The distortion of social identity structure as a result of social exclusion

The article describes the mechanism of human’s interaction with social system through the analysis of its distortion as a result of social exclusion. It was assumed that the impossibility to satisfy basic social needs destroys symbolic links between an individual and a social system. It causes the distortion of the structure of social identity and control over social reality. Third year students of Ecological faculty of People’s Friendship University of Rus- sia participated in the experiment. In total there were 49 students from 18 to 22 years old (22 male and 27 female). The social system was imitated in the experiment. Participants were given a task to discuss and draw a plan of city of a dream. Discussion was carried out according to certain rules aimed to limit the ability of some of the respondents to participate in the decision making. As a result, a regressive model was created, proving the influence of impossibility to content basic social needs on social identity structure (R2 = 0,195; p = 0,005) and the feeling of control over reality (R2 = 0,251; p = 0,001).