Rejection sensitivity and negative urgency: A proposed framework of intersecting risk for peer stress

Abstract

This paper poses a novel theoretical framework for a developmentally-informed mechanism explaining how adolescents who are highly sensitive and reactive to rejection may respond to interpersonal stress in ways that ultimately perpetuate relational difficulties. Specifically, heightened distress from rejection is proposed to activate impulsive reactions that immediately modulate the negative emotions from rejection, but which are socially aversive and thus often come at the expense of long-term relational harmony. We start by exploring the overlap of two dispositions: a hyper-sensitivity to rejection and an escalated reactivity to negative affect. We then trace distal factors underlying the development of both dispositions, the mechanisms through which the convergent effects of these dispositions produce socially aversive responses, and the individual and contextual differences that influence this process and explain the continuum of rash responses to rejection. The developmental and clinical importance of considering sensitivity and reactivity to rejection concurrently is emphasized, with directions for future research.