Rejected Children

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Rejected Children
Nivetha Prabaharan
1
and Natalie Spadafora
2
1
Department of Psychology, Brock University,
St. Catharines, ON, Canada
2
Department of Child and Youth Studies,
Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
Synonyms
Disliked;Low social status;Unpopular
Definition
Children or adolescents who are disliked by
many peers and liked by few peers.
Introduction
Sociometric status refers to how well-liked or
disliked an individual is by their peers.
Children who receive many positive nominations
(e.g., nominations for being liked) and few
negative nominations (e.g., nominations for
being disliked) are classified as popular, whereas
children who receive many negative nominations
and few positive nominations are classified
as rejected. A child’s sociometric status can
influence their social interactions, psycho-
social adjustment, and academic involvement.
Rejection from peers has been associated
with negative developmental outcomes, such
as loneliness, victimization, internalizing and
externalizing problems, and low academic
performance (Ladd 2006; Veenstra et al. 2007;
Zettergren 2003).
Characteristics of Rejected Children
In general, rejected children possess fewer
peer-valued characteristics, such as physical
attractiveness, style, athletic competence, and a
sense of humor, when compared to their peers.
They are also rated to be less socially competent
than their other peers and tend to be left out of
peer activities (Hymel et al. 1993). Rejected
children can be classified into two categories:
aggressive-rejected and withdrawn-rejected
children. In addition to low social status,
aggressive-rejected children exhibit aggressive
tendencies and behaviors which may elicit
dislike and exclusion from their peers. They are
rated as uncooperative, less socially competent,
and having difficulty getting along with adults.
However, in terms of peer-valued characteristics,
they were not rated as negatively as withdrawn-
rejected children and were not always excluded
from peer activities (Hymel et al. 1993). Children
who experience peer rejection and exhibit
aggressive behavior were more at risk of
developing externalizing problems, such as
disruption in classrooms, hyperactive and
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
T. K. Shackelford, V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_181-1

distractible behavior, and delinquency. This effect
was stronger during early to middle childhood
than late childhood (Ladd 2006).
Withdrawn-rejected children display a
slightly different profile than aggressive-rejected
children. In comparison to their aggressive-
rejected peers, withdrawn-rejected children are
nominated more negatively by their peers
in regard to not possessing many peer-valued
characteristics. However, their social and behav-
ioral conduct does not fare as poorly as
aggressive-rejected children. Despite being able
to cooperate with their peers and get along
well with adults, similar to their peers of average
status, they are still excluded from peer groups
and activities (Hymel et al. 1993). Additionally,
children who are withdrawn and rejected by
their peers are more likely to also experience
internalizing problems, such as anxious and
depressive feelings. These children were more
likely to experience these problems in middle to
late childhood than early childhood (Ladd 2006).
Victimization
In addition to being disliked by their peers,
rejected children are also at a greater risk
of being mistreated by their peers. Their low
acceptance and social status within the peer
group increase their vulnerability to victimization,
especially by bullying aggression (Veenstra et al.
2007). Bullying refers to a specific type of
aggression in which the perpetrator has greater
power than the victim. Considering this power
imbalance, it is understandable that children
with low status are more often targeted as a victim
in bullying (Volk et al. 2014). From an adaptive
perspective, bullying may be a strategy for
children and adolescents to gain certain evolution-
ary advantages, such as social status (Volk et al.
2014). Children and adolescents who use
aggression instrumentally may choose to target
individuals who are easier to victimize. Rejected
children are more likely to be targeted for
victimization because of their low social status
and emotional and social vulnerability (Veenstra
et al. 2007). Further, research has found
differences between the two categories of rejected
children when it comes to victimization. For
example, withdrawn-rejected children are more
likely to be a target of bullying because they are
socially vulnerable and less likely to retaliate
(Veenstra et al. 2007). These characteristics can
make it easier for a powerful bully to aggress
toward the victim. By choosing a victim who is
less likely to retaliate or does not have friends to
protect them, bullies are able to use aggression
to gain certain benefits, such as social status, while
minimizing potential costs. On the other hand,
aggressive-rejected children may be a target
of bullying due to their tendency to provoke
mistreatment from their peers due to their
aggressive behaviors and hostile attribution bias
(Schwartz et al. 2001). In this instance, bullying
may be a reactive action instigated by the victim.
Overall, it is important to consider that rejected
children are not only experiencing more victimi-
zation than their average or high status counter-
parts, but that this increase in victimization may
also be associated with other negative outcomes
or poor adjustment.
School Adjustment
Given the low social acceptance and likability
that rejected children experience, there are also
concerns of school adjustment and well-being.
For instance, a study conducted by Buhs and
Ladd (2001) found that rejected children were
more likely to experience poor treatment from
their peers, report loneliness, perform poorly
academically, and participate less in school. In
general, these students have a lowered desire to
attend school and are more disliked by their
teachers in comparison to their average status
peers. Additionally, rejected children are typically
perceived by their peers to be poor students
and perceived by their teachers to have low self-
confidence and be involved in more conflicts than
children of average status (Wentzel and Asher
1995). Rejected children tend to have poorer
academic performance and intelligence levels,
in comparison to their popular peers, who
tend to score above average (Zettergren 2003).
2 Rejected Children

