“You’re No Good – I’m kicking You Out!” Ostracizing burdensome group members

Why do individuals ostracize (exclude and ignore) others despite ostracism's unpleasantness for both the person being ostracized (a target) and the person doing the ostracism (a source)? Our research addressed one reason why individuals ostracize others: removing burdensome others due to their being poor exchange partners. Specifically, we found participants ostracized a virtual ball-toss player who was burdensome due to taking an excessive amount of time to throw the ball. This ostracism occurred despite potential moderating factors (e.g. having a poor internet connection). The quick response to ostracizing a burdensome other may stem from experiencing psychological pain as an alarm. To silence the alarm, individuals appear to ostracize the burdensome other. Most research on sources focuses on this immediate response; future research might apply a stage model to investigate the source's reflexive (immediate) and then reflective (delayed) responses.