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37 Examples of Social Acceptance

John Spacey, December 23, 2021

Social acceptance is the process of being included and respected by other people. The desire for social acceptance is a strong motivation that helps to explain a broad range of human behavior. Social acceptance includes any positive social interaction and inclusion in communities, cultures, organizations, teams, work, events and conversation. The following are common examples of social acceptance.

Acceptance into a school	Acceptance into a volunteer position
Applause	Asked out on date
Awards	Closing sales deals
Compliments	Comradery
Cooperation with others	Family inclusion
Friendships	Helping others
Immersion into accepting social environments	Inclusion in activities
Inside jokes	Invitations to parties, events and celebrations
Job offers	Kind gestures
Loan approvals	Memberships
Mentoring & coaching	Participation in community events
Participation in culture, subculture and super culture	Participation in sports
Positive communication with others	Positive social interactions
Promotions	Receiving gifts
Recognition	Reputation
Rites of passage	Romantic relationships
Shared sense of identity	Social meals
Social status	Support from others
Teamwork

Inside jokes are jokes that require shared experience thus emphasizing that a social relationship exists between people.

Helping others is an active and positive way to produce social acceptance. For example, volunteering your efforts to a community whereby you are likely to have positive social interactions and gain respect.

Social status is the respect that an individual enjoys from others. For example, if everyone you meets admires you for your talents, attractiveness, youth, charm, coolness, intelligence or wealth this is a type of social acceptance.

Subculture is an important source of social acceptance for those who feel somewhat aliened from mainstream culture. For example, a video game enthusiast who finds they achieve greater social acceptance amongst people with similar passions.

Acceptance of your proposals to others is a type of social acceptance. For example, closing a sales deal.

Social Rejection

Social rejection is the opposite of social acceptance whereby an individual is excluded, disrespected or declined in a social situation. This can feel quite painful. Some people are quite sensitive to rejection such that they may go out of their way to avoid it. Excessive avoidance of rejection can also limit your chances for acceptance. As such, it is a social strength to easily bounce back from rejection without a loss of social enthusiasm or confidence.

Downward Rejection

Rejection can cause a downward spiral whereby an individual becomes hostile and disillusioned with rejection. This leads to more rejection and more hostility in a vicious cycle. This can be broken with the confidence to like others and feel you are deserving of acceptance.

Collectivism

Collectivism is a society or culture that values group membership over individualism. Collectivism tends to provide a great deal of social inclusion whereby the group provides shared experiences and shared identity. Complete exclusion from the group in a collectivist society tends to be rare but exceedingly harsh when it does occur as the entire group can act as one in turning against an individual.

Mediocrity

Mediocrity is the process of carefully avoiding risk in order to enjoy the benefits of group membership. This is more common under collectivism. For example, a person who says things they think will be accepted and popular with a group as opposed to saying what they think.

Freedom & Individualism

Individualism and freedom require an individual to find their own social inclusion as it won't be automatically provided by a group when you are free from the roles and constraints of group membership. Individualist societies may provide for transactional social interaction. For example, a conference or nightclub where you can meet a large number of people in an environment where acceptance is possible and rejection doesn't have much stigma attached to it.

Coolness

Coolness is socially successful indifference to social acceptance. The opposite of coolness would be to shape your life to try to gain and sustain approval from others. Coolness is typically based on a social strength. For example, a charming individual who knows they are socially strong such that they aren't easily shaken by rejection or manipulated with acceptance.

People Person

A people person is an individual who genuinely likes almost everyone. People like people who like them such that a people person typically enjoys social acceptance by accepting others. Generally speaking, social processes are much easier when you view others in a positive light.