Study: Rejection Leaves Some Questioning Their Identity

STANFORD, Ca. (CBS) – According to new research, people carry a heavier burden from rejection when they see it as revealing something about who they are as a person.

The Stanford research, which was published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, observed the link between rejection and an individual's sense of self.

For some the sense rejection can linger for years and cause issues for future relationships, according to the study.

Researchers explored the basic beliefs that people carry into a relationship that may make them more likely to link rejection to themselves.

Researchers conducted five studies involving 891 people. Participants were asked to fill out surveys about hypothetical rejections and real-life rejections.

According to the study, how people view human personality was especially significant.

Those with a fixed mindset about their personality, meaning they believe their personality is fixed and unchangeable, allow romantic rejections to linger longer in their lives.

Those who believe they can change their personality, researchers say, were able bounce back from rejection a bit easier.

Additionally, researchers say those who believe that rejection revealed a defect about themselves also worry that the defect will surface in future romantic relationships.