Psychology Facts

▼ Affection ▼

》 Affection or fondness is a "disposition or rare state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love.

》 "Affection" is popularly used to denote a feeling or type of, amounting to more than goodwill or friendship.

》 Numerous behaviors are used by people to express affection.

Some theories suggest that affectionate behavior evolved from parental nurturing behavior due to its associations with hormonal rewards with research verifying that expressions of affection, although commonly evaluated positively, can be considered negative if they pose implied threats to one's well-being.

》 American psychologist Henry Murray (1893–1988) developed a theory that was organized in terms of motives, presses, and needs. According to Murray, these psychogenic needs function mostly on the unconscious level but play a major role in our personality. Murray classified five affection needs:

》 5 needs of "Affection':

Affiliation: Spending time with other people

The Need for affiliation describes a person's need to feel a sense of involvement and "belonging" within a social group

Nurturance: Taking care of another person

Nurture is usually defined as the process of caring for and teaching a child as the child grows.

Play: Having fun with others

play is a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with recreational pleasure and enjoyment.

play is most commonly associated with children and their juvenile-level activities, but play can also be a useful adult activity and occurs among other higher-functioning animals as well.

Rejection: Rejecting / rejection by other people

Social rejection occurs when an individual is deliberately excluded from a social group or interaction.

Succorance: Being protected/helped by others