Psychological Needs

According to Abraham Maslow (n.d.) “What a man can be, he must be. This need we call self-actualization.” With this being said, first I am going to explain Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and how this hierarchy makes sense to me. Next I am going to explain how Maslow’s hierarchy relates to motivation. Last I am going to explain why I find the psychological needs to be the most challenging.

First, I am going to explain Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and how this hierarchy makes sense to me. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is a list of needs to ultimately reach self-actualization. In Maslow’s hierarchy, the levels of needs are basic needs, psychological needs, and self-fulfillment needs. These needs are required to reach self-actualization. This hierarchy makes sense to me in the idea of how I think my life is going. I think that it is necessary to achieve the lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy just to proceed with the higher levels. I think that you must have the basic needs such as food, water, warmth, rest, security, and safety before you can form an intimate relationship to fulfil some of the psychological needs. For example, I created a lifestyle for myself that included holding a job that kept food on the table, the water bill paid, and a roof over my head. After I had all of those basic needs under control, I then felt it acceptable to go out and find that “special someone” to fulfil the psychological needs of an intimate relationship. This is how Maslow’s hierarchy makes sense to me.

Second, I am going to explain how Maslow’s hierarchy relates to motivation. I feel that Maslow’s hierarchy relates to motivation in two ways. The first way is how achievement motivation correlates with areas of success such as school grades, job performance, and worker output much like the psychological needs in Maslow’s hierarchy with prestige and feelings of the accomplishment. The second way is how achievement motivation is roughly defined as “the desire for...