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Understanding Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs

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As many psychologists know, Maslow came up with his hierarchy of needs to help explain human behavior. Maslow believed that lower needs had to be met before higher needs, so as people grow, they move up on the scale and move down when needs are not met. Throughout our lives we go up and down these stages, although most people never achieve self-actualization, the last of the needs. The first of these needs are physiological, next is safety, third is love and belonging, fourth is esteem, and last is self-actualization. Maslow also believed that there was a stage above self-actualization known as transcendence. Physiological needs are food, homeostasis, sex, sleep, and water. These basic needs must be met first to begin moving up the stages. …show more content…

For example, often times my younger brother, Hudson ( nine years old), will act out. He will sometimes yell, throw fits, and refuse to listen, so with knowledge of these needs, I can tell he feels he is lacking attention from others, which can come from love and belonging or esteem needs. Other times I notice certain girls acting out in inappropriate manners, or dressing a certain way, also seeking attention that they might not get at home, or to feel better about themselves (comes from lack of love and belonging needs and/or esteem needs). There are other cases of lack of needs such as when people are quiet and keep to themselves, many times out of low self-esteem, or when people feel like an outcast because their love and belonging needs such as friendship are not met. I can relate to lack of physiological needs especially on days where I did not eat enough or did not get enough sleep, and I struggle to get through the day. Comparatively, many struggle to reach self-actualization, or rising above yourself, although there are people in history who have achieved this stage. As listed before, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi have all reached this stage, fighting for causes and aiding people who needed it

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