Belonging (Social psychology) (Topical Term)

APA dictionary of psychology, c2007 (belonging: the feeling of being accepted and approved by a group or by society as a whole. Also called belongingness. Compare with Alienation; Estrangement)

Corsini, R.J. The dictionary of psychology, c1999 (belonging: The feeling of being accepted and approved, of having a secure place in a certain group or in society as a whole; often used interchangeably with belongingness; belongingness: 1. The feeling of being accepted by another person or group. 2. (E. Fromm) A sense of certainty, security, and rootedness which Fromm contrasted with anxiety induced by individuality and freedom. 3. (E.L. Thorndike) The argument that some associations naturally belong together and so are easier to connect)

Encyclopedia of sociology, c2000: index (Belonging, see Social belonging; Territorial belonging) pp. 2630-2631 (Social belonging; refers to the state in which an individual, by assuming a role, is characterized by inclusion in the social collectivity; the structure of social belonging can be described by starting from the relations among the four chief components that define it as such: attachment, loyalty, solidarity, and the sense of affinity or we-feeling)

The handbook of social psychology, c1998: v. 1, pp. 653-656 (connectedness; feelings of belongingness; social belongingness; social connectedness; feelings of connectedness with others) v. 2, p. 387 (Belonging is a, if not the, core social motive) subj. index (Belongingness)

The American heritage dict. of the English language, c1997 (belonging 1. A personal item that one owns; a possession. 2. Acceptance as a natural member or part: a sense of belonging)

MSN Encarta dictionary, via WWW, Dec. 14, 2010 (belonging: feeling at home: the state of being accepted and comfortable in a place or group)

Johnson, A.G. The Blackwell dict. of sociology, 2000; A dict. of sociology, 1998; Boudon, R. A critical dict. of sociology, 1989; The Blackwell encyc. of social psychology, 1995