Research Interests
Belonging and Acceptance
“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
― Maya Angelou, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes Throughout life, people seek belonging and acceptance through their connections with others and groups. This need to belong can motivate people to perceive others positively and to act positively toward them, and can also shape self-perceptions and self-identity. What experiences come to mind when thinking about when you have felt a sense of belonging (versus not)? What kinds of people or groups tend to elicit a sense of belonging (versus not)? How do different social identities affect experiences of belonging (or not)? How do others’ perceptions of and treatment of an individual affect their sense of belonging? What is the relationship between belonging and loneliness? How can researchers measure the full spectrum of feelings and beliefs that are experienced as a general “sense of belonging” versus non-belonging? What do individuals believe they need (i.e., traits, objective characteristics) in order to be accepted by others or into a group? What fosters a sense of belonging among university students? |
Social Rejection and Loneliness
Although people vary in how much they generally feel a sense of belonging, everyone has had at least one experience in which they were rejected, ostracized, ghosted, or otherwise excluded from forming or from continuing a social connection with another person or group. These experiences can activate competing needs that individuals then have to balance: their need to feel a sense of belonging and their need to protect the self from negative social feedback.
How does social rejection impact individuals’ perceptions and motives toward others? How does it impact self-perceptions and self-oriented motives? How do individuals concurrently pursue and balance their need to belong with their need to protect the self? How do individuals perceive the act of excluding others? |
Relationship Biases
As part of our drive to have social connections, we are motivated to sustain the relationships we have. In what ways does the existence of a social relationship with someone (e.g., romantic partner, friend, family) motivate biases in how those close others are perceived and treated?
How do relationship biases manifest? What factors (e.g., closeness, commitment, attachment style) predict the strength of these biases? How do perceptions of various relationships differ? |