Culture, Social Interdependence, and Ostracism - Uskul, Over (2017) - Article

What is central to this article?

Because research has shown that cultural groups differ in how they experience ostracism, the writer wants to elaborate on the role of social interdependence in moderating responses to ostracism. The aim of the writers with this article is to present a more nuanced picture of ostracism.

Why is ostracism so intense for people?

Because people attach a great deal of value to being connected, ostracism (being excluded or ignored) can have major consequences. Even when there is only a short period of ostracism, psychological consequences can be observed. This leads to a reduction in self-esteem, as well as a reduced sense of meaningful existence.

What to say about the relationship between culture, social interdependence and ostracism?

What is central to this article?

Because research has shown that cultural groups differ in how they experience ostracism, the writer wants to elaborate on the role of social interdependence in moderating responses to ostracism. The aim of the writers with this article is to present a more nuanced picture of ostracism.

What are the important terms in this article?

This article focuses on culture, social dependence and ostracism.

Why is ostracism so intense for people?

Because people attach a great deal of value to being connected, ostracism (being excluded or ignored) can have major consequences. Even when there is only a short period of ostracism, psychological consequences can be observed. This leads to a reduction in self-esteem, as well as a reduced sense of meaningful existence.

One of the most crucial differences between individualistic and collectivist cultures is the extent to which they allow social interdependence. They can shape the direction of cultural differences in ostracism responses. The authors put forward two competing hypotheses for this. Which two?

The hypotheses are:
1. a high level of social interdependence is more negatively influenced when they experience ostracism, because social bonds are important to them;
2. Individuals within highly interdependent communities are less affected by ostracism. This is due to the nature of their social ties. This second hypothesis is supported by a surprising number of studies.

Members of collectivist cultures and people who strongly subscribe to social dependence are less susceptible to the negative consequences of ostracism. What explanations do the authors give for this?

The writers give three possible explanations for this, namely:
1. previous findings have shown that individuals tend to activate the social self by looking for current social interaction or by thinking of family members or friends;
2. Ostracism is not experienced as particularly threatening when an individual experiences a strong sense of social interdependence;
3. the cultural norm can determine the extent to which ostracism is perceived as threatening and evokes negative reactions.

According to the writers, what should future studies focus on?

What is still not clear is the nature of the relationship between culture and responses to ostracism. This relationship seems to depend on how ostracism has been operationalized and studied. According to the writers, the most important next step is to identify the most important moderating variables that determine the conditions under which the competitive pattern of findings is likely to occur.

Which theoretically guided areas should be further investigated according to the writers?

The writers name three, namely:
1. Investigations must be more comprehensive and elaborated on more extensive situations and not just on individual ostracism events;
2. Investigations should focus on how ostracism is experienced when it comes from close others towards strangers;
3. Investigations should focus on the differences of exclusion at interpersonal level and at group level.