The self-fulfilling prophecy in close relationships: Rejection sensitivity and rejection by romantic partners.

Abstract

The authors hypothesized a self-fulfilling prophecy wherein rejection expectancies lead people to behave in ways that elicit rejection from their dating partners. The hypothesis was tested in 2 studies of conflict in couples: (a) a longitudinal field study where couples provided daily-diary reports and (b) a lab study involving behavioral observations. Results from the field study showed that high rejection-sensitive (HRS) people's relationships were more likely to break up than those of low rejection-sensitive (LRS) people. Conflict processes that contribute to relationship erosion were revealed for HRS women but not for HRS men. Following naturally occurring relationship conflicts, HRS women's partners were more rejecting than were LRS women's partners. The lab study showed that HRS women's negative behavior during conflictual discussions helped explain their partners' more rejecting postconflict responses. example, theorized that people's internal working models of relationships, incorporating expectations of rejection and acceptance, shape their relationships. In an example of what Merton (1948) termed the self-fulfilling prophecy, Sroufe (1990) suggested that rejection expectations can lead people to behave in ways that elicit rejection from others. In this article we examine whether and how this proposed self-fulfilling prophecy operates in the romantic relationships of people high in rejection sensitivity (RS).Drawing selectively on attachment and social-cognitive approaches to close relationships, we have conceptualized RS as the disposition to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to rejection

Mindfulness skills in individuals with borderline personality features: Roles of impulsivity and rejection sensitivity

“…The relationships of individuals with high sensitivity to rejection are more prone to break -ups, with higher relationship erosion than for individuals with low sensitivity to rejection (Downey, Freitas, Michaelis & Khouri, 1998). A lack of problem-solving skills in individuals with high sensitivity to rejection may cause their partner's negative responses and their own perception distortions regarding the relationship.…”

Taking Personality to the Next Level: What Does It Mean to Know a Person?

“…This step involves going from simply describing people's patterns (e.g., Sally is less agreeable around strangers than around friends) to explaining them (e.g., Sally feels anxious around strangers, which causes her to act disagreeable). One empirical example of this type of research is Downey's work on rejection sensitivity (Downey & Feldman, 1996;Downey, Freitas, Michaelis, & Khouri, 1998;Downey, Mougios, Ayduk, London, & Shoda, 2004). These studies indicate that people high in rejection sensitivity are more likely to interpret ambiguous information (e.g., a partner leaving the experiment) as rejection and this cognitive interpretation leads to the self-fulfilling prophecy, where rejection sensitivity ultimately leads to unsatisfying romantic relationships and dissolution (Downey & Feldman, 1996;Downey et al, 1998).…”

“…One empirical example of this type of research is Downey's work on rejection sensitivity (Downey & Feldman, 1996;Downey, Freitas, Michaelis, & Khouri, 1998;Downey, Mougios, Ayduk, London, & Shoda, 2004). These studies indicate that people high in rejection sensitivity are more likely to interpret ambiguous information (e.g., a partner leaving the experiment) as rejection and this cognitive interpretation leads to the self-fulfilling prophecy, where rejection sensitivity ultimately leads to unsatisfying romantic relationships and dissolution (Downey & Feldman, 1996;Downey et al, 1998). This is an example of moderated mediation, where the trigger (i.e., ambiguous partner behavior) causes people high in rejection sensitivity (i.e., moderator) to engage in the self-fulfilling prophecy (i.e., moderated mediator), which leads to negative relationship outcomes.…”

Solving the “Problem Solved Problem:” Helping Private Equity Partners and Entrepreneurs Work Together to Build Great Businesses

“…Social scientists call this behavior the Self Fulfilling Prophecy. (Downey et al, 1998). But that gift has a dark side when confronted with power shift at the Board level.…”