A Hierarchy of Needs

A Question

     What motivates people? Can human interaction be as simply as a random collection of reward-conditioned responses waiting for another opportunity?

An Answer

     In 1943, Abraham Maslow was curious and tried to answer what motivates people. His answer resulted in a theory about human needs which came to be known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. His theory is a set of propositions that explains why human beings act in predictable patterns. These patterns are designed to lead to feelings of human fulfillment.

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The Theory

     The basis of his theory rests on these notions:

1.     A human need is essential. It must be fulfilled because the survival of the species depends on it.  

2.     Human needs are prioritized. One set of needs would have to be fulfilled for the next set of needs to become a priority.

3.     The longer a human need is denied, the greater the energy expended  to acquire it.

4.     A person must fulfill a lower need before progressing on to the next need.

5.      Few people will satisfy all needs in a lifetime yet every person will pursue fulfilling these needs throughout their lives.

An Outcome

     What Maselow’s theory attempts to explain is the arc of every person’s life. People who make a minimum wage that is not a living wage are unable to take care of their first set of needs: food, clothing and shelter.

     Energy is continually expended on securing the basics. Human potential is, in essence, thwarted. As a result, their potential is left unrealized. Unrealized human potential means the human condition as a whole is impoverished. Some would say our present economy is just a symptom of this condition.