ABSTRACT
Every child is born into a group. In most cases, this group is the family, but even in alternative situations, a child needs a group to survive. The child’s early helplessness parallels the individual inferiorities of early humans. Adler (1957) was the first to suggest that Darwin’s (1976) imperatives for survival of the species had a concomitant psychological stance in the human condition. In comparison to other animals, early humans had poor eyesight, dull claws, insensitive hearing, and slowness of movement. Like other species with individual weaknesses, human survived by forming into a herd, dividing the labor, and eventually building a community. The psychological stances that supported this group formation were a feeling of belonging and interdependence; nurturance, friendship, and support; mutual respect; and cooperation and loyalty: the same things that a child requires to live and grow. Just as the family must adjust to accommodate each new child, each child must develop her or his own unique place and approach to integration within the group. The methods chosen by each person are in keeping with the individual’s self-concept and interpretation of life. The family is the first group in which most people must find a place. As the child extends her-or himself into new realms (the school, and ultimately the community), the struggle to belong broadens, with one’s peer group often becoming the strongest force.
