Hierarchy of Needs

Hierarchy of Needs

                                    In 1943 Abraham Maslow came up with stages of human needs i.e Hierarchy of Needs. Simple because he wanted to know what motivates people. and after studying and examining he stated that people are motivated to certain needs which are Physiological Needs, Safety Needs, Social Needs, Esteem Needs and Self Improvement needs. These needs are explained in different stages, Physiological need being the first stage and from there, going upwards. Physiological needs contains or explains the very basic, day to day needs in our lives such as air, food, shelter, water, sleep, sex and warmth. Now the stage after this is Safety Stage, which consists of protection from elements that can put our life in danger, security, order, law, stability and freedom from fear. Next, the social need basically demands for friendship, intimacy, affection and love- from work group, family, friends, and romantic relationships. The need for Achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others, fall into Need for Esteem and last but not the least, Self Improvement needs is need for Realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

                     These needs are the very basic example of how we work daily and what we work for. Every one of us works to fulfill one need or the other. Later there were few more need added to this structure of Hierarchy of Needs, which were Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, (chase knowledge. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self actualization; spirituality. Now, the flow need not work according to the structure. Some need may fall beforehand.