Ostracism threatens certainty: a single-laboratory meta-analysis

Ostracism is well-known to threaten fundamental needs for belonging, self-esteem, control, and meaningful existence. This article presents theoretical and empirical evidence for an additional, fifth need, threatened by ostracism: the need for certainty. I review the theoretical basis for this need, and meta-analytically summarize evidence from 18 experiments from my research lab that manipulate ostracism and measure the degree to which individuals feel uncertain about themselves and their environment (total N = 5,241). Ostracism has a negative effect on one's sense of certainty both immediately, d = -.37, 95% Confidence Interval [-.46, -.27], and also, to a lesser but still significant extent, after a brief delay d = -.16 [-.24, -.07]. I consider the current research landscape and future directions, including the behavioral and long-term effects of ostracism-induced uncertainty, the possible appeal of uncertainty for those who use ostracism, and the potential for other needs threatened by ostracism.