Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2003

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Psychology

Major Professor

Warren H. Jones

Abstract

According to the need to belong theory (Baumeister & Leary, 1995), human beings are motivated to avoid exclusion and maximize their chances of inclusion into social groups. Beyond this basic premise, little is known about the immediate and long-term psychological and health consequences of social rejection. In part, the lack of research in these areas is due to limited methodological measurements of rejection. Therefore, the purpose of the present research was to (a) develop a reliable and valid measure of rejection sensitivity and (b) to assess the emotional and physiological responses to hypothetical and actual rejection experiences. Study 1 involved 465 participants, and the objective was to develop a reliable measure of rejection expectancy (Tendency to Expect Rejection Scale; TERS). Classic psychometric tests yielded an 18-item scale, with a mean inter-item correlation of .26 and a coefficient alpha of .86. Study 2 (N = 195) attempted to demonstrate the psychosocial validity of the TERS by comparing scores on the TERS to scores oh other relevant measures of personality. Results supported the validation of the TERS, with scores on the TERS being positively related to scores on other measures of social evaluative concern and inversely related to optimism and spiritual well-being. Study 3 (N = 170) focused on convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity of the TERS with respect to responses to one-item adjectives of affective states, and assessed individuals' responses to hypothetical rejection scenarios in relation to their scores on the TERS and other related measures .. Additional validity was shown in this study, with scores on the TERS being positively correlated with emotional feelings such as depressed, lonely, fearful, and rejected, inversely related to optimistic, satisfied, and included, and unrelated to confident and energetic. Rejection expectancy was also related to severity ratings of eight out of the twelve rejection scenarios. Further, TERS scores were associated with higher severity ratings, regardless of the relationship to the transgressor. Also, it appears that one's level of rejection expectancy is related to severity ratings of hypothetical scenarios for low and high severity transgressions, but not moderately severe events. Study 4 focused on further validation of the TERS through physiological measurements during an actual rejection experience Thirty-eight female participants were rejected by their peers on the basis of personal information. A repeated measures design was implemented to examine the immediate physiological consequences of experiencing rejection. Participants were asked to write personal essays and then choose with whom they would least like to work out of a group of five individuals while physiological measurements were assessed. Participants were then informed that the other members had voted them out of the group. Results indicated that high TERS females experienced greater physiological arousal (SBP) than low TERS females during the tally phase (anticipated rejection) and following rejection. Thus, it appears that there may be psychological as well as immediate health consequences to experiencing exclusion in everyday life. This research attempted to create a reliable and valid measure of rejection expectancy, and provide insight about the psychological and health consequences of being excluded in social situations. The results support the reliability and validation of the new scale, and provide a foundation for the relationship between one's expectations about exclusion in social situations and the health consequences associated with experiencing social rejection.

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