Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
We all have needs and if those needs are met we can flourish. Abraham Maslow devised a hierarchy of needs in the early 1940’s which attempts to highlight the separate stages we all need to have in place before we can really start becoming the best versions of ourselves - without the stages at the bottom of the pyramid we can’t have those at the top.
Physiological needs
At the most primitive level is surviving and sustaining life. We all need air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, something to put over us to keep us warm and a place to shield us from the elements.
Safety and security
On the next rung up are all of our safety needs; a job, living somewhere that feels secure, being in good health and having people who can protect us.
Love and belonging
This is where I meet most of my clients. Feeling disconnected and an absence of love from others or even ourselves can make life quite miserable.
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We all need to feel loved and a part of something.We may be experiencing troubles in our friendships, relationships, families or simply feel misplaced – without our tribe or not knowing who that is yet.
Self esteem
Maslow observed that once the fundamentals had been taken care of – the physiological, the basic safety needs and a core foundation of love and support - we could then start to thrive and begin to nurture self-esteem. We can grow in confidence and self-belief, become more connected to others and begin fostering desire for life and its potential.
Self actualisation
The hierarchy of need culminates, at the top with self-actualisation. This is where we are able to inhabit a mindset that is playful, creative, curious, brave, motivated, and has established its own ideas of what meaning is and how to live life with purpose. Self-actualisation is a pursuit rather than a destination. It’s a state which is constantly in flux, just as life is, so part of staying with it is learning to accept the things we cannot change, having the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.
The better we know ourselves and understand our experiences and what they mean to us, the more chance we have of being able to adapt with life. That is really the crux of how I see my role as a therapist; helping people figure out their own answer to what they can control and what they can’t in order to reach this stage of growth where they can thrive.