Abstract
Rejection sensitivity (RS) is the disposition to defensively expect, perceive and over-react to perceived rejection by others. RS has been theorized to originate from early attachment. However, this hypothesized link remains untested. This study aims to examine the relationship between attachment security and rejection sensitivity in early adolescence. Eight-graders (N = 406) completed self-report measures of attachment security and rejection sensitivity. Attachment security to father and mother were found to be associated. Attachment dimensions-trust and alienation from mother were significant predictors of RS in the adolescents. Alienation from mother mediated the link between alienation from father and RS in the adolescents. The two forms of RS- anxious RS and angry RS were predicted by different dimensions of attachment to mother.
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Acknowledgment
The authors thank Prof. Geraldine Downey, Rainer Romero-Canyas, and Kavita Reddy for their valuable inputs on rejection sensitivity, when the first author was a Fulbright fellow at the Social Relations Lab, Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, USA.
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Natarajan, G., Somasundaram, C.P. & Sundaram, K.R. Relationship between Attachment Security and Rejection Sensitivity in Early Adolescence. Psychol Stud 56, 378–386 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-011-0108-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-011-0108-8