Further, it seems that rejected girls have negative
attitudes toward school in general, while the
dropout rate for rejected boys was significantly
higher than other boys, emphasizing the
potential risk factor academically for rejected
children (Zettergren 2003). Moreover, research
by Wentzel and Asher (1995) also found
academic differences between aggressive-rejected
and submissive-rejected children, in that
aggressive-rejected children tend to have more
issues academically. Specifically, aggressive-
rejected children reported being less interested
in school, more impulsive learners, and less likely
to be civil and compliant in class. Further, these
students were perceived by teachers as being
less independent and less likely to be nominated
as liked by both teachers and students, while
these same characteristics were not found in
the submissive-rejected subgroup (Wentzel and
Asher 1995).
Psychosocial Adjustment
Aside from victimization and poor school
adjustment, rejected children may also face
psychosocial challenges. A study by Nesdale
and Lambert (2007) found that peer-group
rejection significantly increased anxiety in
rejected children. Further, as children get older,
peer rejection was found to increase the child’s
risk-taking behavior, while peer acceptance was
found to decrease this behavior (Nesdale and
Lambert 2007). Low levels of peer acceptance
during adolescence were found to be associated
with lower levels of self-regulation and were
found to affect their decision-making. These
adolescents were less able to tolerate distress and
were more emotionally sensitive when dealing
with negative loss in their life (King et al. 2018).
Further, since we know that research has demon-
strated that being a victim of bullying can be
associated with higher levels of social isolation,
anxiety, and depression (Veenstra et al. 2007),
these rejected children who are also victimized
may be more at risk for these outcomes.
Conclusion
In summary, children who face peer rejection are
at greater risk of experiencing a myriad of other
negative developmental outcomes. For decades,
researchers and practitioners have worked on how
to alleviate the difficulties and maladjustment
associated with peer rejection. An emphasis has
been put into providing these children with
social skills training and opportunities to integrate
with their peers, such as strategic seating plans
and classroom activities (Bierman 2004). By
providing children a safe classroom environment
without the fear of mistreatment and rejection
from peers, rejected children can participate
more confidently in class and improve their
scholastic adjustment and academic competence
(Buhs and Ladd 2001). Furthermore, research has
found that rejected children who possessed more
peer-valued characteristics were less likely to be
targeted for victimization, suggesting that this
may provide an avenue for intervention (Knack
et al. 2012). For example, participating in
sports and peer-valued activities may allow these
children to better integrate with their peers,
develop peer-valued characteristics, and experi-
ence less rejection. Overall, peer rejection
has negative and persistent implications for chil-
dren in many areas of their life, which highlights
the importance of early intervention so that these
children may experience more positive develop-
mental outcomes.
Cross-References
▶Peer Rejection, Gender Differences in
Response to
▶Peer Rejection, Sex Differences in Initiation of
▶Peer Relationships in Childhood
▶Peers
▶Status Competition and Peer Relationships in
Childhood
▶Status Hierarchies
▶Victims
Rejected Children 3

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