Surely many of you have heard at least once the now fashionable word "affiliation." This term is derived from English affiliation, which means “affiliation”, “connection”. This word is used in psychology to determine the level of a person’s need for communication, friendship, emotional contacts, love. Affiliation is the desire to have friends, to support someone, to help someone, to accept them from others, to interact with others. The need for communication depends on the style of upbringing, it is formed in relations with peers and parents and is amplified in situations that cause anxiety, stress, and self-doubt. In such cases, interacting with other people helps to alleviate negative experiences. If the motivation for affiliation is blocked, there is a feeling of powerlessness, a feeling of loneliness, a state of frustration. Scientists have proved that human health is directly related to his need for communication.
Motivation
It is difficult to imagine our life without some social motives: the desire to achieve success, position in society, power, the desire to help others and the need for communication - all of them determine a person’s attitude to people around him. Let's look at what constitutes one of the most significant - the motive for affiliation. It:
- the need for periodic conversations (even in empty chatter);
- establishing contacts, relationships (desire to feel connected with other people);
- the need to share our problems with our neighbors (we all sometimes need a “vest” to cry for).
This motive, by the way, manifests itself not only in humans, but also in animals, but in the former it is much more pronounced, because a person, by virtue of the development of his mind, is able to plan his relationships, put himself in the place of another and so on.
Affiliation is ...
In psychology, the social needs of people have long been studied . Over many years of research, scientists have come to a consensus: close relationships between individuals improve health. People who have weak social connections throughout their lives are more likely to die prematurely than those who maintain close relationships with family and friends and are members of close-knit social or religious associations. Finnish researchers who studied the loss of one of the spouses of their second half found that a week after the death of a husband / wife, a widow / widower doubles the risk of sudden death. Therefore, in the romantic formula “they lived happily ever after and died on the same day,” truths are an order of magnitude greater than fiction.
Why does health depend on affiliation?
A lot of assumptions are made on this score. Perhaps those who are in close relationships eat better, lead a more orderly life, are better organized, and less prone to addictions. Indeed, the attention of loved ones encourages us to take more care of our own health, and left to our own devices, we often do not attach due importance to it. In addition, the community that supports us allows us to better assess current events and helps to overcome stressful situations. Relatives and friends support our self-esteem, their friendly advice, comfort, encouragement turn out to be the best medicine at the moments when we find ourselves hurt by someone’s hostility, incorrect criticism, denial of claims. Native people give a feeling that they love, accept and respect us. And those who bear their problems alone and cannot speak out have a greater risk of developing health problems, because they have to keep all their feelings in themselves, and, as you know, all diseases are from nerves.
The need for communication is different for everyone
The amazing thing is technology, isn't it? Today, if we want to contact someone, we can call him by phone or send an email, write a message on a social network or see using a webcam. But people have an inborn need for affiliation, the need to communicate face to face, face-to-face, the need to get together, hug, shake hands, clap on the back, whisper something in the ear. Do you know that there are areas in the human brain that are specifically designed to distinguish between faces: when we see a familiar face, part of the brain is as if animated.
And yet, everyone needs different communication. Surely among your acquaintances there are people who never sit at home, but constantly attend parties and various events ... they cannot be found alone, they are always in society, with colleagues, friends, clients, with anyone, but not alone. And, most likely, you also have friends who lead a secluded lifestyle. Such people do not like increased attention to themselves, prefer to spend time with friends and hardly make new friends. These are two extremes, two poles of a complex category called "affiliation." This term defines the level of how much you like to be in a circle of people, how much it inspires you.
People with a low need for communication
They like to be alone, because that's how they achieve the best results. It's not that they lack social skills for communication, they just do not want to let anyone into their personal space. Such people are devastated by long communication, after which there is a need to restore strength, to be alone with yourself. A person with low affiliation often avoids meeting new acquaintances, it is more pleasant to communicate with a small number of people than to “flutter” in the midst of an endless string of new faces. Such individuals are independent and self-sufficient, they are not too interested in what other people do, they are rarely distracted by idle conversations or gossip, and prefer to focus on their own life.
People with a high need for communication
Affiliation is not an easy category. Some avoid superficial communication, while others are drawn to people, just like a moth beckons fire, and they can do nothing about it. Such individuals can easily start a conversation with a complete stranger in a train, plane, even in line. When they communicate, they feel that they are living. Others consider them the soul of the company, ringleaders. A real hell for such people is working alone, only surrounded by colleagues can they achieve good results, because they constantly need to exchange ideas, share opinions, discuss any details. In social situations, individuals with a dominant affiliation motive perceive other people positively, so they begin to communicate with them on a good note. This creates a cycle of positive communications, giving rise to a sense of comfort and trust, even when interacting with strangers.