The Importance of Connection and Belonging in Adolescence

Are there ages or stages in life when the need for belonging looms largest? We think about middle schoolers and teens desperately trying to fit in with their peers, but not as much about adults need for belonging. The need to belong is most acute, of course, in the early years when e were first born. One of the big predictors of teen reckless behavior and mental illness, or mental health problems, is a sense of connection.