This book focuses on the ubiquitous and powerful effects of ostracism, social exclusion, rejection, and bullying. Human beings are an intrinsically gregarious s... » 

This book focuses on the ubiquitous and powerful effects of ostracism, social exclusion, rejection, and bullying. Human beings are an intrinsically gregarious species. Most of our evolutionary success is no doubt due to our highly developed ability to cooperate and interact with each other. It is thus not surprising that instances of interpersonal rejection and social exclusion would have an enormously detrimental impact on the individual. Until ten years ago, however, social psychology regarded ostracism, rejection and social exclusion as merely outcomes to be avoided, but we knew very little about their antecedents and consequences and about the processes involved when they occurred. Furthermore, the literatures of ostracism, social exclusion and rejection have not until now included discussions of the bullying literature.The main objective of this book is to explore the powerful consequences of being socially outcast at the neurophysiological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral levels. Several chapters offer grand integrative models and theories that try to encapsulate the experience of ostracism, exclusion and rejection. As sweeping as these conceptualizations are, we also recognize that some individuals are more susceptible to acts of exclusion than others, and several chapters will explore and explain these individual differences. Once excluded, individuals perceive and respond to their social environments differently, leading them to interpret and attend to particular information that may help them cope, or often, that may perpetuate their state of exclusion. The book will also discuss the nature and antecedents of adaptive and maladaptive reactions to social exclusion. Finally, several research programs aimed at extricating the links between social exclusion and pro-social or anti-social behavior are reported. «