| Ostracism research has focused primarily on factors that impact the perception of ostracism (Williams, Shore, & Grahe, 1998; Williams, 2001c; Williams & Zadro, 2001; Williams et al., 2002; Williams, 2003), or the impact of the perception of ostracism on the individual (Williams & Sommer, 1997; Sommer, Williams, Ciarocco, & Baumeister, 2001; Williams et al., 2002; Sorrentino, Hodson, & Huber, 2001; Williams, Forgas, & von Hippel, 2005; van beest & Williams, 2006). Up to this point, no ostracism research has considered whether or not important different ostracism situations threaten different needs, if different situations result in different behavioral outcomes, or how individual differences influence the perception of and coping responses toward ostracism in workplace or romantic relationships. The goal of this research was to examine the impact of the situation and individual-difference factors on emotional and behavioral intentions to ostracism. What behavioral intentions are exhibited following ostracism, particularly in unique domains such as the workplace or in romantic relationships? Do different ostracism situations threaten different needs? Is there a relationship between specific situational factors and social reconnection responses to ostracism? Are responses to ostracism specific to particular interpersonal domains? Lastly, do individual difference variables such as Belief in a Just World, Aggression, Need to Belong, Self-Esteem, Self-Liking, Self-Competency and Attachment Style moderate emotional and behaviorl intentions to ostracism?;This research used a factorial design in which individuals were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions based on the 2 (priming: prewriting about a time they were ostracized or excluded by others, no prewriting) x 2 (interpersonal setting: work or relationship) x 2 (ostracism: inclusion or ostracism) between subjects design.;Participants in the study were randomly assigned to a priming task (Prewriting about a time they were excluded, no prewriting). Participants assigned to the priming task imagined a time they had been ostracized or excluded by others. They wrote about that experience and how it felt for three minutes. Then participants read specific scenarios and imagined how they would feel and respond in the specific situation. Next, participants provided ratings of: threatened needs, the other actor in the scenario, perceived ostracism, potential social reconnection behaviors, and ratings on six relevant individual-differences measures.;The findings showed that some hypotheses were supported. Participants who read vignettes in which they were ostracized reported greater threatened needs that those who read vignettes in which they were not ostracized. When people were ostracized, interpersonal setting did not have a very significant impact on threatened needs or social reconnection behaviors. When participants were included, a handful of individual differences moderated threatened needs and social reconnection behaviors. Self competency, self esteem, need to belong, and belief in a just world were individual difference variables that moderated threatened needs. Self esteem, verbal aggression, hostility, self competency, and self liking moderated social reconnection behaviors. Although the study did not seek primarily to examine the role of priming on ostracism, results indicated that recalling ostracism before reading about being ostracized served in some instances as an extreme contrast anchor or a dampener, resulting in decreased threatened needs and social reconnection behaviors. More specifically, the task of writing about a time participants were ever ostracized served as a primer for threatening the need to Belong and for Self Esteem. Here, people who did not completed the priming exercise rated greater threats to their Need to Belong and their Self Esteem than those who did do the prewriting. Specifically, when ostracized, the priming had an impact in the romantic setting on Self Esteem threats resulting in greater Self Esteem threats for respondents who did not complete the priming. When included, priming served as an inoculator by dampening subsequent responses to ostracism in the workplace setting. Similarly, respondents who completed the priming exercise reported lower threatened Need to Belong ratings overall than those who did not complete the priming exercise. When ostracized, respondents who completed the priming task again reported lower threats to their Need to Belong than those who did not complete the pre-writing task but still read an ostracism vignette. |
