The Association between the Need to Belong and Relational Aggression: The Moderating Role of Rejection

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between the need to belong (i.e., the need to be accepted by others; NTB) and relational aggression in females. Several theorists have suggested that individuals who have relatively high levels of NTB may be at risk for aggressive behavior. These individuals may act out with aggression when their NTB is thwarted. As females tend to engage in more relational forms of aggression (e.g. gossip, social exclusion) rather than physical aggression, this study examined the association between NTB and relational aggression.  In addition, it is possible that NTB only increases the risk for aggressive behavior when this need is thwarted.  Thus, we investigated whether NTB was more strongly associated with relational aggression among girls who were highly rejected by peers.  Participants included 182 girls (age = 9-16 years) attending a residential summer camp.  NTB was assessed via self-reports, relational aggression was assessed using peer reports, and rejection was assessed using peer reports.  Hierarchical regression analyses indicated the interaction between NTB, rejection, and age was significant in the prediction of relational aggression.  Follow-up simple slope analyses indicated that NTB was positively associated with relational aggression among older girls who were highly rejected but not among younger girls or girls who were not rejected. These findings suggest that reducing older girls’ experiences of rejection may help reduce aggressive behaviors, particularly among girls with a high NTB.