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As I already said, this is the lowest need, but it is very important, because without it a person cannot survive. That is, for example, if a person has nothing to eat, then he will first of all think about where to get bread, meat, or at least something to satisfy his hunger. When there is enough food, a person immediately reveals other, higher needs.
In general, this need reflects a pattern. After all, for example, hunger is not some kind of human whim. This is a physiological need that is inherent in every person. Imagine for yourself whether you would think about some purchase, for example, fashionable shoes, if you did not eat and your stomach was simply “sucking” from the inside.
Let's move on.
Safety
The need for protection and stability is the second step of the pyramid. This need begins to concern a person after he satisfies his physiological needs. A person needs protection from the dangers that await him in the world around him, and he also needs to know that his physiological needs will be satisfied in the future.
This confidence can be easily realized through the purchase of insurance policies or, for example, in the guarantees that the state and employer give us: pensions and social security. People need confidence that their work is reliable and nothing will happen, that they can continue to live and not bother, so to speak. The logic here is the same as for physical needs: when some extreme situations happen, the need for safety is the most important, the most necessary, a person can’t think about anything else.
Respect means to value, to recognize as important.
The need for recognition and self-esteem is one of the key human needs.
Unlike love and acceptance, which “by definition” are given freely, respect is something that a person creates for himself and others himself, through his actions, through his attitude.
Let's figure it out. What does it mean to “respect yourself”?
I once talked with a woman who lived her life in an amazing way: she was in a very free relationship with alcohol, soft drugs, smoked, led a very promiscuous lifestyle in terms of sex, changed partners of any gender without any reason in large quantities, easily ignored your promises.
And that's what surprised me.
Talking about a friend of hers who had gained excess weight, she was sincerely and quite seriously indignant: “You have to disrespect yourself so much to let yourself go like that!”
Indeed, my friend was in very good physical shape, slim and fit, wearing neat clothes.
For her, self-respect consisted of living in a slim, well-groomed, trained body and clothes.
For another person, self-respect would mean, for example, keeping one's word or being selective in choosing partners or earning a lot of money or always writing correctly.
I suggest here focusing on yourself and writing down: why do you respect yourself and/or other people?
Self-respect means considering yourself valuable, expressing this in attitude, and caring about your value through concrete actions.
The need for respect can be divided into two levels:
- This is respect for the person’s personality, i.e. recognition of the value of his existence in this reality, the value of his life path, his choice, his decisions.
The general respect for yourself and for others that you show by the fact that each of you lives, thinks, feels, appears and acts here.
- this is respect for achievements and implementation, recognition of a person’s value through his ability to be able, to do, to create, to overcome, and so on
We respect and appreciate a good doctor, a master with “golden hands” of any specialty, a sensitive and dedicated teacher, a faithful friend, a wise, strong and caring leader for his people, a good host and hostess, a tenacious warrior, an athlete who overcomes the limitations of the human body - you easily complete the list.
We respect those who have achieved success, realized themselves, done a worthy job - something that is valuable to us.
Respecting yourself and others means considering them to be sufficiently valuable individuals “by default” and confirming this with specific actions.
To deprive a person of respect, to devalue him, actually means to erase him from social and personal reality. Those. he remains to live as a biological being, but we refuse to consider him a person - someone who is worthy of respect.
Respecting yourself and others means appreciating and recognizing his right to life and his ability to choose exactly how to live and how to act, to trust his inner strength to cope with what happens in his life.
What could go wrong?
Initially, parents may not respect the child, consider him to be something like a toy, someone not valuable enough.
Another distortion is that they may consider it a “gift from Heaven,” a prince or princess, a tender blade of grass, a deliverance from loneliness, a helper for themselves, and a whole lot of others.
Their disrespect is manifested in depriving him of the right to think, feel, act.
Often, disrespect can appear as a result of parents' beliefs that “a girl is less valuable than a boy” or if the child is not talented enough by the parents’ standards.
Perhaps disrespect for the child’s father or mother will extend to him.
Such a person grows up initially accustomed to not respecting himself or others.
And at the same time, for him the need for self-esteem is very painful.
