Previous work has focused on positive feelings of mattering, which pertain to the human need to feel significant. In the current article, we examine a complementary yet distinct construct involving feelings of not mattering that may arise from being marginalized and experiences that heighten a sense of being insignificant to others. We also describe the development, validation, and research applications of the Anti-Mattering Scale. The Anti-Mattering Scale (AMS) is a five-item inventory assessing feelings of not mattering to other people. Psychometric analyses of data from samples of emerging adults and adolescents confirmed that the AMS comprises one factor with high internal consistency and adequate validity. Our findings suggest that individuals who feel like they do not matter to others have a highly negative self-view, insecure attachment, and perceived deficits in meeting key psychological needs. Analyses established that links between elevated AMS scores and levels of depression, social anxiety, and loneliness. Most notably, scores on this new measure predicted unique variance in key outcomes beyond the variance attributable to other predictors. Overall, these results attest to the research utility and clinical potential of the AMS as an instrument examining the tendency of certain people to experience a profound sense of not mattering to others in ways that represent a unique source of risk, social disconnection, and personal vulnerability.

以前的工作集中在重要的积极感觉上，这与人类需要感到重要有关。在当前的文章中，我们研究了一种互补但独特的结构，其中涉及可能因被边缘化而产生的无关紧要的感觉以及加剧对他人无足轻重感的经历。我们还描述了反物质量表的开发、验证和研究应用。反物质量表 (AMS) 是一个五项清单，用于评估对其他人无关紧要的感觉。对新兴成人和青少年样本数据的心理测量分析证实，AMS 包含一个具有高度内部一致性和足够有效性的因素。我们的研究结果表明，认为自己对他人无关紧要的人具有高度消极的自我看法、不安全的依恋、以及在满足关键心理需求方面的感知缺陷。分析确定了 AMS 分数升高与抑郁、社交焦虑和孤独程度之间的联系。最值得注意的是，这项新措施的得分预测了关键结果的独特差异，超出了其他预测因素的差异。总体而言，这些结果证明了 AMS 作为一种工具的研究效用和临床潜力，可以检查某些人以代表风险、社会脱节和个人脆弱性的独特来源的方式体验对其他人不重要的深刻感觉的倾向. 这项新措施的分数预测了关键结果的独特差异，超出了其他预测因素的差异。总体而言，这些结果证明了 AMS 作为一种工具的研究效用和临床潜力，可以检查某些人以代表风险、社会脱节和个人脆弱性的独特来源的方式体验对其他人不重要的深刻感觉的倾向. 这项新措施的分数预测了关键结果的独特差异，超出了其他预测因素的差异。总体而言，这些结果证明了 AMS 作为一种工具的研究效用和临床潜力，可以检查某些人以代表风险、社会脱节和个人脆弱性的独特来源的方式体验对其他人不重要的深刻感觉的倾向.