Cast Away:Social Exclusion and Social Aggression – The Roles of Self-Esteem and Anger

Abstract

Although some research has demonstrated that people with lower self-esteem are more aggressive, a review of this literature has suggested that aggression is also a high self-esteem trait, especially when considering the impact of social exclusion. Specifically, anger and aggression may result from the conflict experienced by individuals who are socially excluded but who have a high self-esteem. To examine this possibility, we tested a group of college students in which half were socially excluded and the others were not. We then measured anger and social aggression toward the excluders and toward a stranger. Students reporting relatively high levels of self-esteem were significantly more angry, but not aggressive after being excluded. In general, low self-esteem participants showed higher social aggression than those with high self-esteem. Also, socially excluded participants were more socially aggressive towards the excluders and non-socially excluded participants were more aggressive towards a stranger. The social aggression in lower self-esteem participants is seen as part of their overall critical nature and instead, an increase in anger is a more indicative reaction to social exclusion for those with higher self-esteem.