Hierarchy of Needs

As humans, we have desires and needs that must be fulfilled for us to function well and to be truly happy.  In 1943 according to simplepsychology.org, Abraham Maslow came up with what he considered to be the "Hierarchy of Needs".  His theory proposed that humans have five basic needs; elf actualization, esteem, social needs, safety, and physiological.  Each of these needs motivate humans.  We seek to gain each of them, and by attaining them, we tend to feel a certain satisfaction.  Fulfilling these needs becomes a journey, and the journey to achieve the social needs starts with family.

Social needs comprise mostly of seeking for love and belongingness.  These feelings come from a variety of areas, but first and foremost the originate in family life.  When we are born, our first social interaction is presumably with our family.  We belong to the family, and their love is what we grow up being surrounded by.  As we grow older, we still seek this love and compassion.  We find love in different areas such as friends or significant others.  The search for a place to belong leads many people to join sports teams, greek life, the military, clubs, and so many other areas.  It is quite apparent that the human needs to be loved and feel accepted, but why?

Maslow believes that the need for belonging and love creates a sense of security and fulfillment.  The feeling of others accepting us and loving us helps give us a sense of safety in ours lives.  With our society moving away from having family at the center of life, we are moving away from our ability to easily fulfill our needs.  According to his theory, Maslow believes that these needs must come from a motivation to have self growth.  In other words, we cannot simply just fall upon these needs without effort.

It is no secret that families are difficult.  Belonging to a family might not always feel as though it is an essential need to our emotional well being.  Yet, quite simply it is.  Throughout this blog, I have stressed the importance of family in all aspects of life.  I have discussed its important in my life and the wonderful memories it has provided me with.  Family plays an important role in shaping who we are.  We learn to interact, love, and live because of our families.  At the end of the day, they are who we can come to.  Most importantly however, our families help us fulfill the needs that we must obtain in order to be truly satisfied in life.

Remembering the role our families play in our hierarchy of needs is of pinnacle importance.  Push yourself to put the emphasis back on your family.  As you enter the holiday season, give thanks for all that they provide you.  I wish you and your families all a very happy Thanksgiving.

http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html