MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

There are many hierarchies in society, and throughout history, but none are as crucial to our lives as Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. As a humanistic psychologist, he believed in humanity’s potential. He deduced that there are five levels of needs that must be filled for us to be stable and healthy individuals. If some of those needs are missing, there is often a high possibility of someone becoming unstable or deranged. The lack of fulfillment of our needs can cause severe damage to the way we learn, our emotional states, mental capacity, or functional capacity.

It is actually found that many understand Maslow’s theories, and can even find they exhibit similar traits and deficiencies that are predicted in his ideas. This is because his ideas were based in highly practical areas, using logistics and observations to create accurate ideas as to the effects of deprivation of needs. For example, one of his key points is that a person cannot function beyond a certain capacity, of feel the need of a higher level, until their basic needs are met.

Level One- Biological

These are the very instinctual needs. This includes food, water, sleep and physical comfort. These needs are also the most powerful, as without them, a person does not think of anything except satisfying these physiological needs. When these needs are not met, the mind focuses solely on these things.

Level Two- Safety

The second most powerful need is that of safety and security. A person feels the need to know they will have a constant source of protection and stability in their lives. This need is often unrecognized unless there is something such as a terrorist attack or widespread rioting in progress. However, children often feel very insecure and need a stronger feeling of safety.

Level Three- Love and Acceptance

Right in the center of these needs lays the need to feel loved, and to feel connected to other human beings. After the first levels, humans feel the need to overcome any social or personal isolation and alienation. Often, this is through giving and receiving love, but this can also be through general friendship, popularity, or intercourse, depending on age and personality. A lack of proper love can often lead to susceptibility for addictions, as the person will use sex or drugs to excess to feel loved. This is also why popularity is such an important aspect of many teenagers’ lives.

Level Four- Esteem

This level includes being respected by one’s self, and by others. We all have a need for a stable and high-standing position of respect in the eyes of those around us. When we feel respected, we feel confident and valuable to society. When others put us down, and we are made to feel less respected, we naturally feel inferior and/or worthless.

Level Five- Self-actualization

This is the final, but hardest to satisfy, level of needs. Once the others have been fulfilled, this level drives an individual to find and adhere to their life’s calling. If they are not in pursuit of their life’s goals, they will often feel tense and restless. For example, if someone born to be a lawyer is currently managing a supermarket, they will feel dissatisfied and aggravated by their job.