Theory of Human Needs

13 bottom and the highest of need is placed at the top of the pyramid. According to Maslow as cited in Feist, 2011, p.280-284, those five basic needs are: a. Physiological Needs Physiological needs are the basic