The impact of ostracism on radicalism

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Michaela Pfundmair
• Subject Area: Social Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 471886163

Ostracism, i.e. being ignored and excluded by others, is usually accompanied by tremendous psychological stress. In response to ostracism, people feel deprived in basic psychological needs. Moreover, ostracism can motivate people to engage in pro-social behaviors but also in anti-social ones. Because ostracized individuals are deprived in their basic needs and particularly receptive to social influences, they might be at elevated risk to adopt a radical mindset. Indeed, past research has provided initial empirical evidence for this claim. The central aim of the current proposal is to explore the relationship between ostracism and radicalism in greater detail, in particular, its underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions. Specifically, we will focus on three lines of research.1) Previous work has suggested an ostracism-radicalism link. However, some basic questions on this link are not yet answered. First, it is yet to be determined whether ostracism only results in radical intention, as previously shown, or also in radical action. Second, it is to be explored whether radicalism as a response option to ostracism is particularly likely when response options are limited to radical contents. Therefore, to expand the basic understanding of the ostracism-radicalism link, we will investigate these boundary conditions as a first step of the planned project. 2) Past research has provided initial answers to the question of why ostracized people increase their openness to radicalism. Specifically, they pointed to a need to pursue significance and avoid uncertainty to play mediating roles. These needs might be promising accounts because they are known to be motivators for radicalism per se. Thus, in the planed project, we will investigate whether these needs serve as mediators of the relationship between ostracism and radicalism. 3) Lastly, in previous work, the link between ostracism and radicalism has only been shown for instances of ostracism that were induced in the short-term. However, this short-term approach does not seem to map reality. Rather, radicalized individuals are portrayed as chronically socially isolated people. Consequences of such long-term ostracism might outbid that of short-term ostracism since they affect people’s well-being more severe. Thus, in the planed project, we will investigate whether long-term ostracism affects radicalism differently than short-term ostracism. These research questions will be examined in an experimental approach along a number of independent studies using a variety of methods.The current proposal will integrate established theories and most current empirical works. It will expand scientific knowledge both in the area of ostracism and radicalism, and might be useful in socio-political terms shaping prevention and detection efforts for radical developments.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: USA
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Andrew Hales; Professor Kipling D. Williams, Ph.D.