ABSTRACT
T o be ostracized is to be ignored and excluded (Williams, 2007). It is often notaccompanied by an explicit pronouncement (Williams, Shore, & Grahe, 1997), as itwas when used in Athens to send individuals into temporary exile (Forsdyke, 2000). It can come unexpectedly and stealthily. The target of ostracism notices it, but is not sure that it is actually happening. Perhaps, the target thinks, I am being paranoid. Maybe the others are preoccupied with their own concerns and their apparent inattention to me was coincidental. Then, when it becomes clearer that the others are indeed ostracizing the individual, there is still more ambiguity. Why are they ostracizing me? What did I do? Thus, ostracism and uncertainty are ecologically intertwined and the impact of ostracism and the subsequent responses are partly attributable to the uncertainty that envelops it. In this chapter, we review the research on ostracism especially as it pertains to uncertainty.
