Belongingness Needs

English HSC 2009 - 2012 is Belonging. What does belonging mean? From the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus: belong, verb, 1) to be rightly put into a particular position or class; 2) fit or be acceptable in a particular place or environment; 3) belong to be a member of; 4) belong to be the property or possession of. Belonging, noun, affiliation, acceptance, association, attachment, integration, closeness, rapport, fellow feeling, fellowship. Antonym: alienate, verb 1) cause to feel isolated 2) lose the support or sympathy Synonyms for alienate, verb, estrange, divide, distance, put at a distance, isolate, cut off, set against, turn away, drive apart,

Connection is the restorative force by which individuals reaffirm or transform their identities. Ultimately, it is the ability to form meaningful and sustaining relationships that allows individuals to assess and affirm their values. Raimond Gaita’s memoir, “Romulus, My Father” (RMF), Evan Hunters short story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding’ (OTSB), and “The Oasis”, a Shark Island Documentary, explore this notion through employing the universal themes of compassion, alienation and love as they enrich characters sense of hope, significance, comfort and security- fundamental to a sense of belonging, or paradoxically lead to a sense of isolation and exclusion.

Being perceived as different may make it difficult to belong. Not being able to belong is a confusing and unfortunate case, where one can find themselves lost and frustrated, as they do not have a safe zone. Through the use of text and film, it can be explored that this concept if difference hinders one from feeling a sense of belonging. Whether it be a persons inability to adapt or their lack of confidence.

“A sense of belonging requires an understanding of one’s past.” Although the main aspect of this quote is referring to the past; in other words time, it could also mean features of the past, such as people, places, past experience etc. These aspects of belonging are extensively shown within Peter Skrzynecki’s ‘Immigrant Chronicle’; in particular the poems ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ and ‘in the folk museum’. Belonging and all of its aspects are also shown through the movie ‘Dead Poets society’ and particularly through the characterisation of Mr Keating and Todd Anderson. Although they all have belonging placed within their storyline; they all have different aspects of connection whether it is positive or negative.

Belonging as defined by the Oxford dictionary is a multifaceted concept, yet being every individual’s inherent desire to belong. Belonging is a universal concept. Those who don’t find a sense of belonging are certain to find themselves under the destructive cycle of isolation and self-alienation. Peter Skrzynecki’s “Immigrant Chronicles” serves to highlight the basic fundamental desire to belong and the importance it holds on each individual. This notion is further explored with Skrzynecki’s poems “St Patrick’s College”, “Feliks Skrzynecki” and Gabrielle Muccino’s 21st century film “Pursuit of Happyness”. The notion of belonging being an inherent part of human nature is extensively

The need to belong is the need to give, and receive thoughtfulness regarding, and from others. Belonging is a strong and unavoidable feeling which exists in human instinct. In other words, to belong or not to belong can come about because of decisions of one’s self, or the decisions of others. Not everybody belongs to the same thing or individual; without belonging, one will not be able to distinguish themselves as clearly, therefore experiencing issues communicating with as well as identifying with their surroundings. I believe belonging is the human emotional which should be recognized by individuals from within a group. Whether it is family, companion, associate or team, people have a need to have an acquired desire to have a place and

Culture is the basis of who we are and children absorb their culture as they learn and grow. “Why culture matters for children’s development and wellbeing” (Kids Matter website states respect for diversity is related to people’s sense of belonging and when diversity is valued & respected people are more likely to develop a sense of belonging. In a child care setting a sense of belonging is important to ensure a child feels included and welcome in the centre community. Sense of belonging is also an element of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. When an educator has an understanding of needs and interests of children and families from culturally diverse backgrounds and are able to build relationships of trust and understanding with

This initial egomap shows the major cruxes in Jason’s life: the pressure that comes from the family which due to the traditional culture, and the pressure from school peers. It is reasonable to deduce that if the coping mechanism of Jason has been faild, and his can not handdle the pressures anymore, then this could be a suicide trigger for Jason. Additionally, although Mr. Martin mentioned that Jason might feel uncertainty about his gender and identity, it is merely an assumption at this stage, more information needs to be accquired in the future.

