Investigating the Effect of Social Exclusion on State Authenticity

Abstract

This study examines the effect of social exclusion on state authenticity, the extent to which one feels real and true to the self in different situations. In addition to this, the effect of social exclusion on basic need satisfaction, in particular the need for relatedness, mood, and situational self-awareness is investigated. A crossword puzzle task measures self-regulation as an indicator of experimental manipulation effectiveness. Analysis on the data from 52 females and 33 males using between-subject ANOVAs reveals that social exclusion has no significant effect on state authenticity, basic need satisfaction, mood, or situational self-awareness. Discussion of findings is in relation to other studies investigating the effects of social exclusion, with contrasts also drawn between self-esteem literature and the concept of state authenticity. Discussion extends to suggestions for future research avenues.