Connectedness: a review of the literature with implications for counseling, assessment, and research.(Assessment & Diagnosis)

Journal of Counseling and Development, March, 2005 by McWhirter, Benedict T.; Townsend, Katharine C.

Human beings have a powerful need for connectedness (Jordan, 1997; Lee & Robbins, 2000), or, as Baumeister and Leary (1995) have stated, "a fundamental human motivation" (p. 497) for regular, positive interactions within an ongoing relational connection. When individuals do not meet this need to be connected to each other and to maintain lasting social connections, there can be a negative impact on their health, adjustment, and well-being (Moen, 1998; Rude & Burham, 1995).

Because humans are born with the need to be connected with others, individuals whose ...