A Conceptual Relation Between the Need to Belong and Sense-of-Belongingness

All humans have a fundamental need to belong (NTB), that is, forming and maintaining social connections. However, having these positive social bonds does not necessarily equal one's sense-of-belongingness (SOB). Contemporary literature frequently uses NTB and SOB interchangeably, or SOB is seen as a by-product of NTB satisfaction. This conceptual paper aims to (1) provide the arguments that there exists a difference between the "Need to Belong" as a universal construct of fundamental psychological need and "sense-of-belongingness" as a sensation that arose from distinct belongingness conditions, and (2) argue that these differences bear on human action under specific situations and contexts. Two hypothetical life situations are presented to illustrate the divergence of one's motivational need to belong compared to the specific self-processes regarding one's sense-of-belongingness. We concluded that there are arguments to claim that NTB and SOB, under specific social conditions, might be conceptually and empirically opposed or unrelated to one another.