HOW DOES REJECTION SENSITIVITY IMPACT AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP?
Downey and Feldman (1996) furthered examined how an individual’s level of rejection sensitivity might affect their intimate relationships. First, they conducted a study to determine the relation between rejection sensitivity and the tendency to interpret insensitive behavior by their intimate partner as a deliberate desire to be hurtful. They assessed students for rejection sensitivity prior to beginning a romantic relationship. After they began a new relationship, scenarios that could be considered insensitive but could have occurred for a number of reasons were posed to them such as “If your boyfriend or girlfriend was being cool and distant, you would feel he or she was being intentionally hurtful to you.” They found that high levels of rejection sensitivity predicted the likelihood that the student would interpret their new partner’s insensitive behavior as having hurtful intent.
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