Reinterpreting Social Exclusion Through an Adaptive Network Dynamics Theory of Interacting Neural Systems

<p>We develop Adaptive Network Dynamics (AND) theory, positing that dynamic configurations of brain networks instantiate cognitive systems that interact in context-dependent ways, enabling complex response profiles. Responses to social exclusion unfold dynamically, yet existing stage-based models do not specify how neural systems support these temporal dynamics. Applying AND theory, we propose a falsifiable model of normative cognitive and brain responses to peer exclusion during adolescence, when the brain undergoes maturational reorganization amid social reorientation towards peers. We characterize three systems critical for adaptive responding to social exclusion: social threat response, threat regulation, and response selection, and identify connectivity patterns that support them. This model: (1) reinterprets multistage exclusion processing as interacting trajectories of cognitive subprocesses; (2) grounds these processes in testable predictions about neural function, accounting for individual differences in need to belong and rejection sensitivity; and (3) offers a framework for understanding how the brain navigates complex social interactions.</p>