Social Exclusion by Paolo Riva & Jennifer Eck

Author:Paolo Riva & Jennifer Eck
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

Attributions

An attribution lens has been applied to explain why targets of social exclusion might engage in prosocial versus antisocial behaviors. As previously noted, the motives behind social exclusion are diverse (Robinson et al., 2013) and the social context can have a significant impact on the attributions targets make regarding why they are socially excluded by others at work (Banki, 2012). In particular, depending on the circumstances surrounding social exclusion, targets can either derive internal attributions (i.e., believe that they are socially excluded because of something they did or because of their own characteristics) or external attributions (i.e., believe that they are socially excluded because of others’ characteristics; Banki, 2012). Targets of social exclusion often derive external attributions (Sommer, Williams, Ciarocco, & Baumeister, 2001), and it is possible that external attributions are more strongly linked to antisocial reactions whereas internal attributions contribute to prosocial reactions.

Factors that might influence whether targets of social exclusion attribute their experiences to external versus internal causes include whether a target is excluded by only a few or many others in his or her workplace and gender. Poulsen (2006), for example, found that women make more internal attributions for social exclusion than men do. Those who attribute social exclusion to internal causes (compared with external causes) experience a greater sense of rejection (Poulsen, 2006). When people attribute social exclusion to internal causes, they may blame themselves and perceive that their exclusion is a merited punishment; when they attribute it to external causes, they may not feel responsible for the exclusion, may not view it as legitimate, and may not feel as bad about the exclusion. In a related study, Williams and Sommer (1997) found that women worked harder in groups following social exclusion, whereas men engaged in social loafing following exclusion. The different attributions men versus women make following social exclusion, consistent with Poulsen’s (2006) findings, can account for this difference. When targets of social exclusion make internal attributions (most likely women), they are more likely to blame themselves and negatively perceive their self-worth, and, as a result, they try to prove to their group members that they are a valuable group member.

Attributions of envy can also impact targets’ reactions to social exclusion. Scott, Tams, Schippers, and Lee (2015) found that social exclusion prompted prosocial behavior in the form of citizenship behavior and ingratiation because targets perceived social exclusion as a signal of being envied. In other words, targets justified their experiencing of social exclusion by convincing themselves that they are better, more successful employees compared to their coworkers, and are treated differently as a result. It should also be noted that Scott et al. found that social exclusion had a negative impact on employees’ well-being, regardless of their attributions of envy.

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