Determinant of Anger and Aggression

This article reviews the literature on the relationship between interpersonal rejection and aggression. Four bodies of research are summarized: laboratory experiments that manipulate rejection, rejection among adults in everyday life, rejection in childhood , and individual differences that may moderate the relationship. The theoretical mechanisms behind the effect are then explored. Possible explanations for why rejection leads to anger and aggression include: rejection as a source ofpain, rejection as a source offrustration, rejection as a threat to self-esteem, mood improvementfollow-ing aggression, aggression as social influence, aggression as a means of reestablish-ing control, retribution, disinhibition, and loss ofself-control. As a broad category of behavior, aggression is influenced by an array of biological, psychological, inter-personal, and cultural factors. Behavioral researchers have examined the effects on aggression of variables as diverse as hormones, brain abnormalities, frustration, attributions, ego-threats, observation of aggressive models, deindividuation, and cultural norms (for re-However, one set of common influences on aggression have, until recently, received relatively little attention those associated with being rejected by otherpeo-ple. Common observation suggests that people often become angry, ifnot aggressive, when they feel that others have rejected them. Jilted lovers, children ostracized by their peers, assistant professors denied tenure, and contestants who are voted off reality game shows such as Survivor are among those in whom one may see evidence of aggressive impulses following events in which they feel devalued, unaccepted, or outright rejected. In fact, rejection may be one of the most common precursors to aggression. The Surgeon General's report on youth violence (Office of the Surgeon General, 2001) found that social rejection (conceptualized as "weak social ties") was the most significant risk factor for adolescent violence, stronger than gang membership , poverty, or drug use. Furthermore, as we will see, rejection has been implicated in an array of other aggressive behaviors in everyday life, including domestic violence and school shootings. Thus, it seems important to explore whether rejection does, in fact, lead to aggression and, if so, why. The purpose of this article is to review the research literature that deals with the relationship between inter-personal rejection and the propensity to aggress. Our review focuses on two primary questions: (a) Does the research literature support the hypothesis that rejection reliably increases the propensity to aggress, and, if so, (b) why does the relationship between rejection and aggression exist? On the surface, it seems paradoxical that a person who desired to be accepted …