Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Belongingness is the human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group.Whether it is family, friends, co-workers, a religion, or something else, some people tend to have an 'inherent' desire to belong and be an important part of something greater than themselves.
Several authors have also uncovered other strategies that people can use to reconcile the need to belong with the need to be distinct. [4] For example, people may join extreme groups, join a group in which the norm revolves around being eccentric, or join a group in which each person is assigned a unique role, but in pursuit of a shared purpose.
[Merton] developed a theory of the reference group (i.e., the group to which individuals compare themselves, which is not necessarily a group to which those individuals belong), and elaborated on the concepts of in-group and out-group. For any group of people there are always other groups whom they look upon to and aspire to be like them. [11]
McMillan & Chavis define a sense of community as "a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members' needs will be met through their commitment to be together." [5] J.R. Gusfield identified two dimensions of community: territorial and relational. [6]
Size (the number of people involved) is an important characteristic of the groups, organizations, and communities in which social behavior occurs. [1]When only a few persons are interacting, adding just one more individual may make a big difference in how they relate.
Cultural geographers, anthropologists, sociologists and urban planners study why certain places hold special meaning to particular people or animals. [12] Places said to have a strong "sense of place" have a strong identity that is deeply felt by inhabitants and visitors. [13] [14] Sense of place is a social phenomenon. [15]
The need for affiliation (N-Affil) is a term which describes a person's need to feel a sense of involvement and "belonging" within a social group.The term was popularized by David McClelland, whose thinking was strongly influenced by the pioneering work of Henry Murray, who first identified underlying psychological human needs and motivational processes in 1938.
Social support is the help, advice, and comfort that we receive from those with whom we have stable, positive relationships. [11] Importantly, it appears to be the perception, or feeling, of being supported, rather than objective number of connections, that appears to buffer stress and affect our health and psychology most strongly.