Belonging to groups—family, class, team, company, community—creates powerful motivation. When you are part of a group, your effort contributes to collective success, and your failure harms everyone. The team depends on each member; the company succeeds through employee dedication; the family’s honor reflects individual behavior.
This means your personal effort carries social weight far beyond private outcomes. You push through exhaustion because your teammates need you. You stay late because colleagues are working hard. You maintain standards because the group’s reputation depends on it.
Group membership also provides meaning: contributing to something larger than yourself gives purpose to effort. The identity you gain from belonging motivates you to be worthy of that membership.
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