Belonging. To be accepted. A subjective experience, one that hinges on the individual’s connection with groups and their wider community, the people, family and friends that surround them. According to Baumeister and Leary (1995) the need to belong is fundamental, a need that is so desirable and innate that it drives much of human behaviour and as suggested may even be more of a priority than Maslow’s hierarchy of needs originally suggests (Pichere & Cadiat, 2015). More fluid than the attachment theories and an appropriate and relevant subject as we begin to attempt a return to homeostasis after the years of pandemic that have swept the world and kept our sense of belonging adrift.
The need to belong is universal and can be witnessed across all cultures and times. Friendships are one aspect of the human experience in which we can experience belonging. If friendships are positive, they can provide a sense of acceptance, emotional support, narrative and companionship through the ups and downs of life. The need to belong is met through social interactions; sharing common ideas, values and interests. All of which have been strained through the recent pandemic.
Many great thinkers have deliberated over the construct of belonging. We have seen the progression from Maslow’s hierarchy and its primary individualistic division of our basic needs, with belonging being an important midway point. Through attachment theory routes, with the Minnesota Longitudinal studies in the 1970s, and other researchers, thereafter, showing us clear patterns of how our upbringing can impact our adult and ongoing relationship structures (Duschinshy, 2020; Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007; 2018). Which as a theory of development within our intimate relationships has parallels with the fundamental and strong effect of belonging, particularly on our emotional and cognitive processes.
An understanding of our sense of belonging, specifically within interpersonal relationships in a post pandemic world will be useful to support societies that feel disconnected as a result of the extreme social isolations. At a time when innovation is high, and technology is booming an exploration of how connected we are to each other will be critical.
Social dynamics, group bonds and relationships are central to a sense of belonging and within the belongingness hypothesis it suggests that, specifically for interpersonal relationships, that people spend much of their cognitive processes and energy thinking about these connections.
We can also see the negative impact of not belonging, of feelings of isolation and loneliness. That this can lead to ill effects on one’s mental and physical health. As humans we feel pain when we are separated from our connections, it is felt as a threat to our most basic survival. Isolation at its core is often referred to as a social separation syndrome.
The unprecedented social distancing strategies used in the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce and successfully contain the transmission of the virus, gave way to an increase in social isolation and loneliness that we have never seen before, having a severe impact on physical and mental health (Hwang et al, 2020). These distancing strategies affected individual and community social capital, the abilities to form connections via bonding approaches, being close to one another and taking part in culturally normal day to day activities. The polar nature of discourse throughout the pandemic also affected bridging capital, on people’s abilities to be able to connect and belong harmoniously through the sharing of data, values and ideas. Governments quickly realised that the reparation of this was going to be key to successful policy (Oronce & Tsugawa, 2021). And in the light of the human need to connect and belong we saw many resourceful and technological advances to support human connection even if we were unable to be with each other in person.
We know that humans are social creatures, that there is a safety and natural reliance on being within groups or community, being the in-group and a recognition of our own social identity from within this (Hornsey, 2008). Being accepted and included become safety seeking behaviours when not present and if an individual is isolated or rejected there can be significant physical and psychological impact. Previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of engaging in close relationships, the associated benefits including better health and wellbeing (Chopik, 2017). Therefore, the implication is that friendship and connection with others will be important throughout the human lifeline.
This report outlines survey research on the relevance of human belonging, specifically on friendships across the lifespan. Seeking to find data that will shed some light on the variations of connection that we see within our human need to belong and how this changes as we age, specifically post pandemic. Looking to provide further clarity on how people can increase their sense of belonging. From the results of our literature review we hypothesis:
We presuppose that younger people may prioritise more frequent and intimate friendships whereas older people may prioritise less intense but more stable friendships (Nicolaisen & Thorsen, 2016). That there may be a depth or continuum of sense of belonging and that through the process of aging we may see those deeper connections form and expand within additional relationships. As we have seen in theories such as Social Penetration Theory (Altman & Taylor, 1973), that levels of self-disclosure impact the intimacy of friendships, and here we suggest that as age increases, this sense of disclosure may deepen in security allowing for an increase in the sense of belonging within friendships.
If this is the case, it may demonstrate the need to support isolated, at risk and aging members of society, who are lacking in social connections, particularly post pandemic, to ensure that ongoing opportunities for friendships are considered.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic this topic has received a huge amount of attention, but we are also in need of further understanding as to how the sense of belonging within friendships could be adapted to support at risk populations. There is a collective need to review how we feel about belonging after such seismic social shifts.
