#3 - the four fundamental psychological needs - all served by your community
part of #-community fundamental series
This post
This is a #-series about the fundamentals of community. My 'why' for writing the series - is my want to see more community happen throughout the world. I do it because I believe that community is good for people. Does this resonate with you? 🙂 Then read on and join the discussion 💬
👉 Main idea in post - If you understand how community satisfies 4 fundamental psychological needs, then your work with your community becomes much easier. Also, you can feel a bit proud - every day - as you work with your community. Important: the work you are doing is good for people. Let it sink in 🙏
What we will cover in the post:
🏰 community is not about nobility
🙂 the 4 fundamental psychological needs
🤗 how this mindset turns community into an inclusive force
🔧 practical examples - how boost this in your community?
🏰 First, you are not born into community. It is not a matter of nobility…
For people outside the group a community geeks - the word ‘community’ is shredded in mystery. Is it a local neighbourhood? Has it to do with in what circumstances you were brought up? If your family was jewish, christian, muslim? If you share the same set of "values"?
You often hear politicians addressing "community X" at election time (presumably to attract more votes of an easily defined audience...)
I think this totally misses the point.
In my mind, you are not born into a community. You are contributing into a community. That is the entry point.
and it all has to do with the 4 fundamental psychological needs:
🙂 the 4 fundamental psychological needs:
The four needs
to contribute 🎁
to be affirmed 👏🏽
to belong 🔥
to grow 🌈
We humans have long had a need to contribute to a greater whole, the tribe.
When you contribute, you feel relevant and with a purpose.
Your tribe will affirm you for your contribution. This acts as a receipt - an affirmation - for your action:
"I made this contribution, others in the tribe see it as valuable".
This brings us to the third need - to belong. You contribute and people see you as a contributor and let you know - by words, a pat on your back -
a "come sit here, there is a place for you!"
Now, you know that you belong. You are accepted by a larger group of people. You feel at home in a hostile world, where teaming up is a survival strategy.
This in turn will trigger another positive behaviour - learning to achieve mastery. The impulse to grow as a human. Because mastery and personal growth can serve the tribe, the community, it is a natural impulse. Yes, it is not completely altruistic. Almost nothing is. You and the community are interconnected - what is good for the community is good for you. Mastery creates more and better contribution, more affirmation and more belonging
🤗 Seen this way a community is an inclusive force
Yes, values and differences tend to disappear when we contribute to the common why of the community.
Who cares if the dad who drives the kids to the game votes A or B? He drives the kids.
Who cares where you where brought up when you buy - and thereby support - the "cause-brand" Houdini? You all support the same brand.
Who cares about your background when you work hard for the team? The task and the contribution is what matters
Community is all about a clear common why and defined forms of contribution.
🔧 So, in practical terms what can you do in daily community work to boost this?
🎁 contribution - how can you offers ways of contributions?
ask for votes in polls
ask for answers in forum threads
ask people to post their best recipes in a type 1 diabetic community
👏🏽 affirmation - how can you affirm people?
high-five, clap, or like every post and comment people make
comment back on comments
do shout outs of people with portraits of them in posts, invite them to recorded webinars
reach out personally in the messenger and thank them 🙏
🔥 belonging - how can we make people feel they belong?
give members a name - for example a haaartland community member is called a haaartlander
Refer to the community and involve - “we, the haaartlanders… “as a members of X, what should we do, think, consider…”
Show a clear border between an inside and an outside. Mark the passage as an initiation, a recurring passage (like a login or a physical space open only to members)
🌈 How can we fuel the impulse to grow?
talk about different roles and needs in the community, point to areas of mastery
assign tasks and help people grow into roles gradually
Specifically affirm personal development of members and tie this to community purpose
Ok, now a task for you, dear member of this newletter-community 🙂
want me to write about a specific topic - comment or ping me
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