Rejection Sensitivity
When another person may reject a request or response, how strongly do I expect and worry about rejection?
Twelve everyday situations where you’ve asked someone for something and are waiting to hear back.
12 situations · About 5 minutesOur estimate
Infeee Exploratory AssessmentWhat it looks at
- Research on rejection sensitivity looks at how much people anticipate a 'no' when they ask something of someone who matters, combining how likely a no seems with how worried they'd feel about it (Downey & Feldman, 1996). This questionnaire uses that same two-part structure. Your overall score multiplies the two answers for each situation and averages across all 12.
What it does not measure
- This isn't a diagnosis or a personality type. It doesn't tell you whether anyone is actually rejecting you, whether your expectations are accurate, where this comes from, or how your relationships will go. It's a snapshot of how you answered today, and it can change.
- It does not measure attachment style, self-esteem, or people pleasing, which Infeee looks at separately.
What you’ll see
You’ll see a situation map with one dot per situation, placed by how likely a “yes” felt and how worried you’d feel, your overall score on a 1–36 line with an arithmetic reading guide, and a short description of the pattern.
Evidence and research basis
Infeee Exploratory Assessment
An original Infeee questionnaire grounded in published research, but not yet tested for reliability or validity. There are no norms or comparison groups.
How Infeee labels evidenceAn original Infeee questionnaire based on published rejection sensitivity research. It hasn't yet been tested for reliability or validity, and there's no comparison group.
Original Infeee questionnaire; not yet tested for reliability or validity; no comparison group; hypothetical situations; single situations are less reliable than the overall score; research on established measures shows mixed evidence about how stable scores are over time.
Sources (2)
- Downey & Feldman (1996)The rejection sensitivity construct and its expectancy × concern structure.
- Berenson et al. (2009)Adult rejection sensitivity research, and its relation to attachment anxiety and self-esteem.
Also cited above: Downey et al. (1998), Ayduk et al. (2000) and Romero-Canyas et al. (2010). Full references are pending editorial verification.
About this topic
In studies using established questionnaires, people with higher scores were, on average, more likely to read ambiguous behavior as intentional rejection (Downey & Feldman, 1996). Rejection sensitivity is related to, but distinct from, attachment anxiety and self-esteem (Berenson et al., 2009). Research also describes different responses when people perceive rejection, including pulling back, feeling angry, or trying harder to win approval, depending heavily on context (Romero-Canyas et al., 2010). This Infeee version hasn't yet been tested against these findings.
Your privacy
Your answers are processed in your browser and aren’t saved — not on this device and not on our servers.
When you finish, you can choose to add the result to your Self Map. It’s saved only in this browser on this device, and you can remove it at any time.
Before you start
In each of the 12 situations below, you've just asked someone for something and haven't heard back yet. For each one, you'll answer two questions: how likely you think it is they'd be happy to say yes, and how worried you'd feel about how they'd respond.
Picture a real person in your life who fits, if you can. If a situation doesn't match your life right now, imagine it as best you can.
There are no right or wrong answers, and no better or worse results. This takes about 5 minutes.
This is a reflection tool, not a diagnosis. It's an original Infeee questionnaire based on published research and hasn't yet been tested for reliability or validity. Your answers stay in this browser and aren't saved or sent anywhere.
This is a reflection tool, not a diagnosis. If you feel unsafe or need urgent help, contact your local emergency or crisis support service.
Ready when you are.