rejection. In S. R. Asher & J. D. Coie (Eds). Peer rejection in childhood (pp. 365–401). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
- 1 2 3 Leary, M. R.; Kowalski, R. M.; Smith, L. (2003). "Teasing, rejection, and violence: Case studies of the school shootings". Aggressive Behavior. 29 (3): 202–214. doi:10.1002/ab.10061.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Rejection Sensitivity | Psychology Today United Kingdom". Psychology Today. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "10 Signs of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria". Newport Institute. February 14, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- 1 2
- Orth-Gomer, K.; Johnson, J. V. (1987). "Social network interaction and mortality: a six year follow-up study of a random sample of the Swedish population". Journal of Chronic Diseases. 40 (10): 949–957. doi:10.1016/0021-9681(87)90145-7. PMID 3611293.
- Lorenz, F. O.; Wickrama, K. A. S.; Conger, R. D.; Elder, G. H. (2006). "The short-term and decade-long effects of divorce on women's midlife health". Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 47 (2): 111–125. doi:10.1177/002214650604700202. PMID 16821506. S2CID 6918975.
- Bowling, A.; Gabriel, Z. (2007). "Lay theories of quality of life in older age". Ageing and Society. 27 (6): 827–848. doi:10.1017/s0144686x07006423. S2CID 16940454.
- Agllias, K. (2011a). Every family: Intergenerational estrangement between older parents and their adult-children. (Doctoral dissertation, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan).
- Agllias, Kylie. (Sep 2013). Family Estrangement. Encyclopedia of Social Work. Subject: Couples and Families, Aging and Older Adults, Children and Adolescents. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.919
- 1 2
- Cole, S. W.; Kemeny, M. E.; Taylor, S. E. (1997). "Social identity and physical health: Accelerated HIV progression in rejection-sensitive gay men". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 72 (2): 320–335. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.72.2.320. PMID 9107003.
- Gabriel, Z.; Bowling, A. (2004). "Quality of life from the perspectives of older people". Ageing and Society. 24 (5): 675–691. doi:10.1017/s0144686x03001582. S2CID 145106062.
- Dickerson, S. S.; Gruenewald, T. L.; Kemeny, M. E. (2004). "When the social self is threatened: Shame, physiology, and health". Journal of Personality. 72 (6): 1191–1216. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2004.00295.x. PMID 15509281.
- MacDonald, M (2007). "Social support for centenarians' health, psychological well-being, and longevity". Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 27: 107–127.
- ↑ MacDonald, G.; Leary, M. R. (2005). "Why does social exclusion hurt? The relationship between social and physical pain". Psychological Bulletin. 131 (2): 202–23. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.2.202. PMID 15740417. S2CID 10540325.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Dickerson, S. S.; Gruenewald, T. L.; Kemeny, M. E. (2004). "When the social self is threatened: Shame, physiology, and health". Journal of Personality. 72 (6): 1191–1216. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2004.00295.x. PMID 15509281.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Cole, S. W.; Kemeny, M. E.; Taylor, S. E. (1997). "Social identity and physical health: Accelerated HIV progression in rejection-sensitive gay men". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 72 (2): 320–335. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.72.2.320. PMID 9107003.
- ↑ Cassel, J (1976). "The contribution of the social environment to host resistance". American Journal of Epidemiology. 104 (2): 107–123. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112281. PMID 782233.
