Jade Chambers-Blair 2B 3/22/13

Aristotle’s Social Animals  Psychologist and Philosopher Aristotle once wrote that “Without friends, no one would choose to live, though he had other goods.”  Human beings have an “urge to community” or form relationships  Two Key Psychologists: Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary have worked to provide the scientific community with supporting evidence for the need to belong.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Why Do Humans Try To Belong?  Aiding Survival:  Being apart of social bonds and groups assisted our ancestors in surviving!  Consider this:  Six hands hunting large animals are better and will keep you more safe than two!  Those who felt the need to belong survived, genetically passing this innate need to us!

Wanting to Belong  Take a moment: How often do you personally think about “fitting in”? Do you happier when surrounded by friends or loved ones? Have you ever been upset when excluded by friends?

Wanting to Belong  Humans spend a lot of time thinking about or hoping to build relationships.  Forming relationships often causes feelings of joy, where losing relations causes sadness.  In 2001 a group of American and South Korean college students were tested to find out what made them happiest.  Self Esteem needs and the Need to Belong, outweighed the desire to be rich.  Point to remember: Just as being close to loved ones calms the need to belong, separation makes it stronger.

Acting to increase Social Acceptance  Our self esteem seems to have a strong correlation with feelings of acceptance, love, and being included. Self esteem IS a gauge of how included we feel. – Mark Leary  Therefore it is correct to infer that much of humans social behavior serves to increase belonging. Humans even go as far as to conform to groups in order to be included. Ex. Buying clothes, makeup and neglecting schoolwork to fit in with the cool kids.  These kind of acts can serve to form loving relationships, but also contribute to gangs and “ethnic rivalries”

Maintaining Relationships  The majority of people do not enjoy breaking relationships. This urge to resist dissolution of bonds can even cause people to stay in relationships where they are being abused.  After separations of marriages, even bad ones, divorced people were reported they were only 50% as happy as married couples reported.  People fear being alone, which is why events such as moving on and dissolving social ties bring about negative emotions.

Ostracism  Every now and then the need to belong is denied.  Ostracism- Social Exclusion; widely used as a tool to control social behavior.  Examples: Solitary Confinement in Prisons Time-outs with young children  Social ostracism is harsh and can lead to depression

Ostracism  Ostracism can increases activity in the brain area called the anterior cingulate cortex- Which causes the body to feel physical pain. Ostracism causes real pain.  Ostracism may also lead to violence. Such as in cases of school shootings, by kids who have been socially excluded.

Health Benefits  People who belong in secure, close relationships with others are healthier and are at lower risk for psychological disorders than those who are not.  Married people have lower risk of depression, suicide, and early death.

Works Cited  Cherry, Kendra. What Is the Need To Belong?. n.d  Enayati, Amanda. June  Kunc, Norman. The Need to Belong  Meyers, David G. "Pyschology Eight Edition." Meyers, David G. Pyschology Eight Edition. Worth Publishers,  Wikipedia. n.d

Need To Belong Video  10 minute Psychology video: 

Quiz! 1. Who are two key psychologists who studied human’s need to belong? 2. Define ostracism. 3. What is the third level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? 4. Who called humans “social animals”? 5. Name a reason humans try to belong. 6. Humans often _________ their own values to fit into social groups. 7. What illness can ostracism lead to? 8. Name the part of the brain that causes humans to feel physical pain. 9. Is the need to belong innate? 10. Why don’t humans like dissolving relationships?