No matter what one wants to achieve in their lives, the main force is motivation. To understand the theory of motivation better, Maslow introduced his hierarchy of needs. In his 1943 paper “A theory of human motivation,” he suggests that people are motivated to fulfill their basic needs by moving on to other and more advanced needs. Maslow always showed interest in finding the reason for people’s happiness and the things they wish to achieve. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory suggests that humans have a self-contained urge to become all that they can. So, to meet the basic needs of life, one must fulfill the need for food, safety, love, and self-esteem.
To understand the basics of needs in our life, here are five levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Go through these varied needs to understand the basics of living.
Psychological or Physical Needs
The concept of psychological need includes things that are vital for human survival. For example, food, breathing, and shelter. Along with these needs, Maslow also added the need for proper clothing and sexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction is the main force that helps in the propagation of species. Thus, all these needs count to physical needs.
Safety and Security Needs
This level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs protects us from harm. This hierarchy of need amounts to the want of human control and order in their life. For example, Job security, personal security, and emotional security. That is, the main safety needs are to find a stable job, investing in the healthcare sector, and shifting to a peaceful neighborhood.
Social Needs
The level of social needs involve feelings of love and acceptance. It raises the sense of belongingness as well as ties family and friends. This level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs bring in changes in human behavior to meet emotional relationships. By feeling loved and accepted by their family members, they feel to escape loneliness and depression.
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is ego or status need. People often develop a concern with getting recognition status, importance, and respect from others. In our day to day life, it becomes important to seek other people’s respect and appreciation. People find different ways to gain esteem. These can be done through participation in professional activities, cultural events, and hobbies.
Self-Actualization
It is the highest level in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualization refers to the realization of an individual’s full potential. According to Maslow, the theory of Self-Actualization refers to the exploitation of talents, capabilities, and potentialities. People developing this trait have the urge to become one they’re capable of.
So, these five levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs help us to determine the basic needs of humans that drive their behavior and habits.