Multiple ways of belonging that should be studied together

July 8, 2019

We’ve published a paper in Perspectives on Psychological Science  (Hirsch & Clark, 2019) describing multiple ways people strive to belong (that is to achieve a sense of acceptance by others).  They can:  a) o form close relationships, b) strive to be admired by many people, c) join groups and d)  routinely engage in pleasant interactions with others.  So too, as Shira Gabriel as argued, can people strive to belong by immersing themselves in fictional worlds and/or becoming someone else’s fan or supporter.  We argue that  these paths to belonging should be studied together.   Members of our lab are currently engaging in research assessing when striving to belong along in each of these ways add together to promote a sense of belonging, subsitute for one another as ways be belong, and interfere with one another.