Human Needs Theory - Maslow's Pyramid of Human Needs

There are 5 basic human needs (according to the theory of A. Maslow):

• Physiological needs (food, water, warmth, shelter, sex, sleep, health, cleanliness).
• The need for security and protection (including stability).
• The need for belonging to a social group, belonging and support. In this case, we are talking about a partner, family, friends, intimacy and affection.
• The need for respect and recognition (self-respect, self-esteem, confidence, prestige, fame, recognition of merit).
• The need for self-expression (the realization of one's abilities and talents).

The pyramid of needs reflects one of the most popular and well-known theories of motivation - the theory of the hierarchy of needs.

Maslow distributed the needs as they increase, explaining this construction by the fact that a person cannot experience high-level needs while he needs more primitive things. At the base is physiology (satisfying hunger, thirst, sexual needs, etc.). A step higher is the need for security, above it is the need for affection and love, as well as for belonging to any social group. The next step is the need for respect and approval, over which Maslow placed cognitive needs (thirst for knowledge, desire to perceive as possible more information). This is followed by the need for aesthetics (the desire to harmonize life, fill it with beauty, art). And finally, the last step of the pyramid, the highest, is the desire to reveal the inner potential (it is self-actualization). It is important to note that each of the needs does not have to be completely satisfied - partial saturation is enough to move to the next step.

As the lower needs are satisfied, the needs of a higher level become more and more urgent, but this does not mean at all that the place of the previous need is occupied by a new one only when the former is fully satisfied.

At the base of this pyramid are the so-called basic needs. These are physiological needs, and the need for security.

Physiological: need for food, water, sexual satisfaction, etc. If for some reason it is impossible to satisfy them, a person can no longer think about anything, cannot move on to satisfying other, higher needs in the hierarchy. Probably everyone has experienced a feeling of intense hunger that prevents them from doing or even thinking about anything else. V. Frankl described this very eloquently in his book “Say Yes to Life”. Psychologist in a concentration camp. About how people living in constant fear, anxiety for themselves and their loved ones, could not talk about anything other than food. They talked about food at any moment of the holiday, and the work was very hard, they described the dishes that they once cooked, talked about the restaurants they visited. One of the most important needs that guarantees life, the need for food, was not satisfied with them, and therefore it constantly declared itself.

When the physiological needs are satisfied, the person stops thinking about them, forgets for a while, until the body gives another sign. Then you can switch your attention to the satisfaction of other needs. Of course, we have learned to abstain, to endure for a while. But only for a while, until the discomfort becomes very strong.

The next level of needs is the need for security. It is very difficult to realize any of your plans, dreams, work, develop, without feeling safe. If this need is not satisfied, a person organizes all his activities (sometimes neglecting even physiological needs for a while) in order to make his life safer. Global cataclysms, war, disease, loss of property, housing, as well as the threat of dismissal from work can serve as a threat to security. It can be traced how during the period of social instability in the country, the level of general anxiety rises.

To maintain a sense of security, we are looking for any guarantees: insurance, work with a guaranteed social package, a car with modern technologies, ensuring the protection of the passenger, we study the legislation, hoping to receive protection from the state, etc.

The third and fourth steps belong to the zone of psychological needs. If we are not worried about unmet basic needs, in other words, if we are not hungry, we are not tormented by thirst, we are not sick, we are not in a war zone and we have a roof over our heads, we strive to satisfy psychological needs. These include: sense of importance, belonging to one or another social system (family, community, team, social ties, communication, affection, etc.), the need for respect, love. We create systems for this, communities without which we cannot survive. We strive for love, respect, friendship, we strive to be members of a group, a team.

When these needs are not met, we acutely experience the absence of friends, family, partner, children. We most of all do not want to be accepted, heard, understood. We are looking for how to fulfill such a need, neglecting, at times, basic needs, the torment of experiencing loneliness is so great.

