Sensitivity to Social Put-Down: it's relationship to perceptions of social rank, shame, social anxiety, depression, anger and self-other blame

This study set out to explore how people feel (anxious vs angry) and attribute blame for criticism with the development of a new scale called the sensitivity to put-down scale. It was found that self-blame, but not blaming others for criticism, was associated with a number of psychopathology variables such as social anxiety, depression and shame. Blaming self (but not blaming others) was also associated with increased anger proneness and hostile attitudes. This study also found that those who see themselves as relatively down rank tend to blame themselves for criticism, while those who feel relatively superior, tend to blame others. This research was contextualised in social rank theory [Gilbert, P. (1989). Human nature and suffering. Hove: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.; Gilbert, P. (1992). Depression: the evolution of powerlessness. Hove: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Ltd. and New York: Guilford] which argues that personal perceptions of one's social rank affects a range of social behaviours and affects. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.