Recent research (Twenge, Catanese. & Baumeister, 2003) demonstrated decreased self-awareness among socially-rejected individuals as a defensive strategy designed to buffer the self from the acute distress of rejection In the present Study, we Sought to demonstrate that Ellis decreased self-awareness among socially-rejected Individuals IS (a) primarily evident in social domains, as opposed to non-social domains and (b) accompanied by increased awareness of others' behavior Using a social memory paradigm. we found that rejected participants exhibited better memory for other-related social behaviors, but poorer memory for self-related social behaviors in comparison to accepted participants These data provide evidence for a two-pronged response to social rejection characterized by both self-protective strategies and strategies aimed at regaining and maintaining social relationships (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved