NEEDS OF MAN

The needs of man spring from the motivation to attain it for meeting his specific requirements such as physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs and lastly self-actualization. The theory of motivation was first put forth by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow. He formulated the needs-based framework on human motivation from his clinical experiences with the people. He put forth in his book “ Motivation and Personality” in 1954 the elaborated form of his motivational theory which is popularly known as the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

1)   Physiological needs 

These needs include the following which are the most fundamental necessity for sustaining life.

• Air 
• Water.
• Food.
• Sleep.

Fundamental needs are the first needs the man seeks to satisfy.And only then he is motivated to go for and recognizes higher needs like social or esteem needs.

2)Safety needs This is the need that man is motivated to seek which is directed to safety and security to feel free from physical and emotional threats. Such needs could be fulfilled by the following.

• Living in a safe area in a house.
• Job security.
• Financial reserves.
• Medical insurance.

 According to the Maslow’s hierarchy, if a person feels threatened physically then the other needs above the hierarchy will not be recognized by him .

3)   Social needs 

These include love and belonging needs. Once the lower-level ones like the physiological and safety needs are met , man is awakened to the next higher level which is the social need.This is the first category among  higher-level needs. Social needs are those which are related to  relationship with others and includes the following.

• Friendship.
• Belonging to a group.
• Giving and receiving love.

4)   Esteem needs 

   A person feels that he “ Belongs “, then the urge to attain a degree of               importance  emerges. Esteem needs can be categorized as external motivators and internal motivators.

• Internal Motivational factors that  include the esteem needs  such as self-esteem, accomplishments and self-respect.

• External motivational factors include those of reputation and recognition.
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• Examples of esteem needs include th following 

      A) Recognition (external motivator )

      B) Attention (external motivator ) 

      C) Social status (external motivator ) 

      D) Accomplishment (internal motivator ) 

      E) Self respect (internal motivator ) 

5)  Self Actualization 

Self-actualization is at the topmost level of Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid and thus is the summit of the motivation theory.It is about the quest for reaching one’s full potential as a person.Unlike the other down the level needs, this need is never satisfied because,  as a person grows psychologically he discovers new opportunities for continuing to grow. Self-actualized persons are more inclined to have motivation for the following .

• Truth 
• Justice 
• Wisdom 
• Meaning.

Self-actualized persons have time to time peak experiences which are energized moments of profound happiness and harmony. According to Maslow only a very small percentage of the population reaches the level of self-actualization .