Humans want to feel worthy, have positive reputations, and have a high social status within their community. We want to matter to other people. How we see ourselves is directly related to how much we feel we are valued by others.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

In addition to physical needs for survival, humans also have social motives that shape our thinking, relationships, and emotions. When our motives are fulfilled we will tend to feel good, and when they are not, we will tend to feel stressed or unhappy. Some major social motives are:
- belonging
- predicting others' behavior accurately
- control
- self-enhancement (a need to matter)
- trust

Social motives

Aronson, Elliot, and Joshua Aronson. The Social Animal. Worth Publishers, Macmillan Learning, 2018.

The Social Animal

Humans have an innate desire for meaningful, stable connections with others. It is a longing to fit in.

Belonging (as social motive)

Humans are innately inclined to want to predict other behavior accurately. We desire to make sense of the social world around us to the extent of eliminating uncertainty. Predicting situations accurately improves preparation, stability, and outcome. Failing to do so is unnerving, increases stress and can lead to unintended consequences.

Predicting others' behavior (as social motive)

The need for control, even if unhappy with it, is a strong social motive for humans. Humans desire the autonomy to pursue what they want and the competence to make things happen. Bruce McEwen found that the lowest members in social hierarchies (with the least amount of control over their situation) were the most likely to suffer stress-related illnesses and die early. Humans often act and perceive that they have control to compensate for when we don't.

Control (as social motive)

self-enhancement (as social motive)

We must trust others to survive. We want to trust that people will support us with resources, make us feel happy and ensure our safety.

Trust (as social motive)

An employee, new to a company, spends the first few weeks carefully observing team meetings and social interactions. They focus on learning who the informal leaders are, what topics are considered sensitive, and the general communication style of the group before offering their own opinions. Which of the following fundamental social motives is most directly demonstrated by this employee's initial behavior?

Based on the provided scenario, identify the primary social motive that is being unfulfilled for the individual, leading to their negative feelings. Justify your answer by connecting specific details from the case to the definition of the motive.

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