Human Needs - Acceptance

Acceptance is the need to accept yourself and be accepted by others. This includes a feeling of belonging. People with a need for Acceptance are usually very easy-going and pleasant to have in a group.

Examples of how Acceptance manifests for different people:

• Participating with situations that are open and accepting of everyone
• Feeling a sense of acceptance by coworkers
• Being accepted by neighbors
• Being accepted as a valuable member of a family group
• Being accepted into a club or group
• Working with people who need extra attention and acceptance
• Feeling loved
• Accepting whatever comes up in life
• Doing things that make others feel good
• Being nice regardless of the situation or the person
• Being tolerant of self and others

Positive aspects : Understanding and participating in love and loving situations, romance, bondedness, sense of family or tribe, self-esteem, self-forgiveness, forgiveness of others, altruistic, humanitarian.

Negative aspects : Rejection, jealousy, prejudice, guilt, shame, hate, xenophobia (group prejudice, fear of different classes of people)

How this need affects the workplace : People who have a need for Acceptance are a valuable addition to any group. They will often be a stabilizing presence and help others tolerate each other a little better. They may "go along" to whatever proposals are made to avoid any conflict in a group. It is very hard for them to express any different opinion because of their fear of being rejected.

A person with a need for Acceptance needs to feel they are accepted, as well as accepting others. They can be seen as a "doormat" with no opinion of their own or their time may be abused since they will rarely criticize others or say "no." Because of this, they may be rejected by others, which causes them more severe pain because of their high need for Acceptance.