Belonging: A Review of Conceptual Issues, an Integrative Framework, and Directions for Future Research
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Belonging: A Review of Conceptual Issues, an Integrative Framework, and Directions for Future Research
A Sense Of Connection - Having regular interaction with a distinct group of people with whom we share the same values. A Sense Of Belonging - Feeling seen, understood, accepted and celebrated for the many aspects that make us who we are.
Belonging is fluid. It is specific to our everyday experience and life choices, but also driven by the pressures we find ourselves under. It is also strongly influenced by what services and institutions do, how we are treated when we are in need of care or support, and whether our surroundings, our workplaces, even the shops and cafes we use, posit
... See moreIt’s a feeling of home, of “I can exhale here and be fully myself with no judgment or insecurity.” Belonging is about shared values and responsibility, and the desire to participate in making your community better. It’s about taking pride, showing up, and offering your unique gifts to others. You can’t belong if you only take.
Promoting belonging in difficult times helps give people a sense of control when so many aspects of life seem precarious. Our sense of belonging to our local areas is a social asset built up over time, but we cannot take it for granted.
Nicola Bacon, Belonging, The RSA Journal
The word ‘belonging’ holds together the two fundamental aspects of life: being and longing, the Longing of our being and the Being of our longing. Belonging is deep; only in a superficial sense does it refer to our external attachment to people, places and things.
Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. Because this yearning is so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and by seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes for belonging, but often barriers to it. Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the w
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