1 Belonging, difference and mental health
The importance of social belonging has long been recognised as a key element of wellbeing and mental health (Baumeister and Leary, 1995). It can be defined as the desire to feel part of a group and to have meaningful social relationships, and is linked to friendship, trust and feelings of acceptance (Gijn-Grosvenor and Huisman, 2020). A sense of belonging is a significant aspect of Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs that you were introduced to in Week 1. In an educational setting, feelings of belonging or difference can be closely influenced by social and cultural similarity or difference.
Every learner’s cultural identity is multi-layered, based on factors such as their upbringing and family background, their community, peer or other groups that they are part of, or would like to be part of, their national identity and ethnicity. Belonging provides a sense of safety and comfort (Gilbert, 2013) so learners who feel isolated, ‘different’ or unrepresented in their learning environment can feel particularly vulnerable and this may negatively affect their mental health (Brandt et al., 2022).
Activity _unit7.2.1 Activity 1 Considering cultural identity
Make a list of significant groups that you currently belong to, or have belonged to in the past, such as family, community, sports, religious or hobby-related groups. Think about the customs, habits, routines, celebrations or religious practices of these groups and note how they may have shaped your own cultural identity and sense of belonging.
Now consider the case study of Viraj (from the Case studies), and/or think of your own group(s) of learners. How might your own sense of cultural identity be similar or different from his, or from your group(s) of learners? What impact might that have on your teaching and on their learning?
Discussion
This activity aims to increase your awareness of how your cultural identity has been formed and how it may be similar to, or different from, those of your learners.
Viraj has moved to the UK to study and feels isolated as he is far from his friends, family, local community and people who support him, and he has not yet made friends at his place of study. He is therefore unlikely to yet feel any sense of belonging and this may be impacting on his wellbeing and mental health, especially as he feels under a lot of pressure to succeed.
If you happen to share certain aspects of cultural identity with Viraj, or your learners, you could use these similarities to support relationship building and a sense of safety, facilitating your learners’ wellbeing and ability to learn. Or, if you are not familiar with your learners’ culture, you could support them by showing an interest in learning more about it, and its possible impact on both learning and wellbeing. More ways of supporting diverse learners will be considered further in Section 3