NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS IN SOCIETY

Needs of individuals in society

Needs of individuals in society

Task: 1

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

In 1943, American psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed his famous theory on the hierarchy of needs. The pyramid consists of five levels of hierarchy. The lower-level needs are biological in nature, while needs at the higher level are physiological in nature. According to Maslow's theory, one can fulfil his or her physiological needs in accordance with the relative urgency of the needs. Safety needs tend to influence human behaviour in distinctive ways and these may include the need for shelter, need for interaction with other people etc (Maslow, 1943, 39).

Esteem needs tend to satisfy extreme needs of an individual. For example, if an employee's self esteem is hurt, he may feel negative about his surroundings and vice versa. The need to self actualise refers to the concept of maximising potential leading to peak achievement.

These are the needs that are usually taken as the starting point for motivational theory. If physiological needs such as food, drink, shelter, sex, and so on are not met, the person will never move onto the next level of need. Undoubtedly these needs are the most basic of all needs. What this means specifically is, that if all needs are unsatisfied the person is dominated by the physiological needs. Furthermore, all other needs may become non-existent or be pushed into the background.

Once the physiological needs are satisfied, the "higher" needs emerge and these dominate the organism. When these in turn are satisfied, again new (and still "higher") needs emerge and so on. If the physiological needs are satisfied, then, according to Maslow, there will be new requirements in this case, the security needs. He believes that "everything has been said about the physiological needs may be - albeit to a lesser extent - and referred to the desires of this kind. The body can be covered only by them. They can serve as perhaps the single defining behavior began, subordinating all the body's ability, which allows us to present in this case the body as a mechanism tending to the attainment of security.

Maslow illustrates his point about the need for safety, considering the desire to secure a child and adult behavior or neurotic almost neurotic, who often behave like a child, do not feel safe. This is what is meant by saying that the basic human needs are organised into a hierarchy. People's desire for some sort of order and predictability in the world is reflected in safety and security needs. Safety needs usually focus on protection from physical harm. This means safe working conditions, safety standards to reduce environmental hazards, and the sense of security that one is stable in their job, that they can provide for their families, and that they will have resources in case of sickness or in retirement.

Everyday Needs of Individuals In Society

  Retailers today address these needs through providing well lit parking lots, strategically placed store cameras, caution signs for wet ...