An American psychologist named Abraham Maslow came up with the idea of a “hierarchy of needs” in her 1943 paper titled “A Theory of Human Motivation”.
Her work was condensed into a triangular chart.
The most basic needs were at the bottom, psychological needs in the middle, plus the need for self-fulfillment perched at the top. The 5 steps begin with basic needs like food, water, plus security. Higher up are needs for friends, relationships, plus self-esteem. The lofty goal of self-actualization, achieving one’s full potential, plus participating in creative skills can only be reached if the lower needs are met, but it sounds to myself and others like a “starving artist” cannot exist. I have my doubts about this chart for more than one reasons… First is the idea of living up to one’s full potential, however not everyone can be a Rembrandt or a DaVinci who legitimately lived up to their artistic potential. I get lots of self-fulfillment when I invent a poor pun or create a risqué limerick, but no one will pay a fortune for my “works” leaving myself and others unfulfilled. The fourth problem is that Maslow could not have predicted how Heating plus Air Conditioning fits into her chart. Heating plus Air Conditioning provides a basic need of comfort plus it makes one suppose safe plus secure. If it could cook plus tend the bar, my Heating plus Air Conditioning machine would cover all my basic needs, but on the list of psychological needs are prestige plus a sense of accomplishment that were both realized when our new state of the art Heating plus Air Conditioning machine with the “Smart” features was turned on for the first time. I’m still laboring on that 5-line poem that will put myself and others into the Limerick Hall of Fame (if it exists).