The need for affiliation (N-Affil) is a term which describes a person's need to feel a sense of involvement and "belonging" within a social group.
The term was popularized by David McClelland, whose thinking was strongly influenced by the pioneering work of Henry Murray, who first identified underlying psychological human needs and motivational processes in 1938.
It was Murray who set out a classification of needs, including achievement, power and affiliation, and placed these in the context of an integrated motivational model.
People who place high emphasis on affiliation tend to be supportive team members, but may be less effective in leadership positions.
A person who takes part in a group, whether it be a movement or project, helps create a push towards a sense of achievement and satisfaction for the individual and the whole.
There are a number of ways to accomplish this liking factor, including responding to requests for help, greater perceived similarity with someone else, and impression management through ingratiation.
This is a means to get others to like us through the effects of flattery, which could be something as small as remembering a person’s name, to constant compliments and admiration.
[5] This implication builds confidence and fairness in relationships, and it is deeply ingrained in individuals in both public and private settings.
[10] Research done by Schachter (1959) shows that fear that comes from anxiety increases the need for the person to affiliate with others who are going through the same situation or that could help them through the stressful event.
However, if being with others may increase the negative aspects such as adding the possibility of embarrassment to the already present stressor, the individual's desire to affiliate with others decreases.