Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs simplified

 

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs simplified

How many of you are familiar with this triangle/pyramid - famously dabbed as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs? 

I came across this a little over a year ago while I was doing some personal research and since then, I've been intrigued by this concept. It's a seemingly simple theory proposed by an American psychologist Abraham Harold Maslow and I personally find this tool to be very useful for self realization and personal growth. 

Maslow developed this theory to explain better what motivates human beings. According to Maslow, there are five fundamental levels of needs in every individual's life;

1. Physiological

This refers to basic needs such as food and sleep which are considered to be the most essential of our needs. This is one fundamental need that should be fulfilled constantly in one's life in order to be functional.

2. Safety

Once the physiological requirements are no longer the subject of your attention, you instantly start to look for a safe, secure and predictable environment such as financial security and permanent lodging, just name a few.

3. Love/belonging

The next levels of need are less physical and more psychological. Maslow stipulated that people look for personal ties and acceptance once the physical needs are met. This need includes both romantic relationships as well as bonds between friends and family members. It also includes the need to feel belonged to social group(s). It is stated that good social connections is related to better physical health and conversely, feeling isolated has negative consequence on the overall well-being.

4. Esteem

According to Maslow, esteem involves two components - self-confidence (feeling good about oneself) and  feeling valued by others, the feeling of being recognized for ones contributions and achievements. In order grow and motivate, one must feel and realize both. 

5. Self actualization.

This level of need that only a few people tends to reach and met infers to feeling fulfilled, or feeling that we are living up to our full potential. The uniqueness of self-actualization is that it is not constant and tends to be different for different people. For one person, self-actualization might be finding solace in career achievement, for another, it might be finding creative inspirations. This highest form of need reflects the feeling that we are doing what we believe we are meant to do in life.

In my personal opinion, the first two levels are crystal clear but the upper three levels are a bit mixed and intertwined. The fundamental concept of this theory is that the individual's most basic needs must be met before they become motivated to achieve higher level of needs. For self-realization, it is important to know in which state one is in, which state one has accomplished and what can be expected ahead of time.

Reference;

https://www.thoughtco.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4582571#:~:text=Maslow's%20hierarchy%20of%20needs%20is,esteem%2C%20and%20self%2Dactualization.

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fh0054346