Needs Hierarchy

Physiological needs which are food,water,clothing and shelter are necessary to sustain life and are at the base of the hierarchy.

Satisfaction of physiological needs is usually associated with what money can buy. An individual who lacks the basic neccesity in life probably be motivated primarily by physiological needs.

Safety needs begin to manifest wnen physiological needs are basically fulfilled.Protection from physical dangers is one of the most common followed by economic security needs.

Fringe benefits such as accident,health. and life insurance programs help to fulfill this need. the third common safety need is the desire for an orderly,predictable environment.

Esteem becomes the dominant need when physiological,safety, and social needs are basically satisfied. This need is twofold: the person must feel important and must receive recognition from others which supports these feelings. Most people would conclude that they are greatly overrating themselves but when the people around them,make it clear that they are indeed important,feelings of self-esteem,self confidence, prestige, and power are all produced. Full satisfaction of course, rests with the individual.

Power is another esteem related need, which leads to a motive of winning respect and recognition from others. When this esteem need is basically satisfied, the self-actualization need becomes important which is the desire to become more and more what one idiosyncratically is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming. The individual is interested in self-development,and creativity in the broadest sense of the word such that attempts to realize full potential at this level of the hierarchy are observed.

The following should be noted,

>the hierarchy must not be viewed as a rigid structure. The next need may be on the rise when the intensity of one is on the decline.

>some individuals may be continually concerned with physiologicaland safety needs and so remain primarily at the lower levels of the hierarchy.

>there is no empirical support that the specific order of needs so suggested applies to everyone.

>similar behaviour from two different people does not neccessarily represent the same need.