Ostracism, defined as being ignored and rejected by others, is a painful and powerful experience that threatens psychological needs related to an individual's well-being and can lead to a desire to restore social bonds (Williams, 2007, 2009). However, few studies have examined the conditions under which it leads to social identification. We hypothesized that sharing the experience of ostracism may be one of these conditions. Indeed, sharing a common painful experience is a way to foster social bonds and promotes cooperation as well as group identification among individuals (Bastian et al., 2014; Bastian et al., 2018).
In four studies using minimal groups (N = 721) in a Cyberball procedure, we examined the consequences of co-experiencing ostracism on group identification and well-being. In Studies 1 and 2 (N = 171; N = 211), results showed that sharing a common experience of ostracism with an ingroup member increased ingroup identification but did not improve psychological needs during the ostracism experience. In Study 3 (N = 230), we replicated our identification findings and showed that sharing ostracism promotes psychological closeness with the ostracized partner but does not moderate need recovery. In Study 4 (N=110), we observed that ostracism, whether shared or not, increases identification but does not increase perceived entitativity of the group. These results are discussed with regard to the identity strategies of individuals victims of social exclusion.

Authors:
Peggy Chekroun, University Paris Nanterre, France
Thibault Jaubert, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, France
Jean-Baptiste Légal, University Paris Nanterre, France

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Peggy Chekroun is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at University Paris Nanterre in France

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