Child Life Certification Practice Test 2025 - Free Child Life Practice Questions and Study Guide

The type of needs related to belonging, love, and affection is known as social needs. These needs are a critical part of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which categorizes human motivation into a series of levels. Social needs encompass the desire for interpersonal relationships, acceptance, and connections with others, reflecting our fundamental human instincts for social interaction and emotional connection.

When individuals seek companionship, friendships, or family ties, they are fulfilling these social needs. This level of need follows the fulfillment of physiological needs, which pertain to basic survival, and security needs, which relate to safety and stability in one’s environment. Moreover, self-actualizing needs represent the pursuit of personal growth and fulfillment, which emerge after social needs are met. Therefore, recognizing the importance of social needs is crucial in child life practice, as fostering relationships and a sense of belonging can significantly impact children’s emotional well-being and development.