Affiliation: description, types and need

In the scientific community, there are a large number of terms that sound unusual. But if some high chemical or physical moments are not necessary to know, then you need 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 the general name for an emotional connection between a person and other personalities. But not every emotional kind of relationship refers here. In a strict academic sense affiliative behavior involves 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 affiliation something else - the very need to communicate, to establish contacts and relationships with other people.

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

Special studies show that in extreme or complex 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 contacts with other people can reduce the general level of anxiety, pay off the effects of mental and physical stress.

In psychology, the so-called law of emotional affiliation. Some popular sources refer to it as the law of the inner circle. The reason is obvious - attitudes, including emotional ones, coming from the immediate environment, are always stronger than influences from quite distant people. Thus, the opinions and assessments expressed in the family are invariably more relevant than the statements and assessments adopted in detached communities. The same “works” in a professional context. The law of emotional affiliation indicates that for an engineer, the opinions and world views of other engineers are important, for an officer, other officers, the same for postmen, drivers, and so on.

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

As for the relationship between affiliation and health, experts have no consensus on 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 seem better in the eyes of other people makes us take such measures of caring for health and appearance that the person himself would not need.

There are other related mechanisms for affiliation:

• emotional discharge in difficult situations;
• help in choosing the right strategies and tactics of behavior;
• increased self-esteem and 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 feelings”).

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

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

It is enough for someone to say a bad word to cause a strong response. It can be expressed in anger, despondency, fundamental 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. To find examples of people who would definitely belong to a particular group is quite difficult. But we can conclude that a small degree of affiliation is more likely typical of introverts. They are more self-sufficient and highly value personal space. Such a person will only need to communicate with other people for a long time.

Normal and deeply restore his mental balance, he can only be alone. In an extreme case - surrounded by the closest people with whom special trust relationships are established. But even they should show themselves in such situations as tactfully and act unobtrusively. Do not assume that the reason here lies in the lack of social skills or misanthropy. Just specific individuals tend to maintain a stable circle of communication, expanding or changing it only when there is an urgent need.

In the vast majority of cases, people have a moderate degree of affinity for affiliation. There are not too many friends, but each one is carefully selected and tested in practice. Characteristically calm, thoughtful behavior.

In psychological research and direct diagnosis, much attention is paid not only to severity, but also motivated by affiliation. Even with an identical level of sociability, the goals of establishing contacts themselves can be very different. Some people simply build equal interaction. Others tend to affirm themselves emotionally. Still others try to put pressure on others and use them for their own purposes.

Actual affiliation involves exactly equal cooperation. When the scales are tilted towards one of the participants in the communication process, it is immediately recognized. After that, of course, there can be no question of any trust and mutual respect. What is important, past experience of interaction during communication directly determines expectations. If a person has been repeatedly tried to "use" for some of their goals, it will be very difficult to avoid distrust and destroy it.

Conversely, those who interacted with positive, friendly people continue to set the default for greater acceptance. When those and other expectations are small, a person is simply not interested in further interpersonal interaction, he goes reluctantly. It is also obvious that affiliation greatly increases or decreases the chances of a new successful communication, depending on the prevailing stereotype.

The survey involves finding out such points as:

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

The scale of the power of desire for communication is complemented by the scale of fear of rejection by other people. For evaluation, questions such as these may be asked:

• whether a person will go on a 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 negative statements of friends in the presence of other people;
• how much a person is inclined to express their own opinions, assessments and judgments to poorly familiar or even strangers;
• what is the propensity for open criticism and its expectations from others;
• whether the desire to use the help of others is expressed;
• how long the experiences from negative statements of strangers last;
• Does a person’s thoughts take correct behavior when communicating with someone who was previously unfamiliar.

Affiliate or craving for communication - the fundamental need of any person. She cannot be absent altogether. Rather, individual such cases are possible, but this is not psychology, but a slightly different area. Experts note that the first (especially the only) children in the family are much more likely to communicate. Of course, this only works statistically; exceptions can always be detected. The precursor of affiliation in early childhood is attachment.

So psychologists call the desire of two people to maintain communication, primarily among themselves, and not with someone else. It is worth noting that the attachment corresponding to this definition can manifest itself at any age. In this case, it is supported by the corresponding emotional experiences. Almost always, with any problems and difficulties, they first turn to those to whom they are attached. There is even "Avoiding attachment" when there is an active evasion of support and comfort, of any concern. Such, for example, is a characteristic feature of teenage rebellion, but the behavior of many adults also applies here.

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