Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

"What makes you work so hard?"

I asked this question during a conversation with a friend a few days ago. This guy is someone who puts a lot of effort into his work, and since I'm really drawn to people who take the initiative and work diligently, I couldn't help but ask.

When I asked, he seemed a bit hesitant before answering.

“I just want the world to be a little better because of me.”

How would you feel if someone said that to you? Honestly, it might feel a bit awkward or maybe even a little naive. Or even faking.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Have you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? It’s a pretty well-known theory, so you must be familiar with it. To put it simply, it suggests that humans have five levels of needs. These needs are arranged in a pyramid, and you have to satisfy the lower-level needs (the first level) before you can move on to the higher ones. Here are the five levels:

1. Physiological Needs: These are the most basic human needs. Things like having a warm place to live or being able to fill your stomach fall under this category.

2. Safety Needs: This is the desire to feel safe and protected from physical or emotional harm. Maslow said about this need, “If someone is constantly and extremely seeking safety, you could say they live solely for safety.”

3. Belongingness and Love Needs: These involve the desire for belonging and love. Wanting to be part of a group or seeking recognition from those around you fits here. Love between partners is a perfect example.

4. Esteem Needs: Once your social needs are somewhat met, you start wanting more. It’s not just about being a member of a group anymore; it’s about wanting to have influence within that group and earn the respect of others.

5. Self-Actualization Needs: This is all about wanting to achieve and realize your full potential. It’s the drive to keep growing, developing, and completing yourself by using your talents and abilities.

Means to satisfy your needs

My friend saying that he wants to create a better world or make a positive impact on his community is all about fulfilling that fifth need: self-actualization. The idea is that by making the world better, he can achieve self-fulfillment. In other words, you aim to improve the world to satisfy your own needs.

He actually did mentioned that if he has to give up everything he has and dedicate himself entirely to making the world a better place, he probably couldn’t. Only those who are truly altruistic might be able to. I feel the same way. Neither him nor I are driven purely by altruism; instead, we’re motivated more by (good) selfishness.

What about you? What kind of needs do you have? What drives you? Why do you work? If you work hard, why do you do so? And if you don’t, what do you focus your time and energy on? Where do you pour your time and effort, and why? What needs are you trying to satisfy?

See you next week.