He does not know how to act and create something valuable, he does not know how to appreciate and express his attitude - respect for either himself or others.
What should I do?
Think, realize, develop your own point of view and learn, act.
First, figure out: what do you consider truly valuable in yourself, in others, in the world?
Then determine for yourself exactly how you express your attitude towards what is valuable, how you show your respect and act.
A simple example. Vasya lives, no one respects him, they devalue him, they joke about him, they offend him. He feels bad, he gets angry, swears, demands respect. But people react to this even worse.
At the same time, Vasya himself spits on the floor in the entrance and throws cigarette butts wherever he has to - it doesn’t occur to him to respect the work of the janitors. He is rude to his boss and considers his colleagues to be stupid idiots, and is late everywhere. He doesn’t say hello or goodbye, thank you is a word outside of his vocabulary.
The solution for Vasya is to start showing respect for himself and others with simple things: appreciating what people do, appreciating what and how he does himself, and appreciating himself and people in general as those who live this, sometimes not the easiest and simplest life.
When our Vasya gains self-esteem, begins to respect himself, others and the world around him, his need for self-respect and recognition is satisfied quite quickly.
Social affiliation
Human needs human. After the first two steps of the hierarchy have been completed: the person is well-fed, everything is fine financially, and he is safe, he understands that he is lonely and this weighs on him. He begins to look for a soul mate.
He needs support from others, he needs to know that he is accepted for who he is. He needs companionship, friends, family, love who will accept him as one of their own so that he can be comfortable with them. He needs to know that he belongs to a certain group of people, clan, team, class.
If this need is not satisfied, then the person simply will not be able to live in society, he will experience social maladjustment, and other more serious problems are possible.
How to learn to “give”?
- Accept the fact that deep down you have a need to do something important for others. And that when you do something for others, you satisfy that need, your own need. Recognize that you cannot feel fulfilled in your life and relationships unless you give yourself permission to “give” to other people.
- Think about what exactly you are afraid of when you are afraid to “give” to other people. What terrible, unpleasant, painful thing could happen if you stop being cold and unavailable?
- Ask your loved ones to acknowledge and thank you whenever you do something for them. Share with them that it is very important for you to receive positive feedback from them and that it motivates you to care more about them.
- Monitor these positive reactions and accumulate this experience within yourself when people express gratitude in response to your niceties. Again and again, collect within yourself the experience that proves that people are pleased, that they like it when you do something for them.
Next step: the need for respect
Any person needs an understanding that he does not live in vain, that his actions are valued. That is, every person needs recognition. It is important for him to know that his work and his achievements deserve only the highest praise.
An individual needs the feeling that he is the best, that he is competent in matters that he decides, that he is independent and free. But his reputation and prestige are also important to him.
If this need is satisfied, then the person becomes self-confident, he understands that someone needs him, that he is useful. A person becomes strong in spirit.
If this need is not satisfied, then the person immediately becomes helpless, weak, and perhaps even humiliated. Depression and despondency accompany such people.
Maslow also notes that only self-esteem that is based on well-deserved recognition, and not on the flattery of others or some single success, can be considered normal and adequate.
Criticism
The criticism of Maslow's pyramid comes down to the fact that it is extremely difficult to apply this model in practice. For example, if a person is not able to meet the basic needs of food and a comfortable place to live, this does not mean that he does not strive to realize his talents. Also, not every person seeks recognition in society - for some, a stable job and starting a family are enough.
There are many examples in history when people achieved success in life precisely because their basic needs remained unsatisfied. Thus, living in poverty can force a person to seek acceptance in society, bypassing the needs of security and belonging. And unrequited love can become an incentive to create magnificent works of art. For example, Van Gogh's passion for painting is attributed to failures in love.
The theory is criticized because of its hierarchy and the impossibility of fully satisfying needs. For example, physiological processes will always be relevant - a person constantly needs to drink, eat, and sleep. For some people, only part of the needs may be important.
The fact that over time Maslow completely revised his own theory is often cited in favor of criticism. In later work, he changed the motivational concept and abandoned the multi-level system.
