Maslow’s hierarchy model of needs
I’d like to mention about “Maslow’s hierarchy model of needs”.
Let me begin by explaining what it is. This is a motivational theory in Psychology, which is comprised of 5-layer model of human needs. It looks like a share of pyramid.
One of important points in this story is how it works. You can see, physiological, safety, love and belonging needs, esteem, and self-actualization from the bottom to the top. A basic idea is that lower needs must be satisfied before we attend to higher needs, this is kind of controversial, I’ll explain later.
Anyway, it is worth to note, this five-stage model is constituted by two groups, that are “deprivation needs” and “growth needs”. Former needs arise because of deprivation or deficiency. For example, a certain need is not met, it will appear. When it comes to latter, they don’t stem from a lack of something, rather comes from a desire to grow. In that regard, self-actualization is the most well-known idea.
I’d like to briefly mention one common criticism against this concept. It may give a false impression that needs must be fully satisfied before next layer need appears. Since, we are complex social animals, the order of the hierarchy is changeable and not necessarily one way. You might think that this model is overly simplified, as a result, it can lead people to misunderstanding the idea. You are probably right.
However, overall, I believe that this is a great flamework that gives us insights. We can get a big picture of where we are in this map and what needs we currently have.
