Calming down when turned down: The relationship between rejection sentitivity and self-directed aggression as moderated by soscial support

Rejection sensitivity is the disposition to anxiously anticipate and overreact to rejection (Downey & Feldman, 1996). An individual with high rejection sensitivity may see rejection by others as a statement that they are socially unacceptable and unworthy (Hall, 2013). It can be theorized that negative feelings arising from rejection may be associated with the individual engaging in self-directed aggression. A perception of low social support from family and friends may also affect the individual\u27s response to rejection. With that, the current research aims to determine the correlational relationship between rejection sensitivity and self-directed aggression, and to determine whether social support has a significant buffering effect on the said correlation. The study will be anchored on the rejection sensitivity model (Levy, Ayduk, & Downey, 2001) in order to explain the connection between rejection sensitivity, social support, and self-directed aggression. Data for the three variables will be collected through self-report questionnaires and will be analyzed through multiple regression. Results showed that rejection sensitivity is a significant predictor of self-directed aggression, while social support is not a significant buffer to the relationship of rejection sensitivity and self-directed aggression