Conceptualizing a Measurement Tool to Assess Intragroup Rejection Concerns

Abstract

Social scientists have long demonstrated that the experience of rejection hurts emotionally, socially, and even physiologically. Recent studies have shown that rejection from a highly essential ingroup has a stronger, negative impact on emotional well-being than rejection from a less essential ingroup or outgroup (Bernstein et al., 2010). While providing insight into the general process of rejection, much of this work has not accounted for the moderating role of the individual in determining the impact of rejection. In order to assess the impact of individual-level concerns regarding intragroup rejection, a psychometrically valid measurement tool to capture these individual-level concerns is required. In this research study, I present research data that detail the creation of a measure of intragroup rejection and explore its psychometric properties (Study 1). I then examine the construct and discriminant validity of the Intragroup Rejection Concerns (IRC) measure (Study 2). IRC was significantly higher for racial/ethnic minority group members than for majority group members and predicted intragroup anxiety. The findings of these studies extend the focus of the intragroup rejection literature to racial/ethnic minority groups.