Clean up Across London after a third night of rioting. Chris Jackson/Getty Images. All rights reserved.Lessons from social and developmental psychology as well as cognitive neuroscience are relevant for understanding the relationship between the complex amalgam of peoples and cultures of the European Union. These insights can help us to understand the role that a sense of belonging to a sub-national, national, or supra-national polity plays, how it can be nurtured, and why it matters.
Those who feel that they belong to a group, and that the characteristics of that group mimic their own, are more likely to exhibit positive or pro-social behaviour both within and beyond their own social group. Indeed, imitation plays a key role in encouraging helpful or pro-social behaviour in the imitated person. Empathy, the process by which we infer and share the affective state of another individual, is essential for the effective emotional and social functioning of individuals. At a societal level too, how we can learn to empathise – to walk a mile (or kilometre) in the shoes of another – is perhaps the most significant question to be addressed in relation to future UK relations with the European Union, whether as a continuing member or as a future non-member state.
Social belonging
Collective belonging in England. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images. All rights reserved.The urge to belong to a group is a strong human instinct. Sticking together has, of course, recognised real-world benefits. There is strength in numbers, especially when those numbers share values. From an evolutionary perspective, living in groups is viewed as central to our survival. Any threat of social exclusion is likely to be met with an ever-greater determination to tie yourself tighter to your own group.
