Age Differences in Reactions to Social Rejection: The Role of Cognitive Resources and Appraisals

This study investigated age differences in reactions following a direct rejection and the moderating effects of cognitive resources and appraisals.

Method.
Eighty-three younger (18–26 years) and 53 older (60–86 years) adults engaged in an online interview during which they were either accepted or rejected seemingly by another participant. We examined participants’ self-reported mood before and after the interview as well as verbal self-complexity.

Results.
Older adults reported greater increases in hurt feelings following rejection than younger adults. The age difference was further moderated by cognitive resources and appraisals. Among older rejected adults, those who were poorer in processing speed and those who appraised the rejection more negatively felt more hurt feelings. Older rejected adults were also rated lower in self-complexity than older accepted adults, whereas younger rejected adults and accepted adults did not differ.

Discussion.
The findings are largely consistent with life-span developmental theories and highlight the importance of cognitive processes when examining age differences in experiencing social rejection.

Source: Journals of Gerontology: Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences - October 10, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Cheng, Y., Gruhn, D. Tags: Original Research Report Source Type: research