Social Ostracism and Minors’ Antisocial Behavior

Abstract

Social ostracism (ignoring, exclusion, rejection) is a powerful psychological phenomenon. The palette of reactions to ostracism is very rich, ranging from social mimicry, affiliative attempts to restore inclusive status to the manifestation of aggression suppression of aggression and loss of life meaning. The article presents the empirical study results of the impact of long-term social ostracism on such parameters as individual and typological characteristics of personality, the tendency to deviant behavior, coping strategies, and socio-psychological adaptation of minors. The purpose of the research is a comprehensive study of the social ostracism influence on the formation of antisocial behavior patterns in minors. The study was conducted in 5 family education assistance centers, 1 university, and 1 organization of secondary vocational education (the Russian Federation). Total sample — 271 minors (123 males; 148 females; Mage=15.29). The study recorded a high correlation between aggressive and autodestructive behavior in antisocial minors who have experienced long-term ostracism. Extremely low psychological resource capacity was also found in this group.