Culture, social interdependence, and ostracism

Recent research has demonstrated that cultural groups differ in how they experience ostracism and in how they

behave in the wake of being ostracized. We review this literature paying particular attention to the role that one key

cultural variable, social interdependence, plays in moderating responses to ostracism. Although the data present a

complex picture, a growing number of studies have suggested that collectivistic cultures and high levels of social

interdependence are associated with less negative responses to ostracism. We review explanations for observed cultural

and individual-level differences in responses to ostracism and make a series of suggestions for future research that, we

hope, will disambiguate current findings and offer a more nuanced picture of ostracism and the significance of cultural

variation inherent within it.