Is there more to the concept of belonging than the superficial meaning of the ownership of one’s possessions? Is there a constant need for human beings to feel as though they are a part of something? Do the pressures of belonging lead to conformity? What are the negative and positive effects of conformity? Is there such thing as a nonconformist? All of theses questions stem from the perplexing topic of belonging. Many famous philosophers have spent ages analyzing and discussing this concept. I was first exposed to this topic in my reading of famous philosopher Gabriel Marcel’s work titled, “Belonging and Disposability,” as assigned for my theology course. After being exposed to the topic in class I set out to discover the true meaning of belonging.
My first source used in my exploration of this topic was a reflection discussing the meaning of belonging written by Paul Born. He states that,” Belonging is realized when there is a common bond and frequent acts of mutual caring between people.” He believes that these acts of caring create a sense of meaning within a group. He further explains that,” As one experiences caring they absorb it into their personal identity, which is associated to the group.” Paul also believes that family is the most common source of belonging, due to a common bond, history and common place for mutual acts of caring to occur.
I agreed with most of Born’s philosophical thinking about belonging. This information can be considered credible, as Born is the director of the Tamarack Institute for community engagement in California. Like Born I also thought that belonging is formed through common bonds created from numerous acts of caring. I did not agree that family is the most common sense of belonging i...
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...ided scientific studies that backed up the statements and claims that were made. This experiments along with the experimenter’s credible title as a clinical psychologist classifies this source reliable.
Having completed all of this research I now have a better understanding of the concept of belonging. I now know that belonging is realized when there is a common bond and frequent acts of mutual caring between people. I have also realized that isolation can have negative physical and mental impacts. Conversely I have also learned that belonging can positively influence motivation and academic achievement. I have come to understand that conformity is natural in individuals who seek belonging, and also that there is no such thing as true nonconformity. I now believe that it is human nature for one to search for a sense belonging in their everyday environment.
Ultimately, belonging is not simply a state of security and acceptance, but also involves fear, insecurity, conflict and exclusion. Through Arthur Miller’s exploration of this paradoxical nature of belonging, we see the importance and necessity of belonging to oneself, even if this means exclusion from the community.
"To feel a sense of belonging, you need to accept yourself and be accepted by others."
We all need to belong somewhere and feel comfort in our lives. We as human beings need to open our eyes and see we can all belong together and live in one society without dropping our culture but before this can happen we need to end racism and stereotyping. These are the two main factors that push people, more commonly native people, into the loss of belonging the loss of their culture and the loss of the core of their identity.
It is in gaining a sense of our identity that we find a place to belong. This is presented in Episode 4, Stand Up, of the television series Redfern Now, directed by Rachael Perkins.
Connectedness is a term used to talk about a loving and positive relationship between parents and their children (Padilla-Walker et al., 2012). Families build connections through a variety of ways, however the development of warm and fulfilling relationships is the goals of being connected developing closeness. Closeness is the emotional bond between people. Closeness varies on a spectrum, at one end of the spectrum we see a person that is not close to anyone in the family who is emotionally detached and is their own person. One the other end of the spectrum another person could be so overly close to someone in the family that they looking like the person that they are close too. Both ends of the spectrums are extremes and can be dangerous for a family. It is important to set aside quality time to work on closeness within the family, because it helps to create and maintain strong parent child bonds. However, it is also
Belonging is a fluid concept that adapts and shifts within a person’s lifetime. It is subjective and can encourage feelings of security, happiness and acceptance or conversely alienation and dislocation. One's perception of belonging, and therefore identity, is significantly influenced by place and relationships established within one's environment. This is evident in Steven Herrick's free verse novel “The Simple Gift” and the short story “The River that wasn’t ours” by Ashley Reynolds.
As developmental psychologists, we are taught about attachment styles at a very early stage in our education. By the time we become educated on the different attachment styles, we are often too quick to move on to the next subject of study rather than internalize what we have learned. The attachment styles we develop as children are crucial to many aspects of our life and development and can tell us many things about ourselves through adolescence and adulthood. Attachment in peer relationships, romantic relationships, and family structure can help or hinder portions of our identity development. Attachment can also explain or predict certain behaviors we may see as we age, and any impact those behaviors have on our identity development in adolescence. It is my aim to explain the types of attachment seen in both children and adults and illustrate how they relate to the formation of identity throughout the lifespan. I will then use what I have learned introspectively and relate my findings on attachment styles and identity development to my personal life story for analysis.
Attachment is a key element in the social bond, which consists of “affectionate bonds between an individual and his/her significant others” (Tibbetts, 2012, p. 163). For Hirschi, parents and schools are very important and critical elements of attachment. Those who form close attachments to their parents and schools usually experience greater levels of social control. For example, Nannie Doss did not have any attachments especially with her parents. Hirschi says, “the stronger the early attachments are, the probability of acting inappropriately decreases” (Tibbetts, 2012, p.163). Also, Nannie Doss did not have any social interactions with her friends or peers because her father did not allow her to attend school and have friends. Therefore, Na...
In what ways does this text explore the development of belonging through connections to people, places, groups, communities or the larger world?
By analysing the free verse novel The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick, the song Numb by Linkin Park and the film The Matrix, it has been shown that some individuals deliberately separate themselves from having affinities with other individuals because for them to belong they would first have to alter their personality, a person’s life choices can encumber or support them in forming associations with other people and a person’s evaluation of how much they belong is defined by their perceived popularity or social status amongst other citizens. The composers of the novel, song and film have effectively shown that humans by nature crave to have connections with other individuals in order to have a sense of self value.
others in the same situation for support. Thus, they develop an exaggerated sense of belonging
This is the stage that really separates mammals from other creatures in the world. Humans desire not only physical, but emotional and spiritual connections with other people. Belonging is somewhat primitive so that we could survive, but now that urge has turned into friendships and relationships. Personally, I value honesty in relationships and family. Honesty, to me, is the best thing to build a healthy bond with somebody. Part of belonging is growing as a person and doing the right thing. Family is also super important to me and I think that familial bonds, whether we realize it or not, are some of the strongest bonds we will ever have as human beings.
To some degree everyone is influenced by social identity, the theory composes the idea that the social world is divided into ...
Attachment is an emotional bond that is from one person to another. The attachment theory is a psychological, an evolutionary and an ethological theory that is concerned with relationships between humans, specifically between mother and infant. A young infant has to develop a relationship with at least one of their primary caregivers for them to develop socially and emotionally. Social competence is the condition that possesses the social, emotional and intellectual skills and behaviours, the infant needs these to success as a member of society. Many studies have been focused on the Western society, but there are many arguments to whether or not this can be applicable to other cultures, such as the poorer countries.
It is human nature for us to have a strong sense of belonging to a group. Humans get to experience a deeper commitment to a group when they make decisions and actions. This sense of ...