The Importance of Belonging
Written by Chrissy Sommer, Community Engagement Director, Missouri Humanities
What does it mean to belong? Why is it so important to our well-being? Our mental health?
Belonging comes in many forms …. Belonging to families, sporting teams, spiritual groups, charities, political parties, cities, countries and ethnic groups, to name a few. Nearly every aspect of our lives is arranged around belonging to something.
The very essence of belonging is important to our physical and mental health. That is why it is important to put belonging into action. One way to do this is to seek out groups that inspire you. Groups that share your interests, share your commonalities.
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, belongingness is part of one of his major needs that motivate human behavior. The hierarchy is usually portrayed as a pyramid, with more basic needs at the base and more complex needs near the peak. The need for love and belonging lie at the center of the pyramid as part of the social needs.
So why is this important and why am I talking about this today? Because part of belonging is getting involved in social activities like community organizations.
Have I intrigued you? I hope so.
Recently I took over the helm of membership for Missouri Humanities. I want to inspire you to let Missouri Humanities help fulfill one of your needs to belong. Humanities give a sense of belonging. Without humanities, identities (ethnic, national, cultural, etc.) could not exist.
Join today and belong to an organization with over 50 years of promoting culture, heritage, history and more.
