Exploring the Process of Negative Self-Concept Formation among Adolescents with a History of Chronic Social Rejection

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the process through which negative self-concept is formed among adolescents with a history of chronic social rejection. This qualitative study was conducted using a grounded theory design. The research population consisted of adolescents aged 13 to 18 years in Tehran who reported repeated and persistent experiences of social rejection, peer exclusion, being ignored, relational marginalization, or stigmatizing peer labels. Sampling began purposively and continued through theoretical sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. A total of 24 adolescents, including 13 girls and 11 boys, participated in the study. Data were collected exclusively through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Each interview lasted between 45 and 75 minutes and was audio-recorded after obtaining informed consent from both adolescents and their parents. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding with the assistance of NVivo software. To enhance trustworthiness, member checking, peer debriefing, analytic memo writing, and constant comparison were used throughout the research process. The analysis indicated that the formation of negative self-concept among socially rejected adolescents is a gradual, relational, and recursive process. Five main categories emerged from the data: accumulated experiences of rejection and social labeling, internalization of others’ negative messages, sensitivity to evaluation and anticipation of rejection, maladaptive defensive strategies, and consolidation of a devalued identity. The findings suggested that adolescents initially experience rejection as an external interpersonal event; however, when rejection becomes chronic, they begin to interpret it as evidence of personal defectiveness or unworthiness. Participants’ narratives showed that many described themselves as “unwanted,” “invisible,” “unlovable,” or “problematic.” The findings demonstrate that negative self-concept among adolescents with chronic social rejection is not merely the result of individual vulnerability or low self-esteem. Rather, it emerges from the ongoing interaction between repeated rejection experiences, cognitive interpretations, emotions such as shame and fear, and avoidance-based coping strategies. Therefore, clinical and school-based interventions should simultaneously target self-narrative reconstruction, rejection sensitivity, social belonging, and peer-group interaction patterns.