Robert T. Hitlan, PhD – Department of Psychology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA

Series: Social Psychology Research Progress; Psychology Research Progress
BISAC: PSY031000; PSY017000; PSY000000
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52305/TSGO5222

Ostracism and Social Dynamics: Causes, Consequences, and Interventions examines how exclusion shapes behavior, health, and group functioning across social, organizational, institutional, and societal contexts. This volume brings together a group of international scholars who investigate the conditions that give rise to interpersonal and intergroup exclusion, the psychological and biological processes that sustain its impact, and the contexts that both magnify and mitigate its effects. Chapters address a wide range of topic areas, including perceptions, modalities, antecedents, observer experiences, cognitive appraisals, psychological and behavioral responses, and neurological, physiological, and biological reactivity. This volume is unique in the level of theoretical integration across multiple research domains. The book highlights how exclusion unfolds in everyday interactions, the workplace, and larger social systems. Contributors analyze how contextual and structural features of organizations, cultural norms, and identity-based dynamics shape when ostracism and broader forms of exclusion occur and how individuals interpret such experiences. Several chapters examine moderating factors, including group membership, status, stigma, attributions, and developmental history. Others evaluate interventions designed to reduce bias, strengthen social connections, and improve social and organizational climates. This volume provides a cohesive framework for understanding exclusion as a dynamic social process. The book is intended for researchers, graduate students, advanced undergraduates, practitioners, and policymakers interested in theoretical, empirical, and practical insights into how exclusion operates and how its effects can be mitigated.