In the new version, Maslow divided human needs into two types:
- “Scarce” (inferior). These are needs caused by a shortage of something and, accordingly, saturated.
- "Existential" (highest). This type of need is dictated by growth and development and is therefore insatiable.
Like the previous theory about the hierarchy of needs, the new vision was presented by the psychologist in the format of an assumption. The author hoped to find confirmation in the future, but did not have time.
The pyramid of needs should not be taken as an unshakable truth. This is not a strict classification of human needs, but an attempt to determine the more and less significant of them. Basic needs will dominate for most people. But different people may have different motivation systems, and for some, higher-level needs will be more important. By the way, according to Maslow, only 2% of people reach the level of self-actualization.
It turns out that Maslow’s pyramid still makes sense, but it does not need to be interpreted literally. For example, in marketing, the pyramid of needs is actively used when developing a sales strategy. The general principle of the theory is interpreted as follows: it is important to monitor trends in needs and direct efforts to satisfy more pressing ones.
Need for knowledge and understanding
Humans are naturally curious. Without development, it begins to bend, life ceases to bring joy. He always needs to learn something new, constantly develop, and keep up to date with the news. Otherwise, everything simply loses its meaning, life becomes like Groundhog Day. Yes, what can I say, a person can even become depressed from a lack of knowledge when life goes on without changes. But one can derive from this state - this need for knowledge must be satisfied.
In general, this need manifests itself already in infancy. It is even more pronounced in children than in adults. Moreover, this need develops on its own, regardless of any external factors.
Aesthetic need
At the penultimate level of Maslow's pyramid is the aesthetic need.
It is expressed in the aesthetics of designing the space around a person, that is, the need to satisfy the sense of beauty. It includes: fine arts, music, travel, theaters, museums, etc.
Sometimes even this stage can eclipse all others.
People who are deprived of these aesthetic pleasures and who are immersed in a world of ugly things, as well as ill-mannered, rude people, simply begin to get sick. And the only cure can only be immersion in the world of beauty and aesthetics.
Self-realization and authorship
Even if a person has satisfied all the levels of the pyramid that we talked about earlier, there is a chance that he will again feel dissatisfied. There will be a feeling that everything seems to be there, but something important is missing, THE MOST important thing. He needs to find his own business and start doing it. For example, a musician cannot live without music, an artist without painting, an engineer without design, a copywriter without writing texts, etc. A person needs to prove himself and his talent. That is, self-actualization is the embodiment of ideas and possibilities.
According to Maslow, self-actualization should be embodied in creating something useful for society, to improve people's lives.
This need is innate, but manifests itself only after all other steps have been completed. But there are people who feel this need even at lower levels. These are geniuses and talents. In this regard, Maslow said that such people create because they cannot satisfy their basic needs.
How to apply the pyramid on yourself?
Skillful use of the pyramid, for example, in management or a team, will help you solve problems or prevent them altogether. By using some techniques to highlight a person's strengths, talents and importance in the team, you can properly motivate your staff to achieve success.
You can interact much more effectively with the same children if you take into account their needs and desires.
In order to climb up the pyramid, you can read many books and articles about motivation, but it is better to take an online course or training once. Learning from a person who has walked this path will help you believe in yourself and achieve what exactly you want in this life. Under no circumstances should you listen to amateurs who shout at every corner: “Pay me and you’ll get rich!”
For me, such a person is Pavel Volya.
His online course “Improver Express” will teach 3 main things: initiative, action and efficiency.
The training consists of 23 chips. It was they who helped Volya turn from a simple beggar Penza guy into the highest paid presenter of the TNT channel and my favorite stand-up comedian. According to Forbes magazine, Pavel earns $2.5 million annually.
The course is suitable for both men and women from 16 years of age.
How the training will take place:
- You receive theory and practical assignment.
- Do it.
- If you did it right, move on to the next one.
If you don’t mess around and do all your homework responsibly, then pleasant changes await you: at work, in your personal life, with relatives and friends. This will lead to more money, connections and success.
Cost – 15,000 rubles. with access forever, but there is also the opportunity to take the course for 3,000 rubles.
