Belonging Needs: The effects of interpersonal relationships

Belonging needs correlates with happiness and individual’s well-being. Happiness has a different meaning to every individual, every individual has different things that brings them happiness. The key to happiness are the bonds and close relationships that are made between an individual and others. Humans value the healthy relationships they’ve made throughout their lives, it’s made a huge difference in the growth of humanity. Belonging needs are a reflection of the desire to be loved have friendships and being family oriented. The importance of belonging needs in personal relationships whether it’s a friendship, family, or romantic, people value close relationships. Everyone deserves to feel like their accepted, loved, and that their important in an individual’s life. Not being accepted or belonged can cause an individual to feel unwanted, lonely, depressed, and have low self-esteemed which cause their well-being and happiness to diminish. To be accepted by others brings forth a great feeling of importance. If an individual has never experienced love, love may not have value to them rather than a person who has experienced love whether in a relationship or family based are able to love others. Individuals are motivated to keep these relationships because it’s satisfying their needs. Interpersonal relationships are needed in order to grow as an individual. The need to belong increases satisfaction in personal relationships well-being and happiness.

Belonging needs are influential in the motivation of individual’s everyday life through social interactions. Individuals seek the need to have frequent interactions with others, people who care about their welfare. Mark Leary states, “Human beings have a persuasive drive to form and maintain at least a minimum quantity of lasting positive, and significant interpersonal relationship” (Leary 497). As human beings individuals enjoy interactions with others showing concern for one another. Without a sense of belongingness causes individuals to have a variety of ill effects such as depression, loneliness, and so on. Constant attachments are made in order to form and maintain relationships. Approval of others are influential towards forming and maintaining social bonds. Belonging needs can be as important and captivating as Maslow’s basic needs of water, shelter, and food. Li-Or states, “Because belonging helps us survive” (Li-Or 1), human beings need each other in order to survive individuals cannot survive without the help of others. Feeling needed results in people to have more meaning in their lives and boost self-esteem, making an individual feel valuable. Li-Or states, “draw strength from within rather than be dependent on others, but until we strengthen ourselves, belongingness to groups of people with life experience and compassion that can offer comfort can be our rocks in stormy seas” (Li-Or 1), belonging in groups settings result in individuals involving as a person and having a support system.

Without the development of close bonds individuals will begin to feel a sense of loneliness. Interactions and connecting with others are natural in human behavior creating affectionate bonds. Roy Baumeister states, “People are eager to have close relationships and are reluctant to break them once formed… People often avoid permanent separation (breakups, divorce, death), even when the costs of staying in the relationship are greater than leaving” (Baumeister 1). Individuals find it very hard to break bonds even if it is unhealthy in their lives because it is of such value in their lives. With relationships comes emotional attachment positive feelings as well as negative feelings. Shaver and Buhrmester suggested, “That feelings of loneliness can be precipitated either by an insufficient amount of social contact (social loneliness)… Or by lack of meaningful, intimate relatedness (emotional loneliness).” (Shaver, Buhrmester 501). Loneliness can be divided into two different aspects there emotional and social loneliness this can be causes without relationship interactions. When in relationships and things are on bad terms separation causes sadness and stress. Once a relationship ends individuals will quickly form another relationship to fill that void in their lives through gradually sharing experiences, “when a bond is broken, people will readily pursue another in its place” (Baumeister 1). Since individuals value relationships so much once a relationship ends they need to fill that void an get rid of all bad emotions in order to feel that happy feeling that they once felt. Some individuals need love, affection, and closeness with people more than others but in the end of it all everyone needs someone in order to survive.

Lack of belongingness leads to various undesirable effects in an individual’s behavior and health. Belongingness is a need that individuals desire, loss of interpersonal bonds and relationships cause emotional distress. Which is an emotional reaction towards a situation which can include anxiety, jealousy, fear, and suffering. Mark Leary states, “people who do not have adequate supportive relationships experience greater stress then those who do… having other people available for support and assistance can enhance coping and can provide a buffer again stress” (Leary 508). People who have close relationship bonds with individuals that can help them cope with life experiences, tend to not experience stress as much as people who don’t have these relationships.

Works Cited

Baumeister, Roy F., and Mark R. Leary. “The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation.” Psychological Bulletin 117.3 (1995): 497-529. Web.

“Belonging: Why Do We Need a Sense of Belonging?” SayWhyDoIcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

“The.” “Need to Belong” N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.