To Comply or Not To Comply

Abstract

Previous studies indicate that social exclusion reduction in prosocial behavior. However, ostracized participants tend to be more susceptible to social influence attempts. The current studies examined the effect of exclusion on compliance. In line with the need threat model of ostracism, the results indicate a decrease in mood and needs after being excluded. The compliance rate was generally greater among rejected participants (study 1). The tendency to engage in volunteering was, however, higher when participants were asked to engage in a collective (vs. individual) task, which was to be performed with other participants, than the source of ostracism (study 2). These results align with other findings indicating that people tend to respond aggressively rather than prosocially towards rejecters and tend to restore threatened needs by making new friends. keywords: ostracism, exclusion, rejection, Cyberball, social influence, compliance, volunteering https://doi.org/10.34862/fo.2020.2.3