To test our assumptions, we collected data via surveys from a sample of individuals using standardised, multi-item scale questions. Our reasoning for this is that it is an effective way to collect a large amount of data in a short time, given the goals of this research and the opinions that have emerged. The multi-item scales (Likert Scales) allowed for a deeper understanding of variables for the difficult and complex construct of belonging. 25 survey questions were developed by over 600 students, the most relevant of which were then applied to the survey. The scale was shown to have good reliability with a Cronbach’s Alpha score of .944, a measure of consistency and reliability specifically here looking at the construct of belongingness.
A total of 3249 participants took part in the survey, of which 1023 were males, 2213 were females and 13 were other. These participants ranged in age from 18 to 92 years and had an average age of 40 years old (SD=13). Participants were provided with an online link to the survey, with individual reference numbers, supplied personal consent, completed the scale, were debriefed and thanked for participating.
From here a correlation analysis was completed to examine the linear relationship between age and level of belonging. Looking at whether one of these variables predict the other, what strength and direction will these variables have and how it applies to our hypothesis.
The survey data showed us that the mean belonging score was 3.84 (SD=.78), with a range of 1.00 to 5.00. Further to this we carried out a Pearsons Correlation, using the total belonging score of 76.83 (SD=15.58), as the minimum score was 20 and maximum 100. The Pearsons value was r=-0.046 indicating a very weak negative correlation between age and total belonging. This weak tendency shows that there is no inclination for one variable to decrease as the other increases. The p-value was 0.996 which indicated that there is strong evidence against the null hypothesis. This p-value indicates that the correlation coefficient is not statistically significant. The probability of detecting a correlation coefficient as extreme as r=-0.046 by chance alone is high, with the result not being considered as important or meaningful.
The evidence here points to the participants total belonging remaining consistent across the lifespan studied. That age did not have a statistical relevance on the individual’s sense of belonging. When we think about this in relation to friendships it may imply that friendships and our attachments to people also require consistency across the lifespan, not necessarily specific to any age bracket. So, rather than our hypothesis suggests that sense of belonging increases with age, we see that sense of belonging is important for people at all ages. For the purpose of this report, these findings suggest that people vulnerable to isolation at any age, particularly after the recent pandemic, need support to maintain and make new connections for ongoing friendships and support.
Dunbar (2022) suggests the value of friendships across the lifeline, the number and quality, have a greater impact on our happiness and wellbeing than most other influences. Our literature review demonstrated that a sense of belonging is a subjective feeling that we are connected to our surroundings, communities, families and friends. That this human need can be witnessed from birth in our attachments and last a lifetime. The research we did shows that this subjective feeling stays consistent across the lifespan and that in this case to maintain a happy, healthy outlook and prospective future we need to support individuals that become isolated and are affected by loneliness, at any age or stage of life.
Considering our initial thoughts about Social Penetration theory (Altman & Taylor, 1973) and the hypothesis that age may bring deeper levels of self-disclosure and thus sense of belonging within friendships. The results show us that levels of considerable sense of belonging are witnessed across the life span, this demonstrates that we can feel satisfaction and reciprocity from interpersonal relationships at any age. That age is not the deciding factor as to whether we will achieve a sense of belonging or how deep and responsive this may be.
Previous research has identified that families that live in isolated and problematic social contexts are less likely to reproduce and transmit social capital (Prandini, 2014). Knowing how the pandemic has increased social isolation, seeing from our data that sense of belonging through social connection is similar for individuals across the lifespan, it makes sense that we are seeing a parallel increase in mental and physical health distress and issues within our populations (Gadermann et al, 2021; Galea et al, 2020; Razai at al, 2020).
The limitations of this study come from the self-reported data within the survey, that the data we captured could hold bias. The survey questions although tested for reliability may still not capture the very complex nature of sense of belonging particularly nuances through different cultures and environments as all participants came from the United Kingdom. A wider and more diverse sample size and population would support the rectification of this is future studies.
Although, the importance of tackling social isolation in our aging population is widely being recognised as an area of relevance and knowing that reciprocity of social connectedness is a crucial part of successful interventions (Sander, 2005; Eating, 2019). Our data, supports the need for future research in this outcome, at the point of intervention across the lifespan rather than just for those in older age. This is not to say that those in aging population are not most at risk of isolation, due to variety of social, environmental and cultural factors. But that when social isolation or loneliness shows up, particularly post-pandemic, that society and maybe particularly health and support providers need to be aware of the impact at any age and act.
References
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