Ricerc@Sapienza

The present work was elaborated with a twofold aim. On one side we review the most important studies investigating the consequences of ostracism and on the other side we provide a deepening of the negative consequences of ostracism for people belonging to stigmatized groups, specifically towards gay people. Being ostracized represents a negative and painful experience that is moderated by the group membership only when it is an essential part of the self-identity, such as the race. The literature also shows that the sexual orientation plays a moderating role on the negative consequences of ostracism. Gay people resent from a greater reduction in executive functioning when they are ostracized and this influences the way in which they respond to ostracism in terms of cognitive performance and self-regulation.