Citation

Breines JG, Ayduk O. J. Pers. 2013; 83(1): 1-13.

Affiliation

Brandeis University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/jopy.12077

PMID

24219554

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We examined the hypothesis that rejection increases self-directed hostile cognitions in individuals who are high in Rejection Sensitivity (RS). METHOD: In four studies employing primarily undergraduate samples (Ns = 83-121), rejection was primed subliminally or through a recall task, and self-directed hostile cognitions were assessed using explicit or implicit measures. Negative or neutral control conditions were used in three of the studies. Measures of RS were obtained in pretesting. RESULTS: High RS participants were more likely than low RS participants to report or show greater self-directed hostile cognitions in rejection conditions, compared to control conditions. Results held when controlling for depressive symptoms, history of self-directed hostile cognitions, and general hostility. CONCLUSIONS: RS may represent a unique vulnerability for self-directed hostile cognitions, a predictor of self-harmful behavior.

Language: en