A sense of belonging is described as personal involvement in a system or environment such that a person feels they are an integral part of that system or environment (Hagerty, Lynch-Sauer, Patusky, Bouwsema, & Collier, 1992). This construct has two major attributes: first, a feeling of being valued, needed, or accepted, and second, the belief that an individual's characteristics interact with the system or environment.

Why is it important to learn the extent to which individuals differ with respect to this construct? In other words, why is it important to learn the extent to which individuals differ in terms of sense of belonging? Why is it important to define a construct?