Rejection sensitivity and its relationship to schizotypy and aggression: current status and future directions

Rejection sensitivity (RS) is the expectation of being distanced from and excluded by others, and found to be positively associated with both schizotypal personality traits and aggression. Here, we propose different explanations for these associations. Specifically, we suggest that disorganisation and social anxiety explain RS in schizotypy, but anger and the need for reward from retaliation and mood repair explain RS in aggression. There is some support for our suggestions from recent studies showing neural activity and/or connectivity patterns during social rejection that indicate deficient emotional regulation and anxiety in schizotypy, but heightened social pain and retaliation in relation to aggression. Further research needs to firmly establish how RS, schizotypy and aggression might exist, or co-exist, at the behavioural and brain levels, and whether interventions that specifically target social anxiety, maladaptive emotion regulation, or promote prosocial behaviours could be employed to normalise RS in the context of schizotypy and/or aggression.