title: Excluded and behaving unethically: social exclusion, physiological responses, and unethical behavior.
abstract: Across 2 studies, we investigated the ethical consequences of physiological responses to social exclusion. In Study 1, participants who were socially excluded were more likely to engage in unethical behavior to make money and the level of physiological arousal experienced during exclusion--measured using galvanic skin response--mediated the effects of exclusion on unethical behavior. Likewise, in Study 2, results from a sample of supervisor-subordinate dyads revealed a positive relationship between experience of workplace ostracism and unethical behaviors as rated by the immediate supervisors. This relationship was mediated by employees' reports of experienced physiological arousal. Together, the results of these studies demonstrate that physiological arousal accompanies social exclusion and provides an explanatory mechanism for the increased unethical behavior in both samples. Theoretical implications of these findings for research on ethical behavior and social exclusion in the workplace are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Kellogg School of Management.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kouchaki
authors.affiliation: David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wareham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009014:Morals; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012919:Social Behavior; D055815:Young Adult