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]

This scene of the Admonitions Scroll shows an emperor turning away from his consort, his hand raised in a gesture of rejection and with a look of disdain on his face.^[1]

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

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

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

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

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

Further information: Neurodiversity

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

Physical health

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

• Manosphere
• Antisemitism
• Institutional racism