Definition
The experience of being left out by others; the breaking of social bonds or ties.
Introduction
Social exclusion is when someone experiences being left out by others or the breaking of social bonds or ties. (Social exclusion will be used throughout this encyclopedia entry interchangeably with ostracism and rejection as social exclusion is a broader term that represents all of these situations.) It is also thought of as social rejection or ostracism (being ignored and excluded). Humans have a fundamental need to belong or a desire to be socially connected to others (Baumeister and Leary 1995). This need drives much of our thoughts and behaviors. Our need to belong is also impacted by social exclusion, as the belonging need is one of four fundamental needs affected by social exclusion (Williams 2009). The other fundamental needs affected by social exclusion include self-esteem (the need to feel good about ourselves), control (the need to have a...
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Iannone, N.E. (2020). Social Exclusion. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1831
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