ABSTRACT
People have a fundamental need to belong. When this need is threatened via social exclusion, negative psychological, physiological, and behavioral outcomes can and often do occur. Social exclusion includes being ignored or excluded (also referred to as ostracism) or rejected by others. It is a common, everyday experience (Nezlek, Wesselmann, Wheeler, & Williams, 2012), but it is one that can be very stressful, painful, and aversive (Baumeister, Twenge, & Nuss, 2002; Mac Donald & Leary, 2005; Williams, 2009). It takes several forms, ranging from exclusion from society based on an individual characteristic (e.g., race) or social position, to subtly being left out of conversations, ignored at a restaurant, rejected from joining a group, or excluded in an online environment. Rejection and exclusion are often manipulated in similar ways (e.g., being left out of a group), and the terms are frequently used interchangeably. For the purpose of this chapter, we will focus on interpersonal experiences of exclusion and rejection.
