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Unlock This CourseHave you ever wondered why you feel hungry at lunchtime, why you want to fit in with your friends, or why you feel proud when you achieve something? These feelings all come from our basic human needs. Understanding needs is crucial in psychology because they are the driving force behind almost everything we do.
Needs are like invisible forces that push us to act. When we feel hungry, we're motivated to find food. When we feel lonely, we're motivated to seek companionship. This session will help you understand how these needs work and why they're so important in explaining human behaviour.
Key Definitions:
Human needs are things we must have to survive and thrive. They range from basic physical requirements like food and water to more complex emotional needs like love and respect. When our needs aren't met, we feel uncomfortable or distressed, which motivates us to take action.
Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, created the most famous theory about human needs in 1943. He suggested that our needs are arranged in a pyramid shape, with the most basic needs at the bottom and the most advanced needs at the top. According to Maslow, we must satisfy lower-level needs before we can focus on higher-level ones.
Imagine a pyramid with five floors. You can't reach the top floor without first going through all the floors below. That's how Maslow's hierarchy works with our needs.
These are our most basic survival needs: food, water, air, sleep and shelter. Without these, we literally cannot survive. A hungry person will focus on finding food before worrying about anything else.
Once we have food and shelter, we need to feel safe and secure. This includes physical safety from harm, financial security and protection from danger. Think about having a stable home and feeling protected.
Humans are social creatures. We need to feel loved, accepted and like we belong somewhere. This includes friendships, family relationships and being part of groups or communities.
Sarah is a Year 10 student. She skips breakfast (physiological need not met) and struggles to concentrate in her first lesson. After eating lunch, she feels better but worries about bullies in the corridor (safety need). Once she feels secure with her friend group, she starts caring about her grades and wants recognition from teachers (esteem need). Eventually, she might pursue her passion for art (self-actualisation).
The top two levels of Maslow's hierarchy are considered higher-order needs because they're more complex and relate to personal growth rather than basic survival.
These involve feeling good about yourself and gaining respect from others. This includes self-confidence, achievement, recognition and status. When you feel proud of getting a good grade or being chosen for a team, you're satisfying esteem needs.
This is about reaching your full potential and becoming the best version of yourself. It involves creativity, problem-solving, pursuing personal interests and helping others. Not everyone reaches this level and it's often a lifelong journey.
Psychologists classify needs into different categories to better understand how they influence our behaviour. Each type serves a different purpose in our lives.
Understanding these three main types of needs helps explain why people behave differently in various situations.
These are needs our body requires to function properly. They include hunger, thirst, sleep and temperature regulation. These needs are universal - everyone has them regardless of culture or background.
These relate to our mental and emotional well-being. They include the need for autonomy (feeling in control), competence (feeling capable) and purpose (feeling like life has meaning).
Humans are social animals, so we need connection with others. This includes friendship, romantic relationships, family bonds and feeling part of a community or group.
Many teenagers spend hours playing video games. Why? Games often satisfy multiple needs: competence (achieving goals and levelling up), autonomy (making choices) and social connection (playing with friends online). Understanding this helps explain why gaming can be so motivating and sometimes addictive.
When we have an unmet need, it creates tension or discomfort. This uncomfortable feeling motivates us to take action to satisfy the need. Once the need is met, the tension reduces and we feel satisfied - until another need arises.
1. Need arises → 2. Tension/discomfort → 3. Motivated behaviour → 4. Need satisfied → 5. Tension reduces → 6. New need arises. This cycle continues throughout our lives, driving most of our behaviour.
While all humans share basic needs, how we express and satisfy these needs can vary greatly between individuals and cultures. What makes one person feel secure might be different from what makes another person feel secure.
Different cultures prioritise needs differently. For example, some cultures emphasise individual achievement (esteem needs), while others focus more on group harmony and belonging (social needs).
In some cultures, students are motivated primarily by family honour and not disappointing parents (social needs). In others, students are motivated by personal achievement and individual recognition (esteem needs). Both approaches can be effective, but they satisfy different types of needs.
While Maslow's hierarchy is widely known, it's not perfect. Some criticisms include:
Understanding needs is useful in many real-world situations:
Teachers can create better learning environments by ensuring students' basic needs are met (safe classroom, regular breaks) before focusing on higher-level learning goals.
Employers can motivate workers by addressing different levels of needs: fair pay (physiological), job security (safety), team building (belonging), recognition (esteem) and opportunities for growth (self-actualisation).