Do you know what the human being needs to be able to be alive? What motivates us the most? Why do we do a certain thing? What are the key elements that move us toward the things we want? We will understand this better when we learn about basic human needs.
The best-known theory about the needs of the human being is perhaps the one put forward by Abraham Harold Maslow, 1908-1970, American psychologist and philosopher. His theory of the hierarchy of needs is known as the psychological theory of self-actualization. The theory opened the new era of psychotherapy. The theory strongly suggests that the goal of psychotherapy should be the integration of the “self.”
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Maslow studied psychology at the University of Wisconsin and Gestalt psychology at the New School for Social Research in New York City. He later joined the faculty of Brooklyn College in 1937. In 1951 he became head of the psychology department at Brandeis University (Waltham, Massachusetts), where he remained until 1969. Influenced by existentialist philosophers and literary figures, Maslow was a major contributor in the United States to humanistic psychology, which is sometimes called the “third force.”
Maslow argued in his work “Motivation and Personality” that each person has a hierarchy of needs that must be satisfied. Needs include physiological needs, security needs, love needs, self-esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. The five needs can be explained as follows:
1 Physiological need: Man needs food, shelter, sex, heat, water, air and clothing. These basic elements are commonly known to be essential to being alive. There will be no progress in other areas of life if these needs have not yet been met.
2 Need for security: Human beings want security in life. He wants to be safe from all dangers and he wants to make sure that he can get on with our lives without any uncertainty.
3 Need for love and relationship: Man wants to be loved and wants to relate to others. We cannot live alone and we need to be recognized by our loved ones. The need for love is so strong that it is the main mold of character in childhood and is the main ingredient that shapes human life in psychological theory.
4 Need for self-esteem: This level of needs is understood as inner fulfillment. The man wants to know that he is important. Also, he wants to feel that sense of importance through himself. That’s why it’s called “Self-Esteem”.
5 Need for self-actualization: The highest level of needs requires that the human being understand himself and see the value in himself. He tries to find himself through religion and spiritual guidance from him. This is the area that is most significant in the life of the human being.
The first two levels are more on the physical side. The last three are more about emotional value. As each need is satisfied, the next higher level in the emotional hierarchy dominates conscious functioning. Maslow believed that truly healthy people were self-actualizing because they satisfied the highest psychological needs, fully integrating the components of their personality. The area can have the greatest motivating force if used correctly. Understanding the hierarchy of needs can help us know how to use the correct motivational techniques for ourselves and others.
Motivation is a complex topic that encompasses virtually all areas of psychology. No single theory is capable of explaining everything we know about motivational processes. Some reasons such as hunger, thirst and sexual activity seem to be better understood from a biological point of view. It seems that other motives are learned, and such motives help to explain the diversity and complexity of human activities. Still other motives are influenced by the cognitive processes in which we engage. Our interpretation of the events around us influences our future motivations.
Visualizing ourselves meets all of the above needs and will allow us to be closer to what we want in life. This will attract the circumstance and the attributes we need. Visualization will make our achievement more possible and much easier according to the law of attraction.