The Effects of Inclusion after Ostracism on Individuals’ Levels of Belonging, Control, Self-Esteem, and Meaningful Existence
Ostracism, which is the act of being excluded and rejected in social settings, is a powerful aversive experience. There is a growing body of literature in this area that shows ostracism to produce a number of negative short- and long-term negative consequences toward an individual’s wellbeing. The temporal need-threat model by Williams (2001) specifically explained the immediate responses of ostracism, as well as how it lead to persistent negative consequences. An individual firstly detects an immediate threat when they perceive ostracism for the first time, regardless of the accuracy of their appraisal. Upon detecting ostracism, they attempt to reduce the threat through coping and recovery strategies, such as reappraising the situation according to their expectations. If ostracism ensues for extended periods of time, individuals will perceive that their coping strategy is …show more content…
However, another study has attempted to respond to this criticism. Tang and Richardson (2013) examined the effects of inclusion after ostracism by manipulating the source of the ostracism and inclusion. In the first condition, the participants were asked to play Cyberball with a group of people who then excluded them during the game. In the subsequent condition, these participants were included in the game, either by the ostracisers or by different people. The findings suggested that there was no difference in the levels of four fundamental needs after inclusion, regardless of the source of inclusion. In other words, they concluded that it does not matter who included the victim of ostracism, as the pain of exclusion tends to be healed if the victim senses social
Ostracism, which is the act of being excluded and rejected in social settings, is a powerful aversive experience. There is a growing body of literature in this area that shows ostracism to produce a number of negative short- and long-term negative consequences toward an individual’s wellbeing. The temporal need-threat model by Williams (2001) specifically explained the immediate responses of ostracism, as well as how it lead to persistent negative consequences. An individual firstly detects an immediate threat when they perceive ostracism for the first time, regardless of the accuracy of their appraisal. Upon detecting ostracism, they attempt to reduce the threat through coping and recovery strategies, such as reappraising the situation according to their expectations. If ostracism ensues for extended periods of time, individuals will perceive that their coping strategy is …show more content…
However, another study has attempted to respond to this criticism. Tang and Richardson (2013) examined the effects of inclusion after ostracism by manipulating the source of the ostracism and inclusion. In the first condition, the participants were asked to play Cyberball with a group of people who then excluded them during the game. In the subsequent condition, these participants were included in the game, either by the ostracisers or by different people. The findings suggested that there was no difference in the levels of four fundamental needs after inclusion, regardless of the source of inclusion. In other words, they concluded that it does not matter who included the victim of ostracism, as the pain of exclusion tends to be healed if the victim senses social