Dating and the Lens of Rejection Sensitivity: Unraveling the Impact on Self-Esteem

Rejection sensitivity is one’s prejudice in anticipating rejection which causes unpleasant social experiences and lowered emotional adjustments, while Self -esteem is the extent to which one’s concept of self, according to their qualities seems to be positive. The current study investigates the relationship between rejection sensitivity and self-esteem among Indian youth currently engaging in the dating market, using Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions as a framework. The study also examines gender differences in the relationship between the said variables. A sample of 358 college-going students aged 19-25 (178 males, 180 females) was surveyed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) and Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (A-RSQ). The results showed that the male participants showed a slightly higher rejection sensitivity than the female participants. In contrast, the female participants showed slightly higher self-esteem (mean = 17.8) than the male participants (mean = 17.2), resulting in a weak correlation between rejection sensitivity, gender, and self-esteem. However, since none of them were statistically significant, no conclusions could be made based on them.