Evidence for the Need to Affiliate in Humans.
...eople form relationships because “…their needs complement each other. Each provides what the other needs…” (in Swensen, 1973, P.328). Maslow’s theory of a ‘Needs Hierarchy’ places people along a spectrum of emotional ‘well-being’, where their motivations for forming relationships change according to their emotional health (Swensen, 1973). Hill states that “…motivation for social contact…[is]…a central influence on human behaviour.” (Hill, 1987 P.1008). He theorises four critical ‘sources of gratification’ as essential to affiliation – ‘positive stimulation’, ‘attention’, ‘social comparison’, and ‘emotional support or sympathy’ (Hill, 1987). The importance of these contributions and those of other theorists to understanding the need for affiliation cannot be underestimated. Understanding the social aspects is essential when looking at the bigger picture of the need for affiliation. Self-development is perhaps the most important reason for socialisation. Parents and family are essential to a child’s social learning, influencing social competency and their degree of socialisation. (Parke, and others, in Kreppner & Lerner 1989). Therefore, “…parents can directly…influence their children’s social lives…[and act]…as facilitators of social contact.” (Parke, and others, in Kreppner & Lerner 1989, P.67). Children also gain important social tools from their parents, learning to “…recognise and produce emotional cues…important…in successful social interchanges.” (Parke, and others, in Kreppner & Lerner 1989, P.88). Social comparison is a primary motivation for affiliation. (Festinger, 1954; Hill, 1987). In other words, people can understand themselves better by looking at others and learning from their behaviour. Landfield (in Cloninger, 2000) asserted that others “…serve as ‘validating agents’…”, in that they provide us with valuable praise, approval and encouragement (P.401). As Argyle (1983, P.21) points out, almost everyone seeks “…the company and approval of others…”. It is apparent that “…fear of rejection…is a principal component of need for affiliation.” (Lundy & Potts, 1987, P.769). Indeed, most psychologists agree that social contact is a primary need, and when this need is not met dysfunction and unhappiness results. (Hill, 1987; Hui & Villareal, 1989, et al.). Affiliation is essential in building friendships and connections with our peers. Argyle (1991) maintains that friendship is a powerful part of the motivation to socialise. Argyle (1991) explains, “…friends provide…not only material help, but also emotional support, and satisfaction through shared interests and activities.” (P.152). A network of friends is invaluable to most people’s prosperity, and particularly vital in a broader social context. In a wider social setting, gaining useful employment and being part of organizations like clubs provide considerable benefits and are additional reasons for affiliation. (Argyle, 1991; Monte & Sollod, 1999, and others). Indeed, Adler (in Monte & Sollod, 1999) describes humans as striving to make a difference to the society and world in which they live, particularly through pursuits like work. The social benefits of the need for affiliation illustrate how essential it is to growth, development and understanding of the world. However, in order to get a clearer picture of our vital need to affiliate, further research is needed. Understanding more about how cultural and sub-group differences affect socialisation is an important step forward in better understanding the need for affiliation. Socialisation however, is only one aspect of this need. It is equally important to look at the physiological aspects of affiliation and how they influence people. Perhaps the single most important factor of physiological affiliation drives is the need to reproduce. It is self-evident that without this instinctual urge the human race would be in danger of eventual extinction. As Argyle (1991) points out, sex is “…biologically essential…”. Furthermore, sexual desire and the need for affiliation are closely related (Argyle, 1983, P.22). Other important physiological aspects are linked with this drive to reproduce. There is substantial research indicating that women are more inclined to affiliation and socialisation than men. (Argyle, 1991; Tolman, Diekmann, and others 1989; Eaton & others, 1991). Some theorists suggest that this can partly be explained by the strong link between mothers and daughters (Tolman, Diekmann, and others, 1991). This may also be attributed to the physical demands of the mothering process. The mother must certainly take more interest in her child than the father in order for it to survive. Furthermore, children are “…programmed to interact with parental caretakers…” (Argyle, 1991, P.47). Overwhelmingly, evidence points to an essential genetic drive to reproduce, and therefore affiliate with members of the opposite sex. However, this research fails to look at the differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals in the sexual drive to affiliate. Further research into this, and even cultural sexual differences is certainly warranted. On a physiological level, affiliation seems to be beneficial to general well-being. Various studies have found affiliation to have a positive effect on the immune system, stress levels and overall health of a person. Argyle (1991), asserts that “…need for affiliation is correlated with strength of the immune system…” (P.66). In addition, it was found that affiliation boosts a person’s immunoglobulin levels (McClelland & Kershnit, 1988.). In other words, affiliating with others makes people more able to fight off disease and stay healthy. Indeed, McClelland and Kirshnit (1988) also assert that people who are high in ‘affiliation motivation’ “…report being sick less often…” (P.34). There is strong evidence to suggest that affiliation reduces a person’s str...