Affiliation: description, types and need

In the scientific community, there are a large number of terms that sound unusual. But if it is not necessary to know any high chemical or physical moments, then it is necessary to understand human psychology in any case. That is why it is important to study the description of such a phenomenon as affiliation, find out its main types and clarify what needs are associated with it.

Affiliation in psychology is a general term for a person's emotional connection with other personalities. But not every emotional kind of relationship is included. In a strict academic sense affiliate behavior presupposes the presence of mutual favorable and trusting aspirations... However, not everything is as easy and simple as it seems. A number of experts prefer to call something else affiliation - the very need to communicate, establish contacts and relationships with other people.

Researchers from the United States, who spent several years on complicated psychological interviews of thousands of people, came to the unequivocal conclusion: where the relationship is closer, there is stronger health. Determined that strong social bonds of any kind reduce the risk of premature death... But those who do not have close contacts with friends or do not actively participate in various religious, social and political associations, get sick more often. If we turn to the definition of affiliation, then in a number of popular sources it is said that this is, first of all, the desire for communication. Or, more generally, it is the desire to be in the company of other people, including situations without explicit verbal communication.

Special studies show that in extreme or difficult situations, the level of affiliation increases. In such cases, communication allows you to better understand what is happening, to choose the most optimal method of responding to events. Close contact with other people can reduce the overall level of anxiety, extinguish the effects of mental and physical stress.

In psychology, the so-called the law of emotional affiliation. Some popular sources call it the law of the inner circle. The reason is obvious - attitudes, including emotional ones, emanating from the immediate environment, are always stronger than influences from fairly distant people. Thus, the opinions and assessments expressed in the family are invariably more relevant than the statements and assessments adopted in the detached communities. This also "works" in a professional context. The law of emotional affiliation indicates that the opinions and worldviews of other engineers are important for the engineer, for the officer - for other officers, the same is for postmen, drivers, and so on.

There is a second law of emotional affiliation - the more it is expressed, the more people tend to form cohesive communities and groups. So, in a bad mood, there is a tendency to communicate with those who also suffer from any problems. But people who are optimistic, experiencing positive emotions, usually tend to communicate with those who are also positively disposed.

As for the relationship between affiliation and health, there is no consensus among specialists about the main factor of this relationship. They only assume, starting from elementary logic, that actively communicating people live more orderly, they are more collected and disciplined. There is also a version that constant communication reduces the propensity for bad habits. Some experts believe that the desire to appear better in the eyes of other people makes them take such measures to take care of their health and appearance that the person himself would not need.

There are other mechanisms accompanying affiliation:

• emotional release in difficult situations;
• assistance in choosing more correct strategies and tactics of behavior;
• increased self-esteem and a charge of optimism;
• help in switching to something pleasant and meaningful for a person;
• compensation of possible problems with positive activities of various kinds ("work extinguishes grief and worries").

Of course, experts cannot ignore such a significant psychological phenomenon. They pay great attention to him in the process of personality diagnostics. For greater convenience, professional psychologists distinguish between high and low levels of affiliation. The first is typical for those who strive to constantly communicate with other people, attend various events. A high degree of affiliation means that a person feels emotionally uncomfortable when isolated from other people.

This is not about the duty exchange of remarks or professional interaction, but about the ability to share with others (explicitly or implicitly) your emotions. It is not for nothing that in close communication with friends, many discuss for hours the small details of various events, the actions of other people, and the like. Here important, in fact, not the factual, but the emotional side... A high degree of affiliation means, among other things, significant attention to evaluations from other people.

It is enough to say a bad word to someone to generate a strong response. It can be expressed in anger, despondency, principled rejection of critics, demonstrative behavior, and even in more exotic forms.

It is worth considering that the division into high and low affiliation is largely arbitrary. It is quite difficult to find examples of people who would definitely belong to a particular group. But we can conclude that a low degree of affiliation is more typical for introverts. They are more self-sufficient and value personal space. Such a person will communicate with other people for a long time only when necessary.

He can restore his mental balance normally and deeply only in solitude. In extreme cases - surrounded by the closest people with whom a particularly trusting relationship has been established. But even they should show themselves in such situations as tactfully and unobtrusively as possible. Do not assume that this is due to a lack of social skills or misanthropy. It's just that specific individuals tend to maintain a stable social circle, expanding or changing it only when urgently needed.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, people have a moderate propensity for affiliation. There are not too many friends, but each is carefully selected and tested in practice. Calm, thoughtful behavior is characteristic.

In psychological research and direct diagnosis, much attention is paid not only to severity, but also affiliation reasons... Even with the same level of sociability, the goals of making contact can be very different. Some people are simply building equal interaction. Others seek to assert themselves emotionally. Still others try to put pressure on others and use them for their own purposes.

Real affiliation presupposes precisely equal cooperation. When the scales tilt towards one of the participants in the communication process, this is immediately recognized. After that, of course, there can be no talk of any trust and mutual respect. Significantly, past communication experiences directly determine expectations. If a person has been repeatedly tried to "use" for some of their own purposes, it will be very difficult to avoid mistrust and destroy him.

Conversely, those who have interacted with positive, benevolent people henceforth tune in to more acceptance by default. When those and other expectations are small, a person is simply not interested in further interpersonal interaction, he is reluctant to accept it. It is also obvious that affiliation greatly increases or decreases the chances of a new successful communication, depending on the prevailing stereotype.

A survey involves finding out such points as:

• preferred behavior in a bad mood;
• ease of establishing contacts;
• what brings more positive - a pleasant film (book) or a friendly company;
• a tendency to talk to others about your emotions;
• preferred vacation spot (quiet corner or bustling resort);
• craving for personal or teamwork;
• the level of fear for frankness;
• priority of independence and freedom or close affection;
• number of close friends;
• everyday entertainment - with a team or not.

The scale of the strength of the desire to communicate is complemented by the scale of fear of being rejected by other people. For an assessment, questions like the following may be asked:

• whether the person will go to visit or somewhere else where there are people who are ill-disposed towards him;
• are there any concerns when visiting unfamiliar people;
• how strong is the negative from the negative statements of friends in the presence of other people;
• how much a person is inclined to express his own opinions, assessments and judgments to poorly familiar or even strangers;
• what is the propensity for open criticism and expectations of it from others;
• whether the desire to use the help of others is expressed;
• how long do the experiences last from the negative statements of strangers;
• Does a person's thoughts take the correctness of behavior when communicating with someone who was previously unfamiliar.

Affiliation or craving for communication - a fundamental need for any person. She cannot be completely absent. Rather, individual such cases are possible, but this is no longer psychology, but a somewhat different field. Experts note that the first (especially the only) children in the family are much more eager to communicate. Of course, this only works statistically, exceptions can always be found. The precursor to affiliation already in early childhood is attachment.

This is how psychologists call the desire of two people to maintain communication, first of all, with each other, and not with someone else. It is worth noting that attachment corresponding to this definition can manifest itself at any age. In this case, it is supported by appropriate emotional experiences. Almost always, with any problems and difficulties, they first turn to those to whom they are attached. There is even Avoidant attachment when there is an active evasion of support and consolation, of any concern. This, for example, is a characteristic feature of adolescent rebellion, but the behavior of many adults also belongs to this.

Affiliation becomes more pronounced when frustration of any kind occurs.... Unmet need makes you look for alternative ways to achieve the goal, or increase the pressure, acting in the usual way. In both cases, help from other people is very important. They either suggest a more rational way, or become participants in some project.