Depressive affect and disclosures as factors in interpersonal rejection

Abstract

Research has shown that depressives are rejected and devalued by others. In an attempt to specify possible factors, the present study examined two features of depressive behavior—affective displays and verbal disclosures—that may independently or jointly contribute to the outcomes observed. Subjects watched a videotape of a dissimulator who appeared sad, flat, or happy in an interview (Affect factor), while they listened to an audio track containing depressive or nondepressive disclosures (Disclosure factor); control subjects heard no disclosures. As predicted, depressive disclosures led to rejection, devaluation, and discounting of the target. Alone, both sad and flat affect also produced derogation but, when paired with a disclosure, tended to be overshadowed by the kind of disclosure received. The results point to the powerful effect that depressive verbalizations can have on interpersonal reactions. Possible reasons for this are explored, along with other issues raised by the results.