Sects and criminal gangs often speculate on this need. Especially great is the desire to be in a group among teenagers. And therefore, a teenager, often without hesitation, obeys the rules and laws of the group, which he aspires to only in order not to be rejected by it.

The next step is the need for recognition, selfexpression, respect for others, recognition of one's own value, stable high self-esteem. It is important for us to occupy some significant social position. We want our merits to be recognized, our competence to be appreciated, our skill to be noticed. This may include the desire to have a good reputation, status, fame and glory, superiority, etc.

Yes, and sometimes we ourselves should think about how much these needs are satisfied in our life, for example, in percentage terms. And, if these figures are less than the average figures given by A. Maslow (85% are physiological, 70% are safe, 50% are in love, 40% are in respect and 10% are in self-actualization), then it is probably worth thinking about that we can change in our lives.

As sales professionals, it is more convenient for us to use a different classification, with the help of which we will find out what needs potential customers experience.

There are several basic needs which each person seeks to satisfy throughout life. If one of the desires is satisfied, the person seeks to satisfy the next need.

Need for survival. The survival instinct is the most powerful instinct of a human being. Every person wants to save his life, to protect his family, friends, compatriots from danger. Only having received a guarantee of survival, a person begins to think about satisfying other desires.

The need for security. As soon as a person receives guarantees of survival, he begins to think about the safety of every aspect of his life.

financial security- every person is afraid of poverty and material losses and strives to overcome them. It is expressed in the desire to save and increase wealth.

Emotional Security needed to make a person feel comfortable.

Physical security- each person needs food, warmth, shelter and clothing to a certain level.

The need for security does not mean that a person needs an armored door. He may well want to buy quality wallpapers that will serve him for a long time.

The need for comfort. As soon as a person reaches the minimum level of security and safety, he begins to strive for comfort. He invests a huge amount of time and money to create a cozy home environment, strives to create comfortable conditions at work. A person strives for comfort in any situation and chooses products that are convenient and easy to use.

Need for an image. The client focuses on the attractiveness and prestige of the product.

Need for free time. People want to rest as much as possible and look for every opportunity to stop work and take a break. The focus of the bulk of the people are evenings, weekends and holidays. Leisure time activities play a central role in human behavior and decision making.

The need for love. People have an urgent need to build and maintain love relationship. Everything that a person does is aimed either at achieving love, or at compensating for the lack of love. An adult personality is formed in conditions of love received or not received in childhood. The desire to create secure conditions for love is the main cause of human behavior.

The need for respect. A person strives to earn the respect of other people. This is the main part of human activity. Loss of respect can be a significant cause of dissatisfaction, and gaining a high position can be more motivating than money.

The need for self-realization. Man's highest desire is realization creativity personality, talents and abilities. Human motivation is directed towards achieving everything they are capable of achieving. Throughout his life, he strives to use the most talents and abilities. The need for self-realization may be stronger than all other motivations.

The question of motivation is perhaps the most important in all of personology. Maslow (Maslow, 1968, 1987) believed that people are motivated to seek personal goals, and this makes their life significant and meaningful. Really, motivational processes are the core of the humanistic theory of personality. Maslow described man as a "desiring being" who rarely reaches a state of complete, complete satisfaction. The complete absence of desires and needs, when (and if) it exists, is short-lived at best. If one need is satisfied, another one rises to the surface and directs the person's attention and effort. When a person satisfies her, another noisily demands satisfaction. Human life is characterized by the fact that people almost always want something.

Maslow suggested that all human needs congenital, or instinctoid, and that they are organized in a hierarchical system of priority or dominance. On fig. Figure 10-1 is a schematic representation of this concept of a hierarchy of human motivational needs. Needs in order of priority:

Physiological needs;

Security and protection needs;

Needs of belonging and love;

self-esteem needs;

Needs of self-actualization, or needs of personal improvement.

Rice. 10-1. Schematic representation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

This scheme is based on the assumption that the dominant needs located below must be more or less satisfied before a person can become aware of the presence and be motivated by the needs located above. Therefore, the needs of one type must be fully satisfied before another, located above, the need manifests itself and becomes effective. Satisfying the needs located at the bottom of the hierarchy makes it possible to recognize the needs located higher in the hierarchy and their participation in motivation. Thus, physiological needs must be sufficiently satisfied before safety needs arise; physiological needs and the needs of security and protection must be satisfied to some extent before the needs of belonging and love can arise and require satisfaction. According to Maslow, this sequential arrangement of basic needs in a hierarchy is the main principle underlying the organization of human motivation. He proceeded from the fact that the hierarchy of needs applies to all people and that the higher a person can rise in this hierarchy, the more individuality, human qualities and mental health he will demonstrate.

Maslow allowed that there might be exceptions to this hierarchical arrangement of motives. He recognized that some creative people can develop and express their talent, despite serious difficulties and social problems. There are also people whose values ​​and ideals are so strong that they would rather endure hunger and thirst or even die than give them up. For example, social and political activists in South Africa, the Baltic States and Eastern European countries continue their struggle despite fatigue, imprisonment, physical deprivation and the threat of death. The hunger strike organized by hundreds of Chinese students in Tiananmen Square is another example. Finally, Maslow suggested that some people can create their own hierarchy of needs due to the characteristics of their biography. For example, people may prioritize the needs of respect over the needs of love and belonging. Such people are more interested in prestige and promotion than in intimate relationships or family. In general, however, the lower the need for hierarchy is, the stronger and more prioritized it is.

The key point in Maslow's hierarchy of needs concept is that needs are never met on an all-or-nothing basis. Needs partially coincide, and a person can be motivated at two or more levels of needs at the same time. Maslow suggested that average person satisfies his needs approximately in the following degree: 85% - physiological, 70% - security and protection, 50% - love and belonging, 40% - self-esteem and 10% - self-actualization (Maslow, 1970). In addition, the needs that appear in the hierarchy arise gradually. People do not just satisfy one need after another, but at the same time partially satisfy and partially dissatisfied. It should also be noted that no matter how far a person has advanced in the hierarchy of needs: if the needs of a lower level are no longer satisfied, the person will return to this level and remain there until these needs are sufficiently satisfied.

Now let's look at Maslow's categories of needs and find out what each of them includes.

None of the existing theories of motivation has such an impact on the thinking of leaders as the theory of needs, developed by the great motivation specialist Abraham Maslow.

Maslow's theory allows managers to more fully understand the aspirations and motives of the employee's behavior. Maslow proved that the motivation of people is determined by a wide range of their needs. If earlier managers motivated subordinates almost exclusively with economic incentives, since people's behavior was determined mainly by their needs at lower levels, then thanks to Maslow's theory it became obvious that there are also non-material incentives that make employees do what the organization needs.

Maslow identified five main groups of human needs that are in a dynamic relationship and form a hierarchy (Scheme 1). This can be depicted as ascending steps.

Scheme 1. Hierarchy of needs for human motivation in the order of their priority

The theory of the hierarchy of human needs is based on the regularity: when the needs of one level are satisfied, the need of the next, higher level arises. Satisfied need ceases to motivate.

People need to satisfy needs in a certain order - when one group is satisfied, another comes to the fore.

A person rarely reaches a state of complete satisfaction, throughout his life he desires something.

It is necessary to consider motivational groups in more detail.

2.1. Physiological Needs

The needs of this group consist of basic, primary human needs, sometimes even unconscious ones. Sometimes they are called biological needs. These are human needs for food, water, warmth, sleep, rest, clothing, shelter, and the like, necessary for the survival of the organism, the maintenance and continuation of life. In relation to the working environment, they manifest themselves as a need for wages, favorable working conditions, vacations, etc.

High earnings ensure a decent existence, for example, the opportunity to live in a comfortable apartment, eat well, wear the necessary, comfortable and fashionable clothes etc.

To pay for the basic necessities of life, employees must be motivated by long-term benefits, providing tangible high income and sufficient remuneration, providing them with work breaks, holidays and holidays to restore strength.

