C. Nathan DeWall, University of Kentucky, on The Pain of Rejection: The Sweet and Bitter of Relationships

In this webinar, Professor DeWall presents a program of research on the power of social rejection in shaping cognition, emotion, and behavior. Most people crave social acceptance. Social rejection, in contrast, thwarts the fundamental need for positive and lasting relationships, which strikes at the core of well-being. The first section of his talk demonstrates how social rejection influences a variety of responses, from self-regulation to aggression. The second section discusses how responses to social rejection share common overlap with physical pain processes. To conclude, Professor DeWall illustrates how people cope with social rejection.

About the speaker:

C. Nathan DeWall, PhD (Florida State University) is a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kentucky and Director of the DeWall Social Psychology Lab. Research at the DeWall Social Psychology Lab examines social exclusion and acceptance as well as self-regulatory depletion. For example, Professor DeWall's research has explored how social exclusion influences aggression, pro-social behavior, self-regulation, emotional responses such as empathy, and physical sensitivity to pain.