Ostracism and aggression among adolescents: Implicit theories of personality moderated the mediating effect of self-esteem

Abstract Substantial research has found that ostracism is associated with aggression. However, little is known about mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. Drawing from the social control theory, sociometer model of self-esteem, and organism-environment interaction model, the present study examined a moderated mediation model that included ostracism (predictor variable), self-esteem (mediator), implicit theories of personality (moderator), and aggression (outcome variable) simultaneously. A total of 383 Chinese adolescents completed the Ostracism Experience Scale for Adolescents, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Aggression Questionnaire, and Implicit Theories Scale. After controlling for adolescent gender, results revealed that ostracism was significantly and positively associated with adolescent aggression. Mediation analysis showed that self-esteem completely mediated the association between ostracism and aggression. Moreover, moderated mediation analysis further indicated that implicit theories of personality moderated the second part of the mediation process. Specifically, the path from self-esteem to aggression was significant for adolescents with entity theories, while for adolescents with incremental theories, the path became non-significant. These findings suggest that interventions that target adolescents' self-esteem and implicit theories of personality may be effective means to decrease aggression.