If within 2 weeks you decide that the course is not suitable for you, your money will be returned.
After registering for training, a girl from Pavel’s team will contact you and answer all your questions regarding the training. You will discuss payment terms with her.
Also in this article you will find reviews of all courses of the “Willpower” project from Pavel and Laysan Utyasheva.
Pros and cons of Maslow's theory
Let's start with the positives.
The first thing I want to note is that for its time this theory was one of the most stunning, it changed the worldview of many.
So, the advantages:
- It is quite widely used in marketing and management.
After all, the theory shows well what needs of people and at what time organizations need to satisfy. For example, in times of crisis, the emphasis shifts to the needs of lower levels.
- On its basis, quite a few theories on motivation have been developed, which are still used today.
- Organized the needs. It became clear to people how an individual moves from satisfying one need to another.
- This theory can help you understand your thoughts, values, choose your direction of activity, and also understand what stage of life you are at.
- Thanks to it, you can make long-term plans and forecasts. Organizations can predict what people will need in 2-3 years. Thus, they can occupy this niche and make a good profit.
And in general, Maslow’s pyramid affected all sectors of life, business, etc. All people have encountered this theory in practice to one degree or another. For company managers, there is a lot of room for thought, because you can find out exactly what an employee needs at a certain stage, and in order for the work to be done well, you can motivate the person.
Now about the cons.
There are shortcomings in every theory, there is nothing to be surprised about. This theory has had and still has many critics. So, the main disadvantages of this theory include the following:
- When researching this theory, Abraham Maslow took only successful, active, healthy people as a model. But people are not the same, their behavior is different, so there cannot be any identical structure of behavior.
- It is not clear when and what need is satisfied. What satisfaction indicator should be taken? After all, one person may be satisfied that he has bread and water, but for another this is not enough.
- It is also impossible to explain the motives for a person’s extraordinary actions. After all, there are often cases when a person does something, but it is contrary to his interests and even jeopardizes his safety. For example, when firefighters save people in a burning house, they completely forget about their safety.
Or, for example, the behavior of creative individuals is also impossible to explain, because they may not satisfy their basic needs, for example, sleep or food, but satisfy aesthetic needs or, in general, the very last step - the need for self-actualization. Artists create non-stop and are not distracted even by food when they are inspired.
Also, this hierarchical principle is imperfect, since a very large number of people strive to satisfy several of their needs at once, they do not wait until the lower levels are satisfied, they need everything at once.
Application of Maslow's pyramid in areas of life
Some people say: “This, of course, is all cool, but why do I need this pyramid?” You may not need it now, but don’t rush to dismiss it. We become familiar with the described scheme from the birth of the baby.
If you have already had such a happy experience, remember whether a 3-6 month old child smiles at you with pleasure or communicates if he is really hungry? Of course not! Until you feed the little “glutton”, there is no talk of any cute baby, you see in front of you an indignant and screaming little man whom you can’t even try to feed!
The same applies to family relationships. If you and your spouse have different needs, sooner or later problems will begin in such a marriage. For example, you like active recreation, she doesn’t. You strive to attend theaters and cultural events, but he spends all his free time playing computer games and cannot put two words together in a sentence...
It is not only the spouses who interact in the family. You also need to build relationships with your teenagers. For example, take the need for belonging in a teenager. In an effort to satisfy her, such “children” can forget about their studies, moral values, and behavior within the framework of the law.
Well, are we all about family, but about family (although this is my favorite topic!)? Let us now consider the sphere of human work. If he struggles and struggles, but is unable to provide for himself while working “on his own,” then he loses calm, restless sleep, anxiety, and everything is bad. Why? Because he doesn’t get enough sleep (minus 1st level) and doesn’t feel secure for tomorrow (minus 2nd level). What kind of development can we talk about?
When you can’t make money this way, find a job, even if you don’t love it, but which will give you the opportunity for several months not to think: “What should I eat tomorrow?”
Why is it that now many advertisements on billboards and pictures on TV are full of half-naked women and slowly flowing, eating or chewing food? It's simple. Marketers successfully use Maslow's pyramid to stimulate your interest in a product through basic physiological needs!
