Have you ever wondered if you are limited by your surrounding or the people around you?
Or you are so worried about your basic necessities like paying rent or your next meal, that you
don’t have time to think contributing to society?
This can all be explained using the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
In this video, we’re going to talk about what that theory is and understand what’s
holding you back from unlocking your true potential.
It’s Your Unlocked Potential, and let’s go!
[Intro Music]
I briefly talked about it before, but in this video, I want to go a lot more in-depth because
this concept is truly important.
In 1943, Abraham Maslow published his paper called “A Theory of Human Motivation”
in the journal Phycological Review.
The theory goes like this.
There are five levels of needs in our lives.
You start off from the most fundamental level and you move up the ladder.
But here’s the key.
You cannot fully transition from one level to the next without satisfying the previous
level’s need first.
Let me talk about each level first before we get into that.
The first and most fundamental level is your physiological needs.
These are things such as food, water, air, shelter, sex, and physical warmth.
The next level is your safety needs.
This second level includes your safety, security, away from harm or predators, law and order,
and freedom from fear.
The third level is the feeling of belongings and love.
This level includes the feeling of love and care from your friends, family, and intimate
relationships along with other qualities like trust, social acceptance, work etc.
The fourth level is your esteem needs.
This includes prestige, feeling of accomplishment, such as being a boss or a manager, respect
of others, dignity, and independence.
Then, last level is self-actualization which involves achieving one’s full potential,
unlock true creativity, and contributing beyond.
This last level is the level you want to be, and the level you want to reach.
The 5 levels can be categorized in two ways: the first way is three main categories of:
Basic needs, psychological needs, and self-fulfillment needs.
The first two levels, physiological needs and safety needs, fall under the category
of “basic needs”.
This is because these are needs you require for survival and minimal living as a human
being.
The next two levels, love and belonging and esteem, fall under the “psychological needs”
category, because at this point it’s not longer just about survival but more about
using your mind and to bring your skills to the table.
And the last level, self-actualization, for obvious reasons, fall under “self-fulfillment
needs”.
The second way of categorizing is based on deficiency needs versus growth needs.
The first four levels are considered deficiency needs and the topmost level is the growth
needs.
Deficiency needs (also known as D-needs) are called that way because the needs of higher
level not sufficient and unmet, which in turn motivates you to be better.
Often, the motivation to fulfill such needs will become stronger the longer the duration
they are denied.
For example, the longer a person goes without food, the hungrier they will become.
Growth needs (also known as being needs or B-needs) do not come from the lack or denial
of something, but the true desire to want to growth as a person.
Once the growth needs have been reasonably satisfied, then that person may be able to
reach the highest level called self-actualization.
While there is little scientific evidence for this theory, Maslow himself has acknowledged this.
In 1954, he fully expressed the details of this theory and it has withstood the test
of time.
It is often used as a framework in sociology research, management training, and secondary
and higher psychology teachings.
In the 1960s and 1970s, these five stages actually shifted to an eight-stage model.
But that’s for later in this video.
Enough about the theory, let’s talk application first.
OK, so I’ve talked a lot about what is the theory of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
But why is this even important.
Why is understanding this theory able to help you break away from limiting your true potential?
Well, as I said earlier in this video, in order for you to go higher in your level of
needs, you should have fulfilled your required needs.
For example, you won’t be thinking about having friends or loved ones (level 3) if
you don’t even have a place to live (level 2).
You might not even think about a place to live (level 2) if you have limited air to
breathe (level 1).
And this is why in order to be better, you need to have your basic needs met.
In fact, for most of us who were born in developed countries and in the middle class, we don’t
have to worry about shelter or food.
We already have the first two levels met that we sometimes take for granted.
But it’s because we already have our basic needs, we try to achieve level 3 and level
4 throughout our life.
One thing to note is that not everyone can get to these later levels. And some might not even have their earlier levels fulfilled.
It requires self-awareness and motivation to get to later levels.
To get a better life.
For some people are satisfied with a simple life with just their basic needs
met.
But for those who want to achieve more, they need to realize that some people, even with
basic needs met, have trouble making friends or relate to others on a social level.
And this can in turn affect their career or networking skills.
This is why soft skills often times is so much more important than technical skills
to become managers, leaders, or bosses.
They can push beyond that limit and earn the respect of their peers or colleagues.
Once they have acquired those needs, they can try and become the best version of themselves
and perhaps one day give back to society.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the original five-stage models actually shifted to include a seven-stage
model and then an eight-stage model.
Two additional levels were inserted between the 4th and 5th level and they are cognitive
needs, striving for knowledge and understanding, curiosity, exploration, need for meaning and
predictability and Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.
After these then come self-actualization needs, which we talked about, and the last and 8th need is the transcendence
needs.
Now transcendence needs are special.
This one is when a person is motivated by values which transcend beyond the personal
self.
This may involve mystical experiences and certain experiences with nature, aesthetic
experiences, sexual experiences, service to others, the pursuit of science, religious
faith, that is not longer just about one’s self, but about giving back to the universe.
And the reality is that there are many people who struggle to get out of the lower levels.
Whether they may be homeless, stricken with poverty, unable to make friends, unable to
advance their career, or whatever it may be - it is good to be compassionate and understand
their needs.
And those who are lucky, blessed, or worked hard to reach the higher levels, perhaps they
should hold out a helping hand to lift them up.
Remember that a truly leader lifts up others, not bring them down.
With that, I want to ask the question.
Have you heard of the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
And will you use this theory to motivate yourself to get to the next level – to break past
your limit.
Let me know in the comment section down below.
I look forward to hearing it.
And of course, don’t forget to like and subscribe for more organizational psychology
video to help you improve yourself.
Keep on learning and keep on improving.
I’ll see you all next Sunday.
Cheers!
[OUTRO MUSIC]