Belongingness and its Importance when Coping with Change in Isolation

Change is a common ongoing procedure for people in today''s societies where traditional systems and values have broken down. Many people are isolated from their families, friends and communities through the need to seek work and to pursue tertiary studies away from their places of origin, to seek better oportunities for themselves and their families or to flee from political or other turmoil. The thesis explores factors which are basic to the process of change especially in isolation and concludes that key factors are the need for strong bonds in three major areas. These are a sense of people, such as family and ancestors as well as friendship and community, a sense of place be it ancestral, a place of origin or a place of settlement, and a sense of psyche, reflecting a sense of personal well being. Out of this comes a sense of grace defined as a sense of wholeness or completion in life. The thesis will be attractive to people who are going through their own change processes as well as those who are also researching this very significant area and seeking to learn of other''s experiences and findings before embarking on their own research.