Until recently, researchers in the field of ostracism (i.e., the act of being excluded and ignored) have focused on investigating this phenomenon from the perspective of targets (i.e., the ostracized person). Although this has yielded important discoveries about the consequences of being ostracized, very little is known about the nature and consequences of being a source of ostracism (i.e., the ostracizer). This article reviews the current ostracism research pertaining to sources and outlines the immediate consequences of ostracizing. Also explored are the key challenges that researchers must overcome to ensure that ostracism is investigated from the perspective of both targets and sources.
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LegateN.DeHaanC. R.WeinsteinN.RyanR. M. (2013). (See References). Discusses differences in psychological repercussions of following instructions to directly ostracize someone compared with following other experimental instructions.
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PoulsenJ. R.KashyD. A. (2012). (See References). Provides an elegant example of a direct source induction and compares the ostracism experience from the perspective of targets and sources.
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WilliamsK. D. (2007). (See References). Provides a comprehensive overview of the ostracism research that has been conducted from the perspective of targets.
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ZadroL.GodwinA.GonsalkoraleK. (2013). (See References). Provides a relatively comprehensive review of the nature and consequences (both positive and negative) of ostracizing.
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ZadroL.GodwinA.GonsalkoraleK. (in press). “It is better to give than to receive”: The role of motivation & self control in determining the consequences of ostracism for targets and sources. In ForgasJ. P.Harmon-JonesE. (Eds.), The control within: Motivation and its regulation. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
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