Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Does it Affect Your Personal Development?

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We all have needs. We might voice these in our relationships in an effort for our needs to be met and for others to understand us.

But at the end of the day, we actually all have very similar needs that we need to be fulfilled. While humans are complex creatures, when we break it down, we are really quite simple too!

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs outlines the innate levels of needs all humans tend to require. When one level is met, we move up to the next level of needs. These needs are based on human motivation.

For instance, the first level of needs involves what is required for basic survival. In other words, we are motivated to fulfill these needs to survive. And these needs have to be met before we can start searching for safety, love, and more.

So, let’s dig a bit deeper!

What should you know about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

How can knowing what these needs involve propel your personal development journey forward and help you find fulfillment and happiness in your life?

What is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Meaning?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs works in a pyramid, with the first level being at the bottom. As mentioned above, each level of the pyramid must be fulfilled before moving to the next level. So, let’s break this down a bit…

Maslow's hierarchy of needs can help us understand more about our needs and where we are at in life.

Credit:sabelskaya

The Deficiency Needs

These needs encompass the first two levels of the pyramid.

It includes your basic physiological needs for survival, like:

food
shelter
clothing
sex
sleep

It also includes needs around safety and security, such as:

health
family
property
freedom from danger

If these needs aren’t met, we are going to be preoccupied with filling them. We won’t be able to move past the first level without food, shelter, clothing, or sleep, and we won’t be able to move past the second level without feelings of security and safety.

However, once these needs are met, we can start to foster and nurture growth needs.

It’s important to note here that “deficiency needs” refers to behaviors that are a “means to an end.” The motivation for these needs also increases the longer a person goes without them.

For instance, you’ll become hungrier the longer you go without food. When the need is no longer “deficient,” a person may begin to fulfill growth needs and move up from there.

The Growth Needs

Growth needs begin to move past our physiological needs and include more psychological needs, such as:

love and belonging, which may include friendships, family, intimacy, and a sense of connection
self-esteem, which may include confidence, achievement, and respect of others

Through these pathways, we look to “self-actualize.”

“Self-actualize” is when our full potential is realized, and all our needs are met. But before we get there, our growth needs must be met. These are motivated by our own desire to grow. Usually, this type of progress is hindered by a lack of needs below it being met.

In fact, many people actually move back and forth through all the different levels of needs before achieving self-actualization, or some, sadly, will never get there. But it is possible!

Self-Actualization

This is at the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid.

It’s where creativity, morality, spontaneity, acceptance, purpose, meaning, and inner potential all occur. But they will only occur when the growth needs and deficient needs are met first.

The levels are also not super rigid. There are instances where people have broken this mold. Thus, needs truly are based on individual circumstances and differences. At the same time, most tend to follow this general motivational pathway.

How is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Used Today?

Today, this model is often used by psychologists to help understand their clients better, such as their:

desires
motivations
goals
experiences

It can further empower individuals to get their needs met and understand the steps they may need to take to achieve their full potential or desires.

For instance, if your health is declining due to a lack of exercise, this often needs to be a focus before you can achieve self-actualization and demonstrate the full extent of your skills or abilities.

But again, there is an argument for the hierarchy of needs not following a linear pathway. In fact, many experts argue that this theory is difficult to test. But many more also argue that it can offer a guideline for understanding, especially when an individual is struggling.

How Can You Use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

Many of us are privileged and have our basic survival needs met.

However, many struggle with the two levels, love and belonging and self-esteem. Getting past these is often difficult for many, especially with technology and social media almost forcing comparisons between individuals.

At the same time, identifying what needs work can help you eventually achieve your full potential. For instance, maybe your confidence needs work, and this is leading to issues in your career and personal life. Or perhaps you need to leave that toxic relationship in order to find that sense of belonging somewhere else.

There are various and countless situations where identification of your needs can lead to changes that will make your life that much better.

At the same time, maybe your confidence is impacting your ability to look after your health. Again, this hierarchy includes differing pathways and isn’t always linear. These needs can interact with one another and produce various consequences.

The best thing you can do is examine the pyramid and understand where you might be lacking. From there, you can determine the best way you can fulfill your own needs to get to where you want and need to be!