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Related Experiment Videos

Ostracism.

Kipling D Williams1

  • 1Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA. kip@psych.purdue.edu

Annual Review of Psychology
|September 14, 2006
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Experiencing social rejection, ostracism, and exclusion triggers pain and distress, impacting fundamental needs. Individuals may respond with prosocial or antisocial behaviors to cope with these social threats.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Psychological Science

Background:

  • Social ostracism, exclusion, and rejection are significant social threats.
  • These experiences trigger reflexive pain and distress, crucial for survival.
  • Such events threaten fundamental human needs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review social psychological research on ostracism, social exclusion, and rejection.
  • To understand the adaptive functions of pain and distress responses to social threats.
  • To examine the behavioral consequences of ostracism on fundamental needs.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of social psychological research.
  • Analysis of studies on ostracism, social exclusion, and rejection.
  • Synthesis of findings on the psychological and behavioral impacts of social threats.

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Main Results:

  • Brief ostracism leads to sadness, anger, and threatens core needs.
  • Individuals attempt to fortify thwarted needs through prosocial or antisocial behaviors.
  • Chronic ostracism depletes coping resources, potentially leading to depression and helplessness.

Conclusions:

  • Responses to ostracism are adaptive, aiming to restore threatened needs.
  • Behavioral outcomes depend on whether relational or efficacy needs are prioritized.
  • Prolonged social exclusion has severe negative consequences on mental well-being.