The belongingness hypothesis predicts that people should generally be at least as reluctant to break social bonds as they are eager to form them in the first place. A variety of patterns supports the view that people try to preserve relationships and avoid ending them.
The need to belong refers to the idea that humans have a fundamental motivation to be accepted into relationships with others and to be a part of social groups. The fact that belongingness is a need means that human beings must establish and maintain a minimum quantity of enduring relationships. These relationships should have more positivity than negativity and be meaningful and significant to the relationship partners.
The first to propose this theory was Baumeister & Leary
How does belonging shape our identity?
Belonging relies on us forfeiting our individuality. Our identity is influenced by how others view us. Sometimes one's sense of identity can cause more harm than good. Our belonging is not dependent on whether others accept us, but whether we accept ourselves.
How does sense of belonging help to develop a good society?
If a society accepts us as a person,as a human being despite our backgrounds and where we come from,we actually are happy and feel like a part of it. This sense of belongingness develops love,bond and a desire to give back to the society,which helps in improving and developing the society.
Ostracism: exclusion from a society or group.
Sometimes a person's need to belong is denied.
This can be used as punishment - in order to control behaviour and conformity to group norms.
Kip Williams Studies - Cyberball Paradigm (1997-2004)
Just 2-3 mins of ostracism in this context produces negative feelings
Sadness
Anger
Lower sense of belonging
Lower self-esteem
Lower control
Lower sense of meaningful existence
Computer generated ostricism just as impactful as face-to-face.
The effects are independent of personality; wether you are an introvert, extrovert…
Effects remain when ostracism comes from members of a despised outgroup (e.g KKK)
!! Areas of the brain active when exclusion feeling is very similar than those active when during physical pain. This can be abolished when given paracetamol.
Limitations:
Cross-sectional analysis = no independent effect of loneliness on suicide ideation when controlling for depression.
Need to belong is clearly useful for survival, but what about the need to reproduce? Do we sacrifice attachments to raise the probabilty of finding a mate?
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