Sense Of Belongingness

A fundamental part of human existence and interaction is the notion of belonging or identifying with a group. Groups form and exist for various reasons and purposes, comprising of individuals similar or diverse in nature, that often work together toward a common goal (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). In 1902, the American sociologist by the name of C. H. Cooley, made distinction between primary and secondary groups. Cooley (1902) classified primary group to have intimate and comparatively permanent associations as one might find in a cohort of close friends, or a family. The groups or associations in which individuals related to each other through formal and often legalistic rules, were classified as secondary groups (Nolen, 2010).

This results in an unequal representation of minorities because many students to discontinue attendance when they are forced to attempt to assimilate to an opposing society. Assimilation would require students to begin to use the customs of the majority society and results in losing their individual identity. Integration however, proposes that students began to diversify and learn about other cultures. Diversity should be of a priority in higher institutions because multicultural environments will be conducive to all students. The lack of diversity within higher education causes many minorities to assimilate to the major culture and lose the individual identities. Oppose to assimilating to the majority culture there are several benefits from diversity students maintain their individuality and accept new cultures in demographically challenged institutions. Emilia Plonska scholarly essay The Importance of Socio-Cultural Context of Learning Specificity of Working with

“We belong … like fish in water. We’re in our environment.” This quote from the New York Times shows the perception of belonging as the idea about connecting to a place, person, group or a community. 'Feliks Skrzynecki' by Peter Skrzynecki, 'I'm nobody! Who are you?' by Emily Dickinson and 'The Rabbits' by John Marsden & Shaun Tan show the concept of belonging as being contrasted towards the New York Times quote, showing the alienation and non-existent connection towards it. These texts have furthered my understanding on the perceptions of belonging by recognising the different concepts of connection to people, places and things.

My interest in this topic dates back in high school when I realized how much effect sense of belonging had on my education. During elementary school, things used to happen just like I wanted. Teachers, other pupils were quite friendly. In fact, school was the most exciting place I always wanted to be. I was always the best performing pupil in continuous assessment test and end of year’s exams. Things changed when I went to high school. Everyone was very busy with their work. Teachers and fellow were quite serious. I found that my grades were not as excellent as in elementary school. Nothing motivated me. My behavior worsened and at some point, I even wanted to drop out of school as I felt that I was completely out of place. I believe that

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

One of the many benefits to higher education include cultural experiences. This is learned by interacting with students from other nations. International students are more readily available in the college atmosphere.

Desire drives our race, and desire is love. The desire to belong is a love. As humans, we love belonging and the sense of security it brings. The need to belong is the need to give, and receive attention to, and from, others. We all yearn for more, something outside of ourselves, the approval of others, the acceptance of others. This implies more than an acquittanced or familiarity. Belonging helps us to recognize ourselves and the world around us more clearly. For most, we are inevitably unable to find contentment within ourselves. Therefore, we shift our eyes to the world and people around us with the desire that they will fill the never satisfied void. While our lives are ever changing, being able to rely on people to not just hear,

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

In one of the most well-known masterpieces by Pink Floyd, “Hey You”, focused on one of the most important aspects of human life – the sense of belonging through human interaction. The lyric highlights Roger Waters’ skill as a brilliant lyricist and composer, who reaches out to his audience with the haunting melody and emotionally-charged lyric. Waters has touched many lives with this piece by explicitly emphasizing on the pain of desolation and disassociation. He constructs his dialogue based on a life of his former bandmate Syd Barrett, whose life was severely affected by heavy drugs use, social desolation, and ultimately developed into mental illness.

In this article, the authors discuss an individual’s sense of belonging and the impact that stress can have on it. As most studies show, there are multiple factors that can impact stress in the work place. In this article, the authors take a different approach and look at all factors in life that can produce stress. The authors show that a sense of belonging in society today has an important impact on the quality of life obtained. In society today, a sense of belonging coincides with being recognized, having morale, and also establishing tolerance. The authors go on to explain how policymaking can be used here to influence the societies quality of life and incorporate ways to prevent social stress.

Jim is meeting both needs for love and belonging as he is a member of a family. Therefore, Jim feels as he belongs in consideration that he speaks admirably of his mother and George. Additionally, Jim engages in regular peer social contact at school as well as being a member of his 9th-grade class to which Jim belongs. Also, Jim meets the need for belonging in which he is extremely active in the local junior fire company.

The need to belong in an integral part of the human psyche. All people, on some level, desire to feel a sense of belonging that will emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world. Belonging cannot be achieved without an understanding of oneself and their surroundings.

Sense of belonging is essential to be successful in school. Accordingly, sense of relatedness is considered as a resource for motivation in learning process. A strong sense of belonging has positive impact on students’ self-efficacy which eventually affects school performance. This study aims to investigate the influence of sense of belonging on students’ academic performance in the sixth grade. The present study focused on the impact of feelings of relatedness or connectedness to specific social partners such as teachers, parents, and friends. The sample of this study is composed of 200 students attending sixth grade of a primary school in Saudi Arabia. The study was carried out over two weeks. The result revealed that there is a significant

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

The struggle to belong and find one’s place is significant in the lives of some people.