Each person has his own needs, some of them are similar, for example, the need for food, air and water, and some are different. Abraham Maslow explained the most detailed and accessible information about the needs. The American psychologist proposed a theory that all human needs can be divided into separate groups that are in a certain hierarchy. To go to the next stage, one must satisfy the needs of the lower level. By the way, there is a version that the hierarchical theory of Maslow's needs appeared thanks to the psychologist's study of the biographies of successful people and the found regularity of existing desires.
The hierarchy of human needs for Maslow
Levels of human needs are presented in the form of a pyramid. Needs constantly replace each other, given the importance, so if a person does not satisfy the primitive needs, then he can not go to other stages.
Types of needs for Maslow:
- Level 1 - physiological needs. The basis of the pyramid, which includes the needs that all people have. It is necessary to satisfy them in order to live, but it is impossible to do this once and for the whole life. This category includes the need for food, water, shelter, etc. To meet these needs, a person goes on to active activities and begins to work.
- Level 2 - the need for security. People are striving for stability and security. Satisfying this need in the hierarchy of Maslow, a person wants to create comfortable conditions for himself and his close people, where he can escape from adversity and problems.
- Level 3 - the need for love. People need to feel their importance to others, which is manifested at both the social and spiritual levels. That's why a person seeks to create a family, to find friends, to become part of a team at work and to enter other groups of people.
- Level # 4 - the need for respect. People who have reached this period have a desire to become successful, achieve certain goals and gain status and prestige. For this, a person learns, develops, works on himself, makes important acquaintances, etc. The need for self-esteem implies the emergence of personality.
- Level 5 - cognitive abilities. People are eager to absorb information, are trained, and then, apply the received knowledge in practice. For this purpose, the person also reads, watches training programs, in general, receives information in all existing ways. This is one of the basic human needs for Maslow, because it allows you to quickly cope with different situations and adapt to life's circumstances.
- Level 6 - aesthetic needs. This includes man's striving for beauty and harmony. People apply their imagination, artistic taste and desire to make the world more beautiful. There are people who have aesthetic needs more important than physiological ones, so for the sake of ideals they can endure much and even die.
- Level # 7 - the need for self-actualization. The highest level to which not all people reach. This need is based on the desire to achieve the set goals, to develop spiritually, and also to use their abilities and talents . A person lives with the motto - "only forward".
The theory of human needs for Maslow has its drawbacks. Many modern scientists argue that such a hierarchy can not be taken for truth, because there are many shortcomings. For example, the person who decided to stand fast contradicts the concept. In addition, there is no tool to measure the strength of each person's needs.