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 The Power of Understanding your Basic Human Needs

The psychologist most renowned for his work on human needs is Abraham Maslow (1908-1970).

He illustrated our hierarchy of needs as follows:

The first four levels of needs are called “deficit needs” as we only seem to notice them if they are missing in our life…in other words, we only consider the need for food if we suffer hunger and the need for safety if we do not feel comfortable and protected in our environment. Similarly, we feel lonely if love is missing in our lives and lack confidence if we do not feel valued or appreciated. The fifth level of needs called “self-actualization needs” are the needs for “peak experiences” which may incorporate some of the following values as described my Abraham Maslow:

Truth, rather than dishonesty.
Goodness, rather than evil.
Beauty, not ugliness or vulgarity.
Unity, wholeness, and transcendence of opposites, not arbitrariness or forced choices.
Aliveness, not deadness or the mechanization of life.
Uniqueness, not bland uniformity.
Perfection and necessity, not sloppiness, inconsistency, or accident.
Completion, rather than incompleteness.
Justice and order, not injustice and lawlessness.
Simplicity, not unnecessary complexity.
Richness, not environmental impoverishment.
Effortlessness, not strain.
Playfulness, not grim, humourless, drudgery.
Self-sufficiency, not dependency.
Meaningfulness, rather than senselessness.

For more information about the psychology of basic human needs, look at Abraham Maslow’s book

 The Psychology of Being  

SO how well are you meeting your basic human needs? At which level in Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs do you find yourself most of the time? 

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