What is belonging?
Belonging involves feeling included, recognised and able to participate. Explore what connection might look like for you, at a pace and level of disclosure you choose.
What the research can help us ask
Research on the need to belong examines the importance of stable interpersonal connections. It supports taking relationships seriously, but does not establish that joining a group guarantees recovery or that one community will suit everyone. Consider the quality of a connection and your own boundaries, as well as whether it is available.
Connection without having to explain everything
Belonging can involve being recognised, included and able to participate. It is not measured simply by how many contacts someone has. A setting that suits one person may not suit another, and participation should respect your boundaries.
Fictional example: someone tries a community workshop because doing a shared activity feels easier than telling their story to a group. They can ask about accessibility, costs and who attends before deciding. Find support lets you browse organisations and events without first giving a personal account.
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Related research papers
- The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivationBaumeister, R. F. and Leary, M. R. (1995). Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529.
Continue exploring related research
Further reading from the Knowledge Hub on the same themes.
- Psychology · 1 min readSocial Identity
Social identity concerns the groups that contribute to how we see ourselves. Explore what a change in team, service or community can mean, while recognising that experiences vary.
- Psychology · 1 min readPurpose
Purpose can mean having a direction that matters to you. Explore a manageable next step without needing a new career or a complete life plan.
- Occupational Transition · 1 min readMilitary Families
Family members can experience their own changes in work, routines and community around service life. Explore their distinct priorities and independent routes to support.
- Foundations · 4 min readThe AURIS Connection Hub
A verified, worldwide directory of support organisations, events and opportunities, built into the AURIS Identity System because the research kept showing the same problem: the right support usually exists, it is just hard to find.
- Research · 4 min readThe Identity Gap in Service Leaver Support: Why It Matters
Practical resettlement support is comprehensive, yet our review of UK transition guidance found very little explicit discussion of identity as a psychological process. This article explains what we examined, what we found, and where identity adaptation fits alongside existing support.
Identity After the Uniform
Related research
Published records from the research programme behind this article.
- White Papers · 2 min readWhite Paper 0, From Transition to Service Provider Identity Adaptation
A conceptual position paper reframing the Identity After the Uniform research programme: transition is the trigger, but the phenomenon under study is identity adaptation after a trained, high-pressure service role.
- White Papers · 1 min readIdentity After the Uniform: What the Evidence Tells Me
A research commentary examining the evidence, its limitations and the next questions for the Identity After the Uniform programme.
- Foundations · 4 min readThe AURIS Connection Hub
A verified, worldwide directory of support organisations, events and opportunities, built into the AURIS Identity System because the research kept showing the same problem: the right support usually exists, it is just hard to find.
- Research · 6 min readState of the Evidence: What We Know, What We Don't, and Why This Research Is Needed
An audit of the AURIS Master Evidence Repository, conducted 30 August 2026, setting out plainly which evidence is solid, which is located but not yet fully verified, which has been downgraded, and which gaps remain open.
Gemma Gardner
Founder and Research Lead, AURIS Institute
Gemma Gardner leads the AURIS research programme on identity and occupational transition. Her work builds the evidence base behind the AURIS Identity System and the Identity System, drawing on interviews with service leavers, families and the organisations that support them.
- Lead author, Identity Performance Psychology white paper series
- Principal investigator, AURIS identity adaptation interview programme
- Author of AURIS submissions on identity in occupational transition
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Discussion
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Everything published here comes from the AURIS research programme. The AURIS Identity System, the separate membership platform at aurisidentity.com, is where the same framework is taught as guided courses and daily practice.
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