Social rejection

Social rejection happens when a person is not allowed to be part of an interpersonal relationship. A person can be rejected by a group. This can be caused by bullying or discrimination.

The experience of rejection can have bad psychological consequences,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. It can also cause increased insecurity and sensitivity to future rejection. such as loneliness, low self-esteem, aggression, and depression.

Background

According to Abraham Maslow, humans need love to live.Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY: Harper. Meanwhile, psychologists believe that social interactions alone are not enough. Instead, the relationships need to be stable and satisfying. They therefore consider rejection a significant threat, and human anxiety a reflection of concerns over being isolated. 

Mark Leary, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, considers social acceptance a key element of one's self-esteem that forms his or her identity.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. His view is further supported by social psychological research,Baker, C.R. (1979). Defining and measuring affiliation motivation. European Journal of Social Psychology, 9, 97-99. which confirms the motivational basis of the need of social acceptance ‒ associated with the tendency to conform to norms out of fear of rejection. 

In children

According to psychology professor Karen Bierman of Pennsylvania State University, most children who are rejected by their peers have one or more of the following behavioral patterns:Bierman, K. L. (2003). Peer rejection: Developmental processes and intervention strategies. New York: The Guilford Press.

 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, while those at risk of rejection are either more likely to insert themselves into play groups disruptively. 

The problem is worse for disabled children, who tend to be victims of bullying by those with better social skills. The phenomenon of reputational bias is observed when well-liked children are seen more positively than the less-liked, regardless of their personality.

Mental issues

In addition, rejected children are more likely to have mental health conditions, particularly depression. Some rejected children would be aggressive, leading to a negative cycle worsening over time.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.

School shootings

A study of 15 school shootings between 1995 and 2001 found that peer rejection was present in all but two of the cases (87%). The shooters were often victims of long-term bullying who ultimately responded with extreme aggression, while social stigma makes the problem continue.

Rejection sensitivity

Some individuals take rejection very personally. This trait is known as rejection sensitivity, or rejection sensitivity dysphoria if serious. Typical signs of rejection sensitivity include but not limited to:

 Low self-esteem
 Difficulty regulating emotions
 Constant desire for reassurance
 Strong reactions to rejection or criticism
 Fear of intimacy over concerns of not being liked once the true self is known by a partner
 Interpretation of mildly negative social cues (e.g. delay in text message replies) as outright rejection

Experts found that those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had have higher rejection sensitivity, correlated with differences in the brain's frontal lobe that complicate emotion regulation. 

Many rejection-sensitive children with ASD or ADHD struggle to interpret behavior, leading to higher chance of perceiving non-existent betrayal or failure, and being rejected by peers. Such rejection often comes with bullying and poor quality of life.

Impact

Physical health

On top of the impact of rejection on mental health, physical health can be endangered by rejection. 


 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.  


  Divorced women were found to be more likely to have illnesses than married or non-married women. Social rejection and physiological problems are said to be highly correlated as humans, in terms of evolution, are social animals requiring relationships for survival.

The immune system of a person tends to be harmed by rejection, which can be deadly for those already immunocompromised, including those infected with HIV. The health of socially rejected HIV-positive gay men is found to be more likely to worsen, partly due to faster rates of T helper cell drop. The risk of tuberculosis is also found to increase in those being socially rejected.

Related pages

 Manosphere
 Antisemitism
 Institutional racism 
 Social isolation

References

Category:Emotions
Category:Psychology
Category:Human behavior