If only these needs dominate in a person, displacing everything else, then he is little interested in the meaning and content of labor, but mainly cares about increasing his income and improving working conditions.

If a person is deprived of everything, then he will first of all seek to satisfy his physiological needs. As a result, his views on the future may change.

The dissatisfaction of a person can also indicate the dissatisfaction of needs of a higher level than the level of the need, the dissatisfaction of which the employee complains about. For example, when a person thinks they need a break, they may actually feel a need for security rather than a day off or vacation.

2.2. Needs for security and confidence in the future

If a person has sufficient physiological needs, then he immediately has other needs related to the safety of the body.

This group? one of the main life motivators, it includes both physical (safety, labor protection, improvement of working conditions, etc.) and economic (social guaranteed employment, social insurance in case of illness and old age) security. Meeting the needs of this group provides a person with confidence in the future, reflects the desire to protect themselves from suffering, danger, illness, injury, loss or deprivation. Confidence in the future is acquired through guaranteed employment, the purchase of an insurance policy, pension provision, the possibility of keeping money in banks, by creating an insurance capacity through obtaining a decent education.

For those who have suffered severe deprivation at some significant time in their lives, this need is more urgent than for others.

To address the safety needs of employees, the employer needs to:

1) create safe working conditions for employees;

2) provide employees with protective clothing;

3) install special equipment at workplaces;

4) provide workers with safe tools and devices.

2.3. Social needs (needs of belonging and belonging)

Once physiological and safety needs are satisfied, social needs come to the fore.

In this group? needs for friendship, love, communication and emotional connections with each other:

1) have friends and colleagues, communicate with people who pay attention to us, share our joys and concerns;

2) be a member of the team and feel the support and cohesion of the group.

All this is expressed in the desire for warm relations with people, participation in joint events, the creation of formal and informal groups. If a person is satisfied with social needs, then he considers his work as part of a joint activity. Work is a cementing environment for friendship and camaraderie.

The reduction of social relationships (work contacts and informal friendships) often leads to unpleasant emotional experiences, the emergence of an inferiority complex, a sense of being an outcast of society, etc.

To address the social needs of workers, management should:

1) inspire employees to create groups and teams;

2) create conditions and allow the same group of people to work and play together in order to strengthen and facilitate their relationship;

3) allow all groups to be different from other groups;

4) hold meetings, conferences to exchange professional issues, discuss matters of interest to all and contribute to the solution of professional problems.

2.4. The need for respect (recognition and self-affirmation)

When the needs of the three lower levels are satisfied, the person focuses his attention on the satisfaction of personal needs. The needs of this group reflect the desire of people to be strong, competent, confident in themselves and their own position, striving for independence and freedom. This also includes the need for prestige, reputation, service and professional growth, leadership in a team, recognition of personal achievements, respect from others.

Every person is pleased to feel their indispensability. The art of managing people is the ability to make it clear to each employee that his work is very important for the overall success. Good work without recognition leads the employee to disappointment.

In a team, a person feels pleasure from his own role, feels comfortable if he is granted and addressed with well-deserved privileges, different from the general reward system, for his personal contribution and achievements.

The most objective and stable self-esteem is based on the deserved respect of others, and not on external fame, fame or undeserved adulation.

2.5. The need for self-realization (self-expression)

These are spiritual needs. The manifestation of these needs is based on the satisfaction of all previous needs. There is a new dissatisfaction and a new anxiety, until a person does what he likes, otherwise he will not find peace of mind. Spiritual needs find self-expression through creativity, self-realization of the individual.

Man must become what he can be. Every person is surprisingly rich in ideas, but he needs to be convinced of this.

A person's desire for the most complete disclosure of himself, the use of his knowledge and skills, the implementation of his own ideas, the realization of individual talents and abilities, the achievement of everything he wants, to be the best and feel satisfied with his position at the present time is undeniable and is recognized by everyone. This need for self-expression is the highest of all human needs.

