Coping with rejection: Derogating those who choose us last

Interpersonal rejection poses a threat to people's identities as competent, desirable individuals. This study examined the possibility that people buf fer themselves against the implications of rejection by derogating those wh o reject them and by concluding that the rejector did not know them well. P articipants were led to believe that a team captain had selected them eithe r first or last for a laboratory team, then rated the captain and indicated how well he or she knew them. Results showed that, compared to those who w ere selected first for the team, participants who were selected last rated the team captains less positively, were less interested in having them as f riends, and indicated that the captains knew them less well. Mediational an alyses suggested that ratings of the captains were mediated by, perceived r ejection and that derogation helped to maintain participants' positive affe ct following rejection.