Social recognition: what is it and how does it influence our self-esteem?

Let's see what social recognition is and how it influences us psychologically.

Social recognition is a fundamental aspect of our well-being, especially our psychological well-being.especially our psychological well-being. It is not simply the fact that we are accepted by others, but also that our strengths are recognized, strengths which are the basis of our self-esteem.

In addition to giving us personal self-esteem, social recognition is an important ally of productivity, especially in the workplace. A worker who feels that he/she fits in with the other employees and is valued is a more motivated professional, willing to make a greater effort in the tasks he/she has been given.

We will now take an in-depth look at social recognition from a psychological perspective, both health and organizational, as well as discuss the benefits of being a person who feels valued and accepted by others in their community.

What is social recognition?

From a psychological perspective, social recognition is a factor that contributes to high motivation, self-esteem and increased performance in all kinds of daily tasks.. A person who feels that society values his or her positive characteristics is a person who is well aware that he or she is worthwhile, that he or she is useful to the rest of society.

To a large extent, our self-esteem and well-being depend to a great extent on the degree to which we feel that the significant people around us value and accept us, so it is not surprising that high social recognition makes us healthier.

Since social recognition is so important for our psychological well-being and performance, both clinical psychology and organizational psychology are very aware of the importance of the group in a person's life.

It is for this reason that both in a psychotherapy context as well as in the management of a company everything possible must be done to make the person feel that he/she is socially valued.The more social recognition the person perceives, the faster the therapeutic effects of the therapy will come and the more productive he/she will be at work.

Types of social recognition

There is a long history of research on social recognition, both from a purely social and clinical perspective. It is also known that not all displays of social recognition are the same and, in fact, we could speak of two types: recognition by conformity and recognition by difference. Both are very important for the person's mental health, although they have different implications depending on the setting in which they appear. Ideally, the person should be able to achieve an adequate balance between the two..

Conformity recognition

Conformity recognition is the need we humans have to feel that we fit in with our reference group. In order to fit in, what people do is to share values, ideas and lifestyles of those we care about, in order to become more like them and feel part of the group.

Evolutionary psychology has tried to explain why humans behave in this way, in fact, it considers this to be a behavioral pattern that was especially important in prehistoric times.

Despite the fact that we are a fairly intelligent species, humans are very weak and alone we can barely survive in the wild.. For this reason, in order to overcome adversity, it was necessary for people to form tribes, trying to fit in, creating a sense of belonging and forming group cohesion.

Those prehistoric men and women who did not feel the need to obtain the recognition of others, that is, who did not strive to fit into tribes or to be accepted in them, ended up alone. Being exposed to the dangers of nature alone, they were less likely to survive and have offspring.

Since virtually none of the prehistoric solitary humans had offspring, the vast majority of modern humans have inherited the impulse to seek social recognition in others; in fact, it is one of the strongest impulses we humans have.

Recognition by difference

Recognition by difference is the need we human beings have to be valued for our differences, especially those that make us different.especially those that make us better or above others. In addition to feeling that we fit into a group, sharing its main characteristics, we also want to stand out among our peers.

A group is not a bunch of people who hardly differ from each other, but a group of individuals who have aspects in common but whose differences give them diversity. Each person has personality traits and knowledge, his or her distinctive mark, that which allows him or her to say that he or she is special and that others know how to detect and see as something positive.

The branch that has tried to explain why human beings need to have our differences recognized has been neuropsychology. This argues that when people see that there is some characteristic of their own that makes them better than others, our brain begins to secrete serotonin and dopamine, i.e., hormones that induce psychological well-being.

By seeking recognition of our differences, human beings seek this shot of happiness hormones, in addition to increasing our self-esteem. It should be noted that self-esteem can only be properly built if the positive characteristics that we may have are recognized by others, or the part of them that we have as referents.These characteristics cease to be special and, therefore, lose strength if they are also shared by others.

Mental health benefits

There are several benefits of social recognition, especially at the psychological level. As long as there is a correct balance between recognition by difference and recognition by conformity, we can speak of the following positive aspects of feeling that other people value us positively and accept us in their group or community:

It increases our well-being and self-esteem.

The most obvious effect is that it increases our well-being. As we mentioned, feeling socially recognized, both fitting in with the group and feeling better in relation to other people, causes our brain to release neurotransmitters that make us feel better. Feeling more accepted translates into an increase in our happiness and also in our self-esteem..

Enhances vicarious learning

It may seem that, at first glance, learning and social recognition do not have much to do with each other, but they really do, especially with vicarious learning, an idea proposed by Albert Bandura. Vicarious learning is the acquisition of knowledge through the observation of important people, such as our parents, teachers or peers.such as our parents, teachers or peers. We learn by imitation.

This type of learning is especially effective in environments where there is social recognition. Otherwise, it is more difficult to learn from the other members, since we will not see them as examples to follow, we will ignore them, or we may even be afraid of how they may treat us, especially if we are very insecure or perceive them as threats.

Importance at the organizational level

Not only does it benefit mental and personal health, but social recognition can also be a great ally of the employer, increasing productivity.

Social recognition has a decisive influence in improving the results of an organization, making its employees comply in a way that is not only beneficial to mental and personal health, but also to productivity.It makes employees meet their objectives more satisfactorily and quickly, increase sales, increase efficiency and a host of other positive phenomena that every employer wants to see in his company.

As we were saying, on a personal level, social recognition has a positive impact on self-esteem, motivation and performance, aspects that are very beneficial in any organization. A motivated worker, who does his job well and feels comfortable in the company, is a more productive employee.. If his or her boss and colleagues recognize the good things he or she has, this worker will develop a stronger sense of belonging to the organization, showing a greater commitment to the company.

Instead of belittling workers or simply giving them a slap on the wrist once in a while, if the company's bosses and peers recognize the worth of their workers and congratulate their achievements, employers will soon reap the economic benefits.

Basically, making workers feel social recognition is, in the long run, making money out of nothing. An investment is made using only good words and gestures of appreciation and valuation, which result in higher productivity and, therefore, more money.

Bibliographical references:

• Boxó Cifuentes, José Ramón, Aragón Ortega, Joaquín, Ruiz Sicilia, Leonor, Benito Riesco, Orlando, & Rubio González, Miguel Ángel. (2013). Recognition theory: contributions to psychotherapy. Revista de la Asociación Española de Neuropsiquiatría, 33(117), 67-79. https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S0211-57352013000100005
• Bandura, A. (1963). Social learning and personality development. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
• Rotter, J. (1954). Social learning and clinical psychology. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.