Influence And Mechanisms Of Social Exclusion On Prosocial Behavior

Prosocial behavior refers to the behavior that individuals consciously make beneficial to others in social communication.It is widely accepted that the need for social connection or building relationships with others is a fundamental human motivation,in addition to satisfying basic sustenance.When individuals feel accepted and believe they are a meaningful part of society,they are willing to engage in more prosocial behaviors,but when people feel excluded,they are likely to avoid or reduce such behaviors.Materialism,a value that can alleviate interpersonal insecurities,has also been shown to reduce prosocial behavior.In addition,previous research has found that individuals with high future orientation tend to measure the expected consequences of behaviors and engage in behaviors that are more beneficial to them.Therefore,this study will explore the relationship between social exclusion and pro-social behavior and its internal mechanisms.This study contains four sub-studies: Study 1 uses a questionnaire to explore the correlation between social exclusion,prosocial behavior,and materialism.In Study 2,the recall paradigm was used to induce individuals’ sense of social rejection.After that,the participants were asked to fill in the self-rating scale of feeling of rejection for manipulation,and then the subjects were asked to fill in the Materialistic Values Scale,and finally the prosocial behavior was measured.In study 3,cyberball paradigm was used to induce participants’ sense of social exclusion.After that,participants were asked to fill in the basic needs scale and mood scale for operational verification.Then,materialism was examined by implicit measurement,and finally the willingness to engage in pro-social behavior was measured.In study 4,the Consideration of Future Consequences Scale was used to measure the future orientation of the participants.Then,the recall paradigm was used to manipulate the sense of social exclusion,followed by operational verification.The participants were then asked to complete the measurement of materialism and prosocial behavior intention.The results of this study are as follows:(1)Social exclusion was negatively correlated with prosocial behavior and positively correlated with materialism;There was a significant negative correlation between materialism and prosocial behavior.(2)Materialism partially mediates the relationship between social exclusion and prosocial behavior.(3)Future orientation plays a moderating role in the relationship between social exclusion and pro-social behavior.The results of the study revealed that social exclusion events can reduce the prosocial behaviors of individuals,Some of this can be attributed to the level of materialism of individuals will increase after experiencing social exclusion,and thus reduce the willingness of individuals to engage in prosocial behaviors.This study provides sufficient empirical research support for the relationship between social exclusion and prosocial behavior,enriching the research on materialism and future orientation,and provides ideas for the intervention of social exclusion.