Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Quick Write… Imagine you are shipwrecked and the only survivor who manages to swim to a deserted jungle island. You arrive at the island with nothing, what would your first thoughts be about? Would your actions and thoughts over the next few weeks, providing you lived, follow a common pattern of any human that may have been washed up on a deserted jungle island?

5 Stage Model The original hierarchy of needs five-stage model includes: 1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc. 2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc. 3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc. 4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc. 5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

One must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. Progress is often disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences including divorce and loss of job may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of he hierarchy.

Physiological Needs These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, such as the need for water, air, food, and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met.

Security Needs These include needs for safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health insurance, safe neighborhoods, and shelter from the environment.

Social Needs These include needs for belonging, love, and affection. Maslow considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments, and families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community, or religious groups.

Esteem Needs After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs becomes increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and accomplishment.

Self-actualizing Needs This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested fulfilling their potential.

Characteristics of Self Actualization

They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty; Accept themselves and others for what they are; Spontaneous in thought and action; Problem-centered (not self-centered); Able to look at life objectively; Highly creative; Concerned for the welfare of humanity; Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience; Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with a few people; Peak experiences; Need for privacy; Strong moral/ethical standards.

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6bkE6WQNs Real Life Example