what is the fear of rejection called
The fear of rejection is most commonly referred to as rejection sensitivity or a phobia of rejection , and it often overlaps with social anxiety and fear of negative evaluation.
What is the fear of rejection called?
- Many clinicians describe an intense fear of being turned down, excluded, or judged as a phobia of rejection or fear of rejection rather than one single official phobia name.
- A closely related concept is rejection sensitivity , a trait where a person anxiously expects and strongly reacts to possible rejection.
- In research, a similar idea is fear of negative evaluation , meaning strong worry about being judged or evaluated badly by others.
How it tends to show up
- Strong anxiety about social situations because you worry others will reject or exclude you.
- Avoiding dating, friendships, or opportunities so you don’t have to risk being turned down.
- Reading neutral reactions (a short text, a quiet friend) as definite signs someone is unhappy with you.
Is it an official diagnosis?
- “Fear of rejection” and “rejection sensitivity” themselves are not stand‑alone diagnoses in major manuals, but they show up inside conditions like social anxiety and some personality patterns.
- Some practitioners also talk about rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) to describe extreme emotional pain in response to real or perceived rejection or criticism.
Quick note if this feels personal
If fear of rejection is making you withdraw from people, constantly second‑guess yourself, or miss out on things you want, therapists often use approaches like cognitive‑behavioral therapy to help shift these patterns and reduce the fear over time.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.