The Effects of Ostracism on Self–Regulation in the Socially Anxious

Abstract

Ostracism is readily detected and results in a number of negative reactions. For example, social exclusion is argued to interfere with self-regulation. Some recent work found that the negative effects of ostracism are more pronounced and prolonged in socially anxious people. Based on these findings we tested whether: (1) ostracism impairs self-regulation, and (2) such impairment persists longer in socially anxious people, as classified through the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE). In Study 1, we found that relative to included participants (nonostracized controls), ostracized participants reported higher felt ostracism and ate more unhealthy but palatable biscuits at Time 1. After a 45-minute delay, only ostracized participants with higher levels of social anxiety reported continued felt ostracism and excessive eating. Similarly, in Study 2, self-regulation was defined as consuming an unpleasant, but healthy, beverage. We again observed a pattern of prolonged regulatory impairment only for ostracized socially anxious participants. Implications for the long-term impact of the exclusion of the socially anxious are discussed, as are the limitations of relying on the FNE as the sole measure of social anxiety.

O-Cam: A new paradigm for investigating the effects of ostracism

“…For instance, Goodacre (2007) In order to assess the delayed effects of ostracism on primary needs, Goodacre (2007) reassessed the primary needs of participants at the end of the testing session. In accordance with previous Cyberball research (e.g., Oaten, Jones, Williams, & Zadro, 2008;Zadro et al, 2006), a significant interaction effect between inclusionary status (i.e., ostracism vs. inclusion) and time was found [Wilks's .769,F(1,51) . Thus, participants who were ostracized during O-Cam regained their thwarted needs by the end of the study (i.e., 20 min later).…”

An Unclear Self Leads to Poor Mental Health: Self-Concept Confusion Mediates the Association of Loneliness with Depression

“…When people feel socially excluded, their self-concept confusion may undermine their personal standards that normally motivate people to regulate their impulses (Baumeister et al, 2005;Oaten, Williams, Jones, & Zadro, 2008), to avoid selfish and self-defeating behaviors (Twenge et al, 2002;Van Beest & Williams, 2006), and to override their aggressive urges (DeWall, Twenge, Gitter, & Baumeister, 2009;Warburton, Williams, & Cairns, 2006;Wesselman, Butler, Williams, & Pickett, 2010). Self-concept confusion may also have implications for understanding the relationships between social exclusion and negative behavioral outcomes such as those listed above.…”

The Relationship Between Early Maladaptive Schemas, Parenting Styles And Psychological Symptoms And The Needs Threats

“…Gerçekleþtirilen araþtýrmalarda genellikle gerçek ya da olasý bir dýþlamanýn ilk anda bireyin benlik deðerinde, ait olma ihtiyacýnda ve kontrol algýsýnda azalmaya yol açtýðýný ve varlýðýnýn anlamlý olduðuna yönelik inancýný sarstýðýna iþaret eden bulgular elde edilmiþtir (4). Psikolojik dýþlanmaya verilen kýsa vadeli tepkiler üzerinde; benlik deðeri, toplulukçuluk-bireycilik, dýþa dönüklük ya da sosyal kaygý gibi bireysel farklýlýklarýn etkisi olduðu elde edilen bulgular arasýndadýr (5,6). Psikolojik dýþlan-maya maruz kalan ergenler, depresyon, yalnýzlýk ve yetersizlikle anlamlý ve olumlu yönde iliþki bildirmiþlerdir (7).…”

“…Bulgulara göre, kiþilerin kaygý puanýndaki artýþ benlik deðerindeki artýþý; fobik kaygý puanýndaki artýþ benlik deðerindeki düþüþü; kiþiler arasý duyarlýlýk puanýndaki artýþ ise benlik deðerindeki düþüþü yordamaktadýr. Alanyazýn incelendiðinde sosyal açýdan kaygýlý katýlýmcýlarýn tehdit edilen ihtiyaçlarýnýn eski haline dönmesi ve baþarýlý bir kendini düzenleme gerçekleþtirebilmelerinin sosyal kaygýsý düþük olan bireylerden daha uzun zaman aldýðý gözlenmiþtir (5). Bu baðlamda düþünüldüðünde sosyal kaygý puaný yüksek bireylerin psikolojik dýþlanmadan farklý þekilde etkilenmeleri daha anlaþýlýr olabilir.…”