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Yuying

Human Need to Belong and Conform

In “How the Need to Belong Influences Human Behavior and Motivation”, the author shows how humans have to desire to belong and be accepted into a group by nature. It is a natural motivation to gain acceptance and have a feeling of belonging. People would alter features about themselves such as one’s tastes, interests, hobbies, attitudes, and more, in order to fit in with the rest of a group. People also compare themselves to others often so that they can see whether they belong to a group or not. They tend to choose groups with similar features as them so that they can get along better. This common desire to be accepted into one type of community or social group can greatly impact one's behavior and life in multiple positive ways.


This desire to belong and be accepted by other people motivates us to work harder and take multiple roads and opportunities. Motivation similar to this can greatly improve our future and send an upward slope to success. Our lives are just like an ever-changing mountain: the higher the slope is, the closer we are to success; the lower the slope is, the farther we are to success. And of course, climbing a mountain is a lot harder than running down a hill; it takes a long time and hard work to succeed, but the human sense of belonging can help push us closer to the very top. In the article, the author shows how humans have such a strong desire to be accepted by people into a group. This social group can nearly be anything: a school popular kids group, a specific community, or even a business group. Although it is quite easy to say, being accepted into a group is a burden to do and it isn’t easy at all. There might be a lot of rules and lines one needs to achieve in order to be part of successful or welcomed groups. For example, it would be very hard to achieve all the fifty lies of restricted things, must-have things, and more in order to get into middle school’s popular girls group. As we adapt to be able to be accepted into groups and communities, so does our want to be successful. It might also be easier to achieve success now that one has already been accepted into multiple groups. Our desire to be accepted lets us develop the skills of carrying a burden and climbing all the way to success.


When people start to get accepted by others and belong to certain groups, they not only can create stronger social ties but can also manage stress and other behavioral issues. As we meet new people and start with others, we develop better socializing skills that can help with social anxieties. In the novel, the author states how the desire to belong is a natural motivation to socialize with others. One needs to form social relationships with other people in order to be accepted and be a part of a social group, therefore helping us socialize better in the future. Being accepted also includes having more friends and companions to talk with; people grow more confident and less anxious when a trustful friend is by their side. For example, at school, nearly everyone is part of social groups and has developed social relationships with fellow classmates. Having a friend to talk with at lunch, break, or nearly anything can decrease anxiety and stress, and increase physical and mental strength. Our physical and mental health greatly depends on how much we interact with the social world. Human’s emotional feelings are determined by the amount of belonging they feel, and so it can impact one’s health and strength, both physically and mentally. Acceptance and belonging can greatly benefit people’s behavioral health and issues by gifting one multiple friends and companions to talk to for the day.


As we change because of our desire to belong, our emotions and perspectives develop in a positive way, changing our aspects of life. When we change in order to fit in and be like other people, we can explore the world from multiple perspectives and discover the personality that we think best fits our own character. The better we embrace our changes, the better we can adapt to life’s different sides and different parts of the world. In the article, the author states how people will change in order to fit in with others of a specific social group or community. A new football player, for example, might adapt to the dress and mannerisms of the other members. This adaptation feature can come greatly to use when a change in one’s daily life is made, whether it is something minor, or something major. As we start to belong more in a group or even multiple groups, we can be able to see life through different lenses and perspectives. As we begin to see the world with different personalities and emotions, our adaptation skills develop better. We learn to change according to life’s different conditions and circumstances quicker, just as we change in order to fit in better. Embracing this type of change can let one rethink what type of person they want to be and which group (or multiple groups) they really want to be in. Along the way of change, people can meet good opportunities and hard challenges. This can let one change one’s opinion about the road one wants to take and explore all the different paths available to one. When we experience the change through the desire for belonging, we might change our minds, retake the direction we want to go and explore the world from different lenses.


In the article “How the Need to Belong Influences Human Behavior and Motivation”, the author shows how it is a common human desire to belong and be accepted within a group. This human desire can have several advantages and benefit us in multiple ways. The want to be accepted into groups can motivate us into carrying bigger burdens and working harder towards success. As people start to have a feeling of belonging, it can create stronger social ties and improve not only one’s mental issues but also one’s physical heath. We change several features about ourselves in order to fit in with the rest of a group. This change can effect our opinions and perspectives in a positive way and also let us explore life and the word in different lenses.


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