psychological needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a structural progression of psychological and physical needs. Maslow hypothesized that there were two distinct types of needs: deficiency needs and growth needs2. The deficiency needs,

With these few thoughts in mind Abraham Maslow made up a hierarchy of needs. (Boeree, Page 2) The hierarchy of needs has five levels: the bottom one is Physiological Needs, the next one up is Safety needs, the next one is Belonging needs, the next one is Esteem Needs and finally the last one is Self-actualization needs. As Maslow thought he “saw human beings needs arranged like a ladder”, the most basic needs at the bottom and at the top the need to fulfill yourself. (pbs.org, Page 1) Below is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

As it was mentioned before, the key idea of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory relates to the existence of several sets of motivation and needs that govern human behavior. Hence, the major concepts of this theory include certain needs that are grouped into sets based on their place within the hierarchy of all the needs. The first version of the theory has five needs, which are divided into

When needs are met, concern shifts to higher-order needs such as self esteem, independence and self actualization. (Woodside & McClam 2012)

The psychological needs are somatic (i.e. they relate to the body not the mind) and

Based off of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, if one’s basic needs are not being met, it prevents adequate

However, this brings up an interesting question. What is a basic human need and what is a luxury? This idea

In the hierarchy needs the basics are things such as physical needs and safety, but

According to Zalenski & Raspa (2006), the first level of needs is physiologic such as the need for food, air, and water. The second level encompasses safety needs, which including security, stability, protection; freedom from fear, anxiety, and chaos. The third level of need is belonging and love. The fourth level is the need for esteem, which is affected by the environment and related to societal recognition. The fifth level is the need for self-actualization, which is about the unique potential in

Abraham Maslow stated that humans are driven by biologically established needs, which he identifies as deficiency needs (basic) and growth needs (meta) (The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, 2017). As most theories, the theory of self-actualization theory is based on stages to pass from one to another. The Maslow 's theory is often displayed as a pyramid where the lowest level that has to be fulfilled before any other upper level are the basic needs and the complex needs are at the top of the pyramid. In addition, Maslow contends that these self-actualizing individuals are highly creative and demonstrate a capacity to resolve dichotomies inherent in ultimate contraries, such as life versus death and freedom versus determinism, as examples (Olson, 2013).

4. Esteem which results from being held in high regard by peers, through respect, prestige, and recognition

Physiological needs, such as food and shelter, are followed by needs related to safety. Next, there are needs of love and belonging. Fourth, humans have needs of esteem, such as the need for being respected. The final need in the hierarchy is the need for self-actualization (fulfilling one's potential). The hierarchy suggests that basic needs must be met prior to less basic needs; for example, a starving person will seek food before self-actualization.”(Maslow,

These are biological needs which are the strongest. Since this is the basic level for human being to survive and search for satisfaction

With the evaluation of the hierarchy of needs it represents that positive interpersonal relationships are at the core of existence just as much as physiological needs. Since the basis of human existence is supported by the hierarchy of needs its important to discuss what happens when aspects of this is non-existent i.e interpersonal relationships.

Until these needs are satisfied to the degree needed for the efficient operation of the body the majority of a person’s activities will probably be at this level, and the other levels will provide him with little motivation. A famous saying man can live on bread alone if there is no bread suggests that human beings first try to acquire necessities for their survival.