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Recovery From Ostracism Distress: The Role of Attribution
1Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, Israel.
Frontiers in Psychology
|June 1, 2022
Summary
Explaining ostracism as external and unstable can reduce distress. Attributing ostracism to unstable causes may lead to complete recovery, accelerating healing from social exclusion.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Psychological Distress
- Attribution Theory
Background:
- Ostracism, or social exclusion, is a known cause of significant psychological distress.
- Understanding factors that promote recovery from ostracism is crucial for psychological well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if suggesting causes for ostracism to victims can reduce their distress.
- To examine the mediating role of death-anxiety in the relationship between suggested causes and recovery from ostracism.
Main Methods:
- 656 participants were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups in a Cyberball game, involving ostracism or inclusion.
- Experimental groups received attributions for ostracism based on locus of control (internal/external) and stability (stable/unstable).
- Mood and needs-satisfaction were assessed after a short delay.
Main Results:
- An interaction between locus of control and stability of attributions was significant in alleviating distress.
- External and unstable attributions for ostracism were effective in decreasing distress.
- Unstable attributions led to complete recovery for some participants.
Conclusions:
- Recovery from ostracism can be accelerated by providing explanations attributing the exclusion to unstable, external causes shortly after the event.
- Death-anxiety fully mediated the effect of locus of control attributions on mood, but not on needs-satisfaction or attribution stability.
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