por He social recognition It is a psychological theory that predicts that referring to a person’s good performance of tasks or their positive characteristics will increase their performance within a group. It will also increase your self-esteem, your motivation and your commitment to the group to which you belong.
In recent times, the theory of social recognition has been put to the test in different scenarios and from different disciplines, although it has been studied above all from social and organizational psychology.
Today, social recognition is considered to be one of the fundamental keys to achieving greater performance within companies, and therefore it is considered extremely important in fields such as talent management or business coaching.
There is also social recognition on social networks, with the likes and comments that are made on the photos and videos that users upload.
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Types of social recognition
Although it is often considered that there is only one type of social recognition, researchers have discovered that there are actually two: recognition by difference and recognition by conformity.
Both are important in certain areas, and the key for a person to achieve good self-esteem and feel motivated within a group is to achieve an adequate balance between the two.
Recognition for conformity
Recognition by conformity is the more basic of the two, and also the most explored by the social sciences. It consists of the need of human beings to fit into our reference group; that is, to share values, ideas and ways of life, in addition to being accepted by them.
According to evolutionary psychology, this need stems from caveman times, when our ancestors could not survive alone and needed their tribe to thrive. For this reason, prehistoric men who did not feel the need for recognition for conformity did not survive, and did not leave descendants.
Today this need is present in the vast majority of us (with some notable exceptions, such as psychopaths), and it is one of our strongest drives.
One of the greatest evidences for this is that the greatest fear of a large part of the population is speaking in public: basically, this is nothing more than the fear of losing the approval of the rest.
recognition by difference
At the same time that we all feel the need to be similar to the rest and to be accepted in the group, we also need to feel special and that others realize it. This phenomenon, although not so studied by science, has recently been extensively investigated in areas such as neuropsychology.
Due to the natural existence of a hierarchy within our species, humans need to feel different and better than the rest in certain ways.
When we see ourselves above others, research shows that our brains are flooded with serotonin and dopamine, two of the neurotransmitters that most influence our happiness.
In fact, many studies suggest that people who have been bullied or isolated (that is, who have never been recognized as special) have been chronically deprived of serotonin and dopamine, which can cause problems later. such as anxiety disorders or certain types of depression.
Therefore, the key to well-being within a group is to achieve a balance between both recognition needs.
Importance of social recognition
Social recognition has been associated with a multitude of positive elements, and is known to have many beneficial implications for both our mental and physical health.
In recent times, both science and companies have been very concerned with further developing their knowledge on this subject; For this reason, today we know much more about how social recognition works and its influence on our behavior.
Increase our well-being
Perhaps the most interesting effect that social recognition has is that it makes us feel good. Thanks to the release of neurotransmitters in our brain, feeling accepted by others increases our happiness and our self-esteem.
This increase in the subjective well-being of people is a topic of great interest to companies. Several studies show that making employees feel that they fit in and that they are important to the company increases their motivation, their professional performance and their commitment to the company.
Apart from that, in our own personal life, social recognition also plays a very important role. Studies show that people who have had the most recognition throughout their lives show greater overall happiness, enjoy better health, and may even live longer.
Power our learning
One of the greatest sources of learning for people is the so-called vicarious learning.
It is a type of knowledge acquisition that occurs in environments in which we observe other people performing a task in which they are experts; and thanks to certain mechanisms in our brain, we are able to learn just by watching them.
This type of learning is greatly encouraged in environments where we have social recognition. If we feel that we are not part of a group, we will not be able to learn from its members, since we will be in an alert state and not in a relaxed state that promotes the acquisition of knowledge.
You can create a state of flow
The state of flow It is a phenomenon achieved with mindfulness that many scientists consider the key to happiness. It is a state of mind in which we are so immersed in a task that we lose track of time and feel wonderful while doing it.
Well, several studies suggest that feeling part of a group while performing a task can lead us much more easily to a state of flow.
Therefore, both our performance in what we are doing and our happiness will increase in this type of context.
Examples of social recognition
Below you will find several examples of situations in which social recognition occurs:
– Receive a big applause after speaking or performing in public.
– A hug or a kiss from a loved one.
– A few words of encouragement from a superior.
– The attention of co-workers when exposing a report to them.
– Praise or compliments in general.
– A detail that shows that someone has thought of you.
– Receive likes or positive comments on social networks.
All of these types of social recognition have the potential to make us feel better, boost our learning, and increase our well-being.
References
«Scientific bases of social recognition»in: Professional Recognition. Retrieved on: March 2, 2018 from Professional Recognition: reconocimientoprofesional.com.
“The power of social recognition” in: Kerwin Rae. Retrieved on: March 2, 2018 from Kerwin Rae: kerwinrae.com.
«Recognition» in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: March 2, 2018 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org.
“Natural Social Reinforcers”in: IntroPsych. Retrieved on: March 2, 2018 from IntroPsych: intropsych.com.
«Conformity» in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: March 2, 2018 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org.