What word could be used to describe the sense or feeling of the need to fit in?
(Mods, if this is in the wrong board, please move it)
Perhaps conform?
“Maslow’s third level”
I don’t know of an actual word for the feeling. Usually it is expressed in a phrase as:
“The Need for. . .
Companionship
Affection
Belonging
Association
Comradery
Fellowship”
To lose companionship that one had is to be bereft (although bereft can mean the feeling one experiences at any loss).