Lea Gutz

"No man is an island". Ostracism, the process of being ignored or excluded by others, has the power to threaten our fundamental needs. But we all do not react in the same way, there are differences in the quality and quantity of the emotional response to ostracism. But even though ostracism is a daily phenomenon with big impact on our mental and physical health, the knowledge about the factors, which cause the differences in our emotional and behavioral responses to ostracism, is insufficient.

In my dissertation project I will investigate these influencing factors with special regard to the perception of ostracism. Therefore I am interested in the processing of social exclusion on a neurophysiological level and in mental disorders that are characterized by high rejection sensitivity but also different emotional reactions to ostracism. Comparisons between clinical groups will serve to clarify the emotion-specific differences and provide disorder-specific knowledge.

Discipline

Psychology

Supervisor

Prof. Dr. Babette Renneberg

Prof. Dr. Michael Niedeggen