What is the sense of belonging in psychology

The sense of belonging is one of the most surprising things that we can experience as human beings: being the social beings that we are, we often obtain support and inspiration every time we are surrounded by the people we love. This feeling of desire, company and brotherhood is part of our human genetics.

Thousands of years ago, human beings knew that if they wanted to survive, they had to live in tribes; And as human beings are naturally created for tribal life, it cannot be denied that we can be in our happiest and most satisfied state when we are part of a tribe. With this psychology-online article we will deepen together What is sense of belonging in psychology, with some examples.

1. What is the sense of belonging
2. The meaning of sense of belonging in systemic psychology
3. The concept of sense of belonging in social psychology
4. Functions and importance of the sense of belonging
5. Examples of sense of belonging

What is the sense of belonging

The sense of belonging represents a fundamental need of the human being, essential dimension to structure its own identity that is at the same time individual and social. Indeed, it would be unthinkable for us to describe our identity without anchoring it in the multiple groups to which we belong. Here you can see the theory of Maslow's needs.

When a person feels that he belongs to a social group, there is a cognitive and motivational process that takes the name of identification. This process leads to perceive as a group member, successively the affective aspects of belonging happen, and finally the person deduces the evaluation of themselves as positive or negative of the evaluation of the whole group.

The meaning of sense of belonging in systemic psychology

According to the structural systemic approach (Minuchin, 1976), the experience of human identity is based on two elements: a sense of belonging and a sense of identification. The laboratory where these ingredients are mixed and distributed is the family, or who replaces them. The family is considered the first identity matrix, and the feeling of belonging is formed with the child's adaptation to family groups and with their appropriation of transactional models of the family structure, which in the various life situations tend to reproduce as relational schemes.

Today, Minuchin's theory is a bit schematic: The sense of belonging is what makes the child feel safe (and adult) And, although this is structured from the primary core of affective reference, it is also repeated in the different significant contexts in which the child will meet. The feeling of belonging then becomes a primary need that any human being tries to acquit to have a seismic base (Bowlby, 1989) and that heat that give the confidence of being able to move and express themselves.

The concept of sense of belonging in social psychology

With the theory of social identity, Tajfel and Turner (1978; 1981) defined precisely social identity as part of the image of itself that derives from the awareness of belonging to a social group, together with the emotional value and meaning associated with said belonging. According to Tajfel, in effect, no matter how rich and complex the image that individuals have of themselves, some aspects of it identify with the belonging to certain social groups or categories, attributing the social connotations that these groups or categories have.

The sense of belonging plays a particular role in the formation and maintenance of the concept of identity at different levels. On the one hand, the group provides the reference for evaluation at the individual level and for the selection of others significant from an interpersonal point of view; on the other, the group plays an important role in the Definition of identity which derives from the comparison between the characteristics shared between the members of the group and those of the other groups, which represents the very essence of the theory of social identity.

Functions and importance of the sense of belonging

At the group level, the sense of belonging has three main functions:

1. Create cohesion in the group. The feeling of belonging enriches the internal life of the group and to some extent generates it, in terms Supra-individual common identity.
2. Defines its limits with respect to other groups. The sense of belonging, creating feelings and links of internal cohesion, delineates the borders that separate the group from the environment and other social groups.
3. Regulates relationships with the outside. To an internal life of the group corresponds to an equally important relationship with the outside. Indeed, social comparison, that is, the comparison of the characteristics of the group itself with other groups, is a direct source for identity formation.

Examples of sense of belonging

To better understand what it is and how the feeling of belonging affects, let's see a practical example. Change country implies a cultural change and, therefore, a transformation of our sense of belonging. When we change country, Indeed, we can feel:

• Belonging to the new country and the new social group.
• Not belonging to the new country and the new social group.
• Not belonging to the new, but either to the origin.

Those who manage to enter the new context are identified with the models, the values, the common objectives, the behaviors, the norms, the interests of the new country. They are also relatively socially active and feel close to others. On the other hand, who does not feel belonging to the new, neither the new nor to the one of origin, feels often ignored by others and by the community in general, does not feel recognized, sometimes feels rejected. In addition, they do not share many aspects of the reference culture. The opposite of the sense of belonging is, therefore, a sense of alienation, low self -esteem and little feeling of reciprocity.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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