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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.
Need theory, also known as Three needs theory, [1] proposed by psychologist David McClelland, is a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs for achievement, affiliation, and power affect the actions of people from a managerial context.
Basing his work on the work of Henry Murray, he focused on three particular motives: the need for achievement (N-Ach); the need for affiliation (N-Aff); and the need for power (N-Pow). N-Ach is the desire to excel in relation to a set of standards. It is the drive to succeed. N-Pow is the desire to be influential and affect an organization.
The Need for Achievement refers to the notion of getting ahead and succeeding. The Need for Affiliation is the desire to be around people and be well received socially. It also includes the desire for being a member in a group and conformity. The Need for Power is the desire for control over others and over yourself.
For example, the need for affiliation may drive a person to join a social organization. Needs are often influenced by environmental stimulus or "presses", another component of Murray's theory. Individual differences in levels of needs lead to the uniqueness of a person's personality; in other words, specific needs may be more important to some ...
McClelland's learned needs theory states that individuals have three primary needs: affiliation, power, and achievement. The need for affiliation is a desire to form social connections with others. The need for power is a longing to exert control over one's surroundings and wield influence over others.
As a principle of this theory, the need for affiliation is determines the motivation for both verbal and nonverbal behaviors between two individuals. When a person has a moderate need of affiliation towards another person, they will tend to want to be intimate with that individual. One of the best examples is a wedding proposal.
In one characteristic example, a successful salesman with a high need for affiliation and a low need for power began to perform poorly after being promoted to management. He experienced difficulty giving direct orders, leading his subordinates to complain that he failed to set clear goals and reward individuals who performed well. [13]