Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

One of the most important ideas in psychology is the pyramid scheme presented by Abraham Maslow. It illustrates in a sectioned pyramid the most essential needs that we tend to strive for in life. The base of the pyramid is always the largest section and the most basic of needs. The pinnacle of the hierarchy is the smallest portion and a need that not everyone has the luxury or capacity of fulfilling. While there are five sections to the pyramid, it can also be divided into three main themes. The largest theme is the basic needs, the one above it is the psychological needs while the third is the self-fulfillment need. Maslow’s theory is that our desire to achieve more in life is built in a hierarchy and that we are always trying to climb up this hierarchy and gaining more fulfillment. The moment we secure a need we begin on the search for whatever comes next but as we reach the pinnacle, we are no more directed by our personal needs as we’ve already fulfilled them but we become self-actualized individuals. Some people live a journey going through all the steps of the hierarchy, however, there are a rare few that find themselves self-actualized without necessarily securing all other needs. 

Physiological needs

The lowest and largest of the hierarchy is the physiological set of needs. It encapsulates all the basic needs one must have to survive. Nutrition, sleep, shelter, health, and many more basic needs fall into this category. Without these basic needs, life is unbearably difficult and unsustainable. One could easily become deprived of any of these basic needs and that is why we must always take care of ourselves by eating the right foods and sleeping enough hours and securing shelter throughout all stages of life.

Safety needs

Beyond the basic needs, we find our need for safety. To ensure that we can make it throughout life we need to know that there is a safety net we could count on. Protection from violence, justice, law, and having a role in society to ensure that we are always within the borders of culture and community. To have financial stability is an example of this stage of needs and it ensures that you do not have to worry about where your next paycheck will come from. The importance of these needs is that it creates equilibrium in your life emotionally and physically. 

Belongingness and love needs

Being accepted within society does not mean that you are necessarily a contributing and beneficiary member of it. This need highlights our desire to be active members of a community whether that is family and friends, colleagues and unions, sports groups, or any other team membership and allegiance. It secures our need for communion and belongingness and ensures our survival rate. Humans are naturally social beings and without the group, we cannot survive.

Esteem needs

You might have all other aspects of the hierarchy but fail to secure this esteems need. It is actually where many people struggle in today’s world because of how much harder you will need to work and how competent you need to be proving to others that you are well-deserving of respect, appreciation, esteem, and the classical hierarchy hallmarks of achievement. People spend a lot of time working on achieving status and feel as if this could be the highest point of their life. They could spend years for a certain title or position but when they do, they just can’t feel quite complete.

Self-actualization

This is the last section and the highest part of the pyramid. It is the golden top and it is really special to hit this mark in life. After achieving a lot in life, you might find yourself feeling at ease and not in a rush to compete or make it someplace. The moment you realize that you have gained so much experience could give you a reason to take new challenges on a path that you’ve never taken before. Maybe after having a successful career, you want to travel the world or maybe you want to influence your community by creating programs or writing books. You want to create and make art using the positive energy and knowledge you’ve accumulated your whole life. Some people find that there is no other choice but to create at this stage and that to regain everything that they’ve been unable to achieve they need to self-actualize and to become complete.