Abraham Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs"
Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” shows us that some of our needs take precedence over others. For instance, the need for food, air, water, and sex comes before anything else. Similarly, if you are both hungry and thirsty at the same time, you will instinctively take care of your thirst first, because you can survive without food longer than you can survive without water. In that case, the need for water takes precedence over the need for food.
Beyond the basic human needs for food, water, sex, and clean air, Maslow introduced other layers; physiological needs, safety and security needs, love and belonging needs, and the need to know one’s self, in that exact order.
The pyramid that these needs make looks like this:
The physiological needs are the needs for oxygen, minerals, water, vitamins, and sugar. They are what keeps our bodies physically healthy and functioning correctly.
The needs for safety and security are fairly self explanatory. They are the needs that every human has to stay away from dangerous places, and cause people to become afraid, nervous, and anxious. The “Fight or Flight” instinct would also be included in this category.
Our need to be loved and to belong is one that all people experience a lot of the time. Particularly teenagers. This layer includes the need for friends, a boyfriend or girlfriend, even a sense of community.
Our esteem needs, according to Maslow, have two seperate versions. The lower version is the need for recognition, fame, the respect and appreciation of others, and even dominance. The higher version is the need for self-respect, confidence, freedom and independance.
NOTE: The higher form was perhaps titled so because once you have self-respect, it is very difficult to lose, as opposed to the respect of others which comes and goes like the wind.
Finally, we have reached the top of the pyramid! The need for self-actualization. This is the need to "be the best that you can be" and the need to reach goals and continue reaching them.
.
In contrast to the other needs, which Maslow called our "Deficit Needs," (meaning that we don't have enough of something. Not enough food, not enough love, etc.) Our need for self-actualization was given the title of "Being Needs." They are needs that, once they are felt, continue to be felt through life.
.
Maslow once suggested that only 2% of the world are self-actualizing people. Why? Simply because in many countries it is difficult to get enough food or water, it is very difficult to feel safe, and there may just be no sense of community or love in some countries. Take the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan as of late, for instance. Do you think you could feel safe when just down the road terrorists could be plotting to blow up your school, or your home, or your place of work? Self-actualizing people are those who have all of their deficit needs taken care of. They have enough of everything else that they can move on to fulfilling their goals.
.
.
NOw that you know about Abraham Maslow's theory, we can move on to a theory very similar to it! Click here! OR Back to home Page
