The Shifting Lens of Ostracism: Exploring the Impact of Social Exclusion on Situational Perception Dimensions

Does a shift in situations directly influence our perception of them? This study offers novel experimental evidence that situational changes directly affect our perception, focusing on how ostracism influences situational perception and its impact compared to personality traits on feelings of exclusion. Through both between-subject (Study 1, n=349) and within-subject designs (Study 2, n=259), we demonstrate that ostracism significantly alters perceptions, increasing negativity and adversity while reducing positivity. Notably, situational perception proved to be a stronger predictor of feelings of neglect and exclusion than Big Five personality traits in both studies, with positivity and negativity as key factors in the impact of ostracism. This research advances our understanding of social exclusion's psychological mechanisms and highlights the importance of measuring situational perception in exploring the person-situation interaction debate.