In this group, the best, more individual than others, sides and abilities of people are manifested.

Effective people management requires:

1) assign them personal responsibility for the performance of production tasks;

2) give them the opportunity to express themselves, to realize themselves, giving them a unique, original work that requires ingenuity, and at the same time provide greater freedom in choosing the means to achieve the goals and solve problems.

People who feel the need for power and influence over others and even peers are motivated by the possibility of:

1) manage and control;

2) to convince and influence;

3) compete;

4) lead;

5) achieve goals and objectives.

All this must be supported by praise for good work. It is important for people to realize that they work well and are individual in their own way.

Important for leaders is the fact that all human needs are arranged in a hierarchical order.

lower level needs.

1. Physiological needs.

2. Needs for security and confidence in the future.

3. Social needs (needs of belonging and belonging).

4. The need for respect (recognition and self-affirmation).

Higher level needs.

5. The need for self-realization (self-expression).

First, the needs of lower levels must be satisfied first, and only then can the needs of higher levels be addressed.

In other words, a person who is hungry will first try to find food, and only after eating will he try to build a shelter. You can no longer attract a well-fed person with bread; only those who do not have it are interested in bread.

Living in comfort and security, a person will first be motivated to activity by the need for social contacts, and then will begin to actively seek respect from others.

Only after a person feels inner satisfaction and respect from others, his most important needs will begin to grow in accordance with his potential. But if the situation changes radically, then the most important needs can change dramatically. For example, at some point a worker may sacrifice a physiological need for a safety need.

When a worker whose lower level needs have been met is suddenly faced with the threat of losing his job, his attention immediately shifts to the lower level of needs. If a manager tries to motivate employees whose safety needs (second level) are not yet satisfied by offering a social reward (third level), he will not achieve the desired targeted results.

If in this moment the employee is motivated mainly by the possibility of satisfying security needs, the manager can be sure that as soon as these needs are satisfied, the person will look for an opportunity to satisfy his social needs.

A person never experiences the feeling of complete satisfaction of his needs.

If the needs of a lower level are no longer satisfied, the person will return to this level and remain there not until these needs are completely satisfied, but when these needs are sufficiently satisfied.

It should be borne in mind that the needs of the lower level form the foundation on which the needs of the higher level are built. Only if the needs of the lower level remain satisfied does the manager have a chance to succeed by motivating employees through the satisfaction of the needs of the higher level. In order for a higher level of the hierarchy of needs to begin to influence human behavior, it is not necessary to satisfy the need of a lower level completely. For example, people usually start looking for their place in some community long before their security needs are provided or their physiological needs are completely satisfied.

The key point in the concept, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, is that needs are never satisfied on an all-or-nothing basis. Needs overlap, and a person can be motivated at two or more levels of needs at the same time.

Maslow suggested that the average person satisfies his needs like this:

1) physiological - 85%;

2) security and protection - 70%;

3) love and belonging - 50%;

4) self-respect - 40%;

5) self-actualization - 10%.

However, this hierarchical structure is not always rigid. Maslow noted that although “hierarchical levels of needs may have a fixed order, in fact this hierarchy is far from being so 'rigid'. It is true that for most people their basic needs were in roughly the order shown. However, there are a number of exceptions. There are people for whom, for example, self-respect is more important than love.

From Maslow's point of view, the motives of people's actions are mainly not economic factors, but various needs that cannot always be satisfied with the help of money. From this, he concluded that as the needs of workers are met, labor productivity will also increase.

Maslow's theory made an important contribution to understanding what makes workers work more efficiently. The motivation of people is determined by a wide range of their needs. Persons with high dominance motivation can be divided into two groups.

The first includes those who strive for power for the sake of ruling.

The second group includes those who strive for power in order to achieve the solution of group problems. Emphasis is placed on the need for domination of the second type. Therefore, it is believed that, on the one hand, it is necessary to develop this need among managers, and on the other hand, to enable them to satisfy it.

