The phenomenon of internalized social exclusion: a retrospective study of sexuality experiences in adolescence

Adolescents face various experiences of social exclusion in relation to sexuality. In this article we draw attention to how these experiences are internalized. We propose to name the phenomenon internalized social exclusion and provide its definition. Applying reflexive thematic analysis approach, a structure of such internalization is presented and described, distinguishing three themes, each having two subthemes: feeling insecure (avoiding unpleasant situations and forming unhealthy relationships), feeling embarrassed (hiding who they are and expressing sexuality in a detrimental way), and feeling different (distancing from friends and family and creating a fantasy world). Our findings underscore the multi-layered nature of social exclusion, emphasizing the need to address its internalization, which manifests itself in socially excluding feelings. The proposed phenomenon of internalized social exclusion is not limited to the sexuality context but may be applied in various social exclusion contexts in future research.