How do social psychologists define the "need to belong?" How common is it? What evidence is there that this is a real "need"?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

a . Possible Response Points:
i. Social psychologists define the need to belong as the desire to form and maintain close, lasting relationships with other individuals.
ii. According to the textbook, most humans and most non-human animals seek out social acceptance and are highly distressed by social rejection. The "need to belong" seems to be present in almost all humans and non-human animals, all of the time; virtually nobody seems to be, by nature, a "loner."
iii. A number of findings point to the idea that belonging is a real need:
1 . It is easy for most people to form relationships with neighbors, co-workers, and other people, and hard for most people to leave or end such relationships—even when such relationships have no purpose or investment attached to them.
2 . As discussed in the textbook, prisoners who live in solitary confinement crave social comfort, do not get used to living alone, and take desperate measures to try to communicate with others.
3 . Failure to satisfy the need to belong is associated with both poor mental health and poor physical health.