People who have a strong need for achievement are more likely to become entrepreneurs. They like to do something better than their competitors, they are ready to take responsibility and quite a lot of risk.

A developed need for power is often associated with reaching high levels in the organizational hierarchy. Those who have this need are more likely to make a career, gradually rising up the job ladder.

2.6. Self-actualization assessment

The lack of an adequate assessment tool to measure self-actualization initially thwarted any attempt to validate Maslow's core claims. However, the development of the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) has given researchers the ability to measure the values ​​and behaviors associated with self-actualization. This is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess various characteristics of self-actualization in accordance with Maslow's concept. It consists of 150 forced choice statements. From each pair of statements, the respondent must choose the one that best characterizes him.

POI consists of two main scales and ten subscales.

The first main scale measures the extent to which a person is directed at himself, and not directed at others in search of values ​​and the meaning of life (characteristic: autonomy, independence, freedom - dependence, need for approval and acceptance).

The second main scale is called "competence in time". It measures the extent to which a person lives in the present rather than focusing on the past or the future.

Ten additional subscales are designed to measure the important elements of self-actualization: self-actualization values, existentiality, emotional reactivity, spontaneity, self-interest, self-acceptance, aggression acceptance, close relationship ability.

POI also has a built-in lie detection scale.

The only major limitation to using a 150-point POI for research purposes is its length. Jones and Crandall (Jones and Crandall, 1986) developed a short self-actualization index. The scale consists of 15 points.

1. I am not ashamed of any of my emotions.

2. I feel like I have to do what others want me to do (N).

3. I believe that people are essentially good and can be trusted.

4. I can be angry with those I love.

5. It is always necessary that others approve of what I do (N).

6. I don't accept my weaknesses (N).

7. I may like people I may not approve of.

8. I'm afraid of failure (N).

9. I try not to analyze or simplify complex areas (N).

10. It's better to be yourself than popular.

11. There is nothing in my life that I would especially devote myself to (N).

12. I can express my feelings, even if it leads to undesirable consequences.

13. I am not obligated to help others (N).

14. I'm tired of inadequacy (N).

15. They love me because I love.

Respondents answer each statement using a 4-digit scale:

1) disagree;

2) partly disagree;

3) agree in part;

4) agree.

An (N) following a statement indicates that the score for that item will be inverted when calculating the totals (1 = 4, 2 = 3, 3 = 2, 4 = 1). The higher general meaning, the more self-actualized the respondent is considered.

In a study of several hundred college students, Jones and Crendall found that self-actualization index scores were positively correlated with all of the much longer POI scores (r = +0.67) and with measures of self-esteem and "rational behavior and belief." The scale has a certain reliability and is not susceptible to the choice of "social desirability" responses. It was also shown that college students who participated in self-confidence training significantly increased the degree of self-actualization, as measured by the scale.

Characteristics of self-actualizing people.

1. More effective perception of reality.

2. Acceptance of yourself, others and nature (accept yourself as they are).

3. Immediacy, simplicity and naturalness.

4. Focused on the problem.

5. Independence: the need for privacy.

6. Autonomy: independence from culture and environment.

7. Freshness of perception.

8. Summit or mystical experiences (moments of great excitement or high voltage, as well as moments of relaxation, peace, bliss and tranquility).

9. Public interest.

10. Deep interpersonal relationships.

11. Democratic character (lack of prejudice).

12. Separation of means and ends.

13. Philosophical sense of humor (friendly humor).

14. Creativity (ability to be creative).

15. Resistance to cultivation (they are in harmony with their culture, while maintaining a certain internal independence from it).

From the point of view of humanistic psychology, only the people themselves are responsible for the choices they make. This does not mean that if people are given the freedom to choose, they will necessarily act in their own interests. Freedom of choice does not guarantee the right choice. The main principle of this direction is the model of a responsible person who freely makes a choice among the opportunities provided.

