Sometimes it seems as if we never get what we want. But
sometimes when we do get what we want, we realize that it's not what
we really want. That's because our wants don't always match our
needs. The solution to this problem is to try to understand and satisfy
our real needs.
Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and human
and animal behavior. A lot of psychological research has been done
about human needs and how they should be satisfied. Studies have
shown that humans have basic needs that must be consistently
met. Studies have also shown that there is an order of importance in
which these needs must be satisfied. An individual's basic functional
needs must be satisfied before he or she can go on and meet other
more creative and self-fulfilling needs.
Abraham Harold Maslow (1908-1970) was an important
psychologist who became famous for his studies regarding human
needs and wants. He wrote two major works, Motivation and
Personality and Toward a Psychology of Being. Maslow stressed that
basic needs must first be satisfied before a person is able to be
creative or function independently. He created his famous hierarchy of
needs theory, which separates human needs into five layers. Each
layer in the hierarchy must be satisfied before a person can proceed to
the next layer. The five layers of human needs, according to Maslow,
are as follows:
1. The physiological needs
2. The safety and security needs
3. The love and belonging needs
4. The esteem needs
5. Self-actualization
The Physiological Needs
The physiological needs include the basic requirements for physical
survival, such as oxygen, water, protein, salt, sugar, minerals, and
vitamins. Other physiological needs include a proper body temperature
and pH balance, physical activity, a lack of pain, and adequate sleep.
The Safety and Security Needs
These needs become relevant only after the physiological needs
are largely satisfied. The person will then become increasingly
interested in such things as being safe and protected and having a
stable life. He or she might also begin to need structure and order.
The Love and Belonging Needs
Once a person feels reasonably secure in life and has his or her
basic bodily needs satisfied, he or she wants to be a part of a
Select all the correct answers.
Imagine you are reading "What Is It That You Really Need?" as part of a research project and need to summarize the text. Which
statements provide a correct objective summary of the passage?"
Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory contains five layers.
Psychology is the branch of science that studies the mind and behavior.
Maslow wrote two important books, Motivation and Personality and Toward a Psychology of
Being.
Humans can be confident and successful even if they are not eating and sleeping properly.
Humans must attend to their basic needs before they are able to achieve higher level desires.
