chap. 7 Flashcards
How does belonging elicit behaviour?
When our need to belong goes unfulfilled, it increases our motivation to seek out affiliation with others
What is social snacking? Give an example.
- It is a symbolic reminder of our current or past social connections which fulfills our need to belong
–> p.ex: looking at old photos
How does belonging produce positive outcomes?
- Belonging facilitates survival from an evolutionary perspective
–>in the past, belonging to a group allowed us to protect ourselves, hunt, get food, etc.
–> those who have a lesser need to belong failed to pass on their genetic code, thus humans today do have this need to belong to promote survival - Belonging is necessary for mental and physical health
How is belonging universal?
- The need to belong is rooted in our brain
- Social connections are inherently rewarding, while rejections are inherently painful
- Bonding releases oxytocin (love hormone)
True or false: The desire to belong begins early.
True:
→ 36 hours of birth, babies prefer human faces suggests the inherent human inclination to connect with others and establish bonds
→ 12 to 36 hours, infants prefer a video of their mother’s face (familiar)
→ 70 hours, infants begin to imitate facial expressions and physical actions
→ four days after birth, upset if an adult stops interacting with them
→ six weeks, babies will imitate the mannerisms of a person they recognize
What is a person’s relational value?
- Reflects the degree to which other people value a relationship with them
- It is determined by the positive qualities and behaviour that we bring to our interactions
- It’s very subjective and can change
___-___ is driven by our sense of belonging
Self-esteem
What happens to our self-esteem when our relational value is low?
- We feel rejected, thus our self-esteem is low
- It’s an alarm to engage in more positive interactions
What is self-presentation?
- How we create an impression on others
- When we’re successful in our self-presentation, we make a good impression
What are the 2 ways to create self-presentation?
1) Likeability
- Emphasize similarity
–> p.ex: dating apps prioritize people with similar interests for matches
–> Utilize ingratiation: our attempt to show others that we like them
→ p.ex: flattery, praise, compliments, etc.
2) Competence
- people who are more competent tend to have a higher relational value
What does social identity theory suggest about fulfilling our need to belong?
- Suggests that we form groups quickly and display in-group favoritism because our groups represent a major source of self-esteem
- Creates an “us vs. them” attitude
- When our group does well, we get a boost of self-esteem
–> p.ex: winning the panda game
What does the terror management theory suggest about fulfilling our need to belong?
- Suggests that people cope with the inherent fear of their own death by promoting and defending the groups and institutions to which they belong
- A major reason why we have a need to belong to groups is because they allow our legacy to continue long after our death because humans are aware of their own mortality
- This theory however comes with a lot of critics
In relation to terror management theory, ___ ___ motivated people to increase their social connections
Mortality salience; the more people think about death, the more motivated they are to find a group
What does optimal distinctiveness theory suggest about fulfilling our need to belong?
- Asserts that individuals desire to attain an optimal balance of inclusion (being a part of the group) and distinctiveness (being unique) within and between social groups and situations
→ people are uncomfortable when they are TOO similar to others, as well as when they are TOO unique
What is the assimilation and differentiation need in ODT? How can we resolve this?
- The fundamental need to assimilate (be part of the group) but also to differentiate (be unique) creating a sort of tension between the 2
–> when we satisfy one, we feel a deficit in the other - We can resolve this by seeking an OPTIMAL balance
Give an example of an optimal balance in ODT.
- We want to belong to groups are ARE distinct, but not TOO distinct that we feel separate from others
–> p.ex: Daughter of immigrants, Friends fan, Swiftie, starbucks barista
What are the two sides to cyberspace impacting our need to belong?
- we are able to have access to multiple groups, it’s easy access, BUT, this may cause issues with having TOO many options which may overwhelm us in reaching out
- cyberspace helps us maintain social connections when otherwise we wouldn’t be able to
→ but it can sometimes make us feel lonelier when we are constantly seeing the best of others’ lives and we feel like we’re missing out
True or false: Social media interaction should be used to replace face-to-face interactions to increase belonging.
False: replacing it will DECREASE our sense of belonging; it should rather be used to maintain our relationships
True or false: According to Sheldon et. al., facebook study, connection and disconnection were both positively correlated with facebook use.
True
Our sense of belonging is a ___ AND ___ of facebook use.
Cause; consequence
How can our sense of belonging be a cause of facebook use?
People who feel disconnected from their social relationships are more motivated to use facebook; thus disconnection is a cause of using FB
How can our sense of belonging be a consequence of facebook use?
When people actually use facebook, they feel more connected to their social relationships; thus, increased connection is a consequence of using FB
True or false: Social media use is a temporary fix to social disconnexions
True
True or false: According to a study, increased internet use is linked to increased face-to-face interactions with family and friends.
True
