Chronic social exclusion and evidence for the resignation stage

Abstract

Experiences of social exclusion, including ostracism and rejection, can last anywhere from a few seconds to many years. Most research focused on short-term social exclusion, whereas virtually no empirical work has investigated the experiences of long-term social exclusion. Williams theorized that prolonged experiences of social exclusion (i.e., ostracism) would cause individuals to pass from the reflexive and reflective stages to the resignation stage characterized by the inability to recover threatened psychological needs and feelings of alienation, unworthiness, helplessness, and depression. Across two studies, we explored this prediction-and, in light of pain overlap theories, considered the possibility that chronic exclusion and chronic pain induce common psychological responses. Study 1 consisted of a quasi-experimental study involving five groups of participants: (1) those with chronic experiences of social exclusion (n ¼ 82), (2) those with chronic physical pain (n ¼ 82), (3) those with chronic hypertension (n ¼ 69), (4) those with chronic kidney disease (n ¼ 60), and (5) a group of healthy people (n ¼ 83). Participants filled out a questionnaire including measures of need threat, negative emotions, and the four key outcomes linked to the resignation stage (i.e., alienation, unworthiness, helplessness, and depression). Although our data showed little evidence to support the psychological overlap between chronic exclusion and chronic

The bi‐dimensional rejection taxonomy: Organizing responses to interpersonal rejection along antisocial–prosocial and engaged–disengaged dimensions

“…However, a close inspection of the literature, viewed through the lens of the taxonomy, paints a different picture. Specifically, repeated rejection results in feelings of helplessness, unworthiness, submission, withdrawal, and avoidance of social interactions, described as “going into a little shell” (Riva, Montali, Wirth, Curioni, & Williams, ; Williams, ; Zadro, ). Thus, people who experienced repeated rejection use more disengaged antisocial responses to rejection (e.g., withdrawing from others) rather than engaged antisocial responses (e.g., attacking others; Figure ).…”

Workplace Discrimination against Sexual Minorities: Subtle and not‐so‐subtle

“…Ostracism also threatens basic psychological needs, such as the need for belonging, self-esteem, control, and meaningful existence (Williams, 2009). Some individuals unfortunately experience ostracism chronically, and this experience can lead to feelings of alienation, depression, helplessness, and the feeling that life is meaningless (Riva, Montali, Wirth, Curioni, & Williams, 2016;Wesselmann, Ren, & Williams, 2015). Some individuals unfortunately experience ostracism chronically, and this experience can lead to feelings of alienation, depression, helplessness, and the feeling that life is meaningless (Riva, Montali, Wirth, Curioni, & Williams, 2016;Wesselmann, Ren, & Williams, 2015).…”

“…Individuals seem to feel ostracized at the slightest cue (e.g., lack of eye contact, uncomfortable silence) and feel devalued socially by others (Böckler, Hömke, & Sebanz, 2014;Koudenburg, Postmes, & Gordijn, 2011;Wesselmann, Cardoso, Slater, & Williams, 2012;Wirth, Sacco, Hugenberg, & Williams, 2010). Some individuals unfortunately experience ostracism chronically, and this experience can lead to feelings of alienation, depression, helplessness, and the feeling that life is meaningless (Riva, Montali, Wirth, Curioni, & Williams, 2016;Wesselmann, Ren, & Williams, 2015). Prolonged feelings of loneliness, which often result from chronic ostracism, can have harmful effects on one's physical health and even shorten one's lifespan (Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008;Holt-Lunstad, Smith, Baker, Harris, & Stephenson, 2015).…”

The dual path of the rejection (dis)identification model: A study on adolescents with a migrant background

“…Moreover, the available data allowed us only to evaluate two (depression and unworthiness) of the four outcomes associated with the resignation stage, not considering alienation and helplessness (Williams, 2009). However, a similar procedure was adopted by Marinucci and Riva (2020), and past research showed that responses to the four outcomes are typically highly related (Riva et al, 2017).…”

“…Consistent with this, experiencing prolonged social rejection may increase self‐isolation (Cuadrado, Tabernero, & Steinel, 2015) and depression rates, even resulting in suicidal ideation (Van Orden & Joiner, 2013). Recently, some evidence provided by Riva, Montali, Wirth, Curioni, and Williams (2017) supported the notion that chronic experiences of social exclusion are associated with higher levels of the resignation stage outcomes. Similar results have also been found in adolescent students, where social rejection is associated with social anxiety, isolation, and withdrawal (Inderbitzen et al, 1997).…”