Belonging is at the core of the human condition. A significant individual can nurture or prevent a sense of belonging in individuals, groups or communities and is a prevalent concept in the autobiographies ‘Romulus, My Father’ by Raimond Gaita and ‘I know why the caged bird sings’ by Maya Angelou, a story about growing up African American in 1930s. These texts explore how a mentoring figure, an individual’s insecurities and how confidence and self-esteem in a community can instil or prohibit a sense of belonging.

Jason Compson uses Caddy’s vulnerability to his advantage to fulfill his need for revenge because she was able to leave Mississippi when he couldn’t. Caddy appears at Jason’s workplace without warning, and he gets angry at her for doing so. Caddy tries to make an agreement to see her daughter, Miss Quentin:: “Just so I see her a minute. I won’t beg or do anything. I’ll go right on away” (Faulkner 204). Jason then tells her right after, “Give me the money” (Faulkner 204). Surely, Jason must have money to support the family, but he harrasses and blackmails Caddy before he lets her “see” Quentin. His behavior throughout the whole ordeal is completely unnecessary. Jason only allows Caddy to see Miss Quentin for a minute which wasn’t enough time

Humans possess a burning desire to obtain a sense of belonging in this world. For many, this thirst for belonging is satisfied by being a part of a social community, such as a family, friend group, team, or other organization. For me, the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association is not simply a professional organization for aspiring speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Rather, it is a fellowship in which people whom share a desire to change lives and become valuable assets to this world congregate. This is due to the fact that NSSLHA has enabled me to form incredible bonds with my classmates, upperclassmen, graduate students, and even faculty members. As a college student, I feel it is extremely easy to become selfish

In a world that pressures for conformity, one of the greatest challenges we all face is to be ourselves. We not only want to belong, we need to belong, and so we are at our best when we feel connected to those around us. We like to be appreciated, enjoy admiration and crave to feel significant to those around us. Too often though, in our quest to feel significant, we forfeit expressing our individuality and limit our vulnerability. In the process we lose touch with what makes us special, disconnect from authenticity and give up what makes us someone who others feel they can really connect to. All people balance the need to conform and fit in with the need to express their individuality throughout their lives. The want to belong has the

The concept of belonging refers to how comfortable and accepted an individual feels in a given community. This is influenced quite strongly by the individuals multiple different identities and the nature of their citizenship. But it also relates to the other two concepts of context and participation (as they all connect). A sense of belonging could be argued to have been achieved when you have a clear understanding of your own identity and feel connected to that certain place. A sense that you are ‘of this place’ or Turangawaewae. For me personally, I grew up in west Auckland and moved to the Hibiscus Coast when I was 12 so for me, the Coast is where I feel most connected to and like I belong.

“Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.” (a quote said by N.R. Narayana Murthy). One would believe everyone should belong, and not belonging can harm a person, which can lead to school shootings, drug usage, and even suicide. Everyone belongs, which means to have a family, friend, religion, and no one can’t not belong since everyone has that. Others may think people don’t need to belong, because if people don’t feel like they need to belong, they would feel depressed and not wanting to live. Belonging is natural, and is a way to present oneself to the world, to belong is to achieve acceptance and someone needs one to rely on.

The Need to Belong article brings up some very interesting points. A point that hit home with me was that “people seem reluctant to dissolve even bad or destructive behavior” (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). The desire for humans to want to fit in is so strong that one will endure pain and suffering to achieve that goal. The slides we looked over this week discuss the five ways that social behavior is goal oriented: “establish social ties, understand ourselves and others, gain/maintain status, defend ourselves, and attract and maintain mates” (PowerPoint). I believe even Christians fall into the trap of feeling as if they have to belong in order to fit into society. Belonging and maintaining friendships are a healthy part of life, but when