Good day! We have already talked about human self-development, the importance of timely recognition and satisfaction of needs, and today I want to talk in more detail about what it is, Maslow's pyramid of human needs. After all, it has not lost relevance in modern world and allows you to look, from the side of psychology, at your life values.

What are needs?

Needs activate the human body so that it gathers all its resources and starts looking for ways to satisfy those needs that are exacerbated by it. Thanks to the ability to recognize and implement them, we develop, achieve success and live, in the end. Abraham Maslow, a psychologist and scientist, once decided to identify the basic needs of a person and structured them, placing them in sequence in the form of a pyramid.

It has 7 levels, which are arranged in a hierarchy, that is, until we satisfy the lowest level, the rest will not be relevant to us, and, in principle, inaccessible to achieve.

This is a classification of the basic needs of each person, which depend on his lifestyle and value system, because it may seem to someone that only the realization of the most basic needs of the lower level is sufficient, and the person will not need to move on. And someone is trying to reach the top and does not stop, gradually stepping over each step.

Maslow's pyramid

To begin with, to make it clearer, I will provide you with a drawing for study, on which you will clearly see each step that a person seeks to step over in order to achieve his goals:

Classification

1.Physiology

First of all, every person has a need for food, water, health and sex. Without their satisfaction, the life of absolutely any creatures on the planet is simply impossible. And even more so the implementation of other goals. Indeed, when thirst or hunger torments, a person does not have thoughts about recognition among other people or about going to the theater, and even less about finding his own meaning in life. Has it happened to you when you were so hungry that nothing was of value and interest? By the way, it happens that just the philosophy of the future changes.

For example, when a person is constantly malnourished, all his resources and energy are directed only to satisfy his hunger, then he has fantasies that if he got to a place where there is always food, he would be the happiest person. . But then, if this suddenly happens, then he has another need that he seeks to realize, and so constantly, achieving something, other goals appear that we are trying to conquer.

You can read more about the physiological needs of a person.

2.Safety

When we are full and not thirsty, the issue of safety becomes relevant. That is, about comfort, is there somewhere to sleep, so that it is warm and cozy. And each person has his own idea of ​​comfort and confidence in the future. After all, it is enough for someone to have at least some kind of roof over their heads, and for someone it is also necessary to establish security, for greater peace of mind.

When there is space in which we can relax and exhale, then we can realize our other desires without getting stuck on a sense of anxiety and expectation of danger. For example, the same babies, having only satisfied their hunger, already need an adult, his protection. So that he can be held in his arms, rocked, and only when they feel that they are safe and not alone, they relax and fall asleep.

3.Love and belonging

A very important aspect is when there is a desire to communicate, meet new people, feel interest in yourself and experience it in relation to others. It is important to show love and receive it, take care of a partner and feel his attention and support. We are social creatures, and without a sense of belonging to something, it is very difficult to survive. It can be a family, an interest group, a professional community. This gives a resource when we know where we come from and who we can rely on.

It is difficult to stand alone in the world, and when there is an understanding that I belong to some part of society, it becomes much easier. It's like the roots of a tree. For example, has it ever happened to you when you met your fellow countryman in another country or city and experienced inexpressible joy, as if you had known him all your life?

4. Recognition

That's just when we discover our belonging, the question of recognition arises. For example, in a professional circle, when they call me a colleague, it means that they recognize me. And then you want to be respected, to notice talents and skills, to be appreciated as a professional. And the more this desire, the more ambitions a person has, he feels self-confidence and achieves success.

It is important to notice this desire in ourselves, because it happens that we push somewhere far deep into ourselves the need for recognition by different reasons, for example, believing that it is shameful or scary to be active and bright. And then this unfulfilled desire to be recognized turns into self-destruction when depression or withdrawal into some kind of addiction occurs. After all, there is a lot of energy in it, which stops and is not realized, and, not finding a way out, simply destroys the personality and health.

You can read more about the social needs of a person.

5. Self-realization

It becomes important to reach heights, realize potential and develop your spiritual level. The hierarchy of aspirations reaches the point where simply professional activity does not satisfy, I want to add more creative. For example, going to the theatre, traveling, dancing... At this stage, a person asks the question about the meaning of his existence and, in general, about the meaning of being. A lot of interest arises in the surrounding reality, in the quality of one's life. It is during this period that a reassessment of values ​​\u200b\u200band beliefs occurs.

This is an abbreviated version of the classification, when the first 5 steps are the basic needs. The remaining 2 are needed by people who are very important for self-realization and promotion, when previous desires for the most part have found their energy outlet.

6. Aesthetics

A person in search of achieving inner harmony, it is aimed at contemplating this world, its beauty and amazing manifestations. The physical health and endurance of the body becomes important. Thus, harmony is also achieved in appearance. The first positions in the value system are given to art, from which a person receives aesthetic pleasure.

7. Self-actualization

Achieving one's goals, plans, when the desire to reach heights prevails in a person, and he does not stop there. Constantly strives for improvement and development. Such a person, as they say, has comprehended Zen, because he understands the structure of the world, he is conscious and knows why, how and for what he does something, he knows how to recognize his feelings, and accepts others as they are. Such a person finds his way, this is an amazing state when a person’s hobby brings him a good income, because he recognized his natural inclinations and managed to unlock his potential.

Conclusion

Abraham Maslow's theory of the hierarchy of human needs is still relevant today. In addition, it is used not only in psychology, but also in management. Because time passes, technology does not stand still, every day there are some discoveries, and despite all this, the needs of mankind remain the same, there is only a change in the ways of their implementation.

Each person has different needs, some of them are similar, for example, the need for food, air and water, and some are different. Abraham Maslow spoke in the most detailed and accessible way about the needs. An American psychologist proposed a theory according to which all human needs can be divided into individual groups located in a certain hierarchy. To move to the next level, a person must satisfy the needs of the lower level. By the way, there is a version that Maslow's hierarchical needs theory appeared due to the study of biographies by a psychologist successful people and found patterns of existing desires.

Maslow's hierarchy of human needs

Levels of human needs are presented in the form of a pyramid. Needs are constantly replacing each other, given the significance, so if a person has not satisfied primitive needs, then he will not be able to move to other stages.

Types of needs according to Maslow:

1. Level #1- physiological needs. The base 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 all life. This category includes the need for food, water, housing, etc. To satisfy these needs, a person moves to active actions and begins to work.
2. Level #2- the need for security. People strive for stability and security. Satisfying this need according to Maslow's hierarchy, a person wants to create comfortable conditions for himself and for loved ones, where he can hide from adversity and problems.
3. Level #3- the need for love. People need to feel their importance to others, which manifests itself both on a social and spiritual level. That is why a person seeks to create a family, find friends, become part of a team at work and enter into other groups of people.
4. Level #4- the need for respect. People who have reached this period have the desire to become successful, achieve certain things and gain status and prestige. To do this, a person learns, develops, works on himself, makes important acquaintances, etc. The need for self-respect implies the formation of personality.
5. Level #5- cognitive abilities. People tend to absorb information, learn, and then apply the knowledge gained in practice. For this purpose, a person also reads, watches educational programs, in general, receives information from all existing ways. This is one of the basic human needs according to Maslow, because it allows you to quickly cope with different situations and adapt to life circumstances.
6. Level #6- aesthetic needs. This includes human aspirations for beauty and harmony. People use their imagination, artistic taste and desire to make the world more beautiful. There are people whose aesthetic needs are more important than physiological ones, so for the sake of ideals they can endure a lot and even die.
7. 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 your goals, develop spiritually, and also on the use of your abilities and. A person lives with the motto - "only forward."

Maslow's human needs theory has its drawbacks. Many modern scientists argue that such a hierarchy cannot be taken as true, since there are many shortcomings. For example, a person who decides to fast is contrary to the concept. In addition, there is no tool that would allow you to measure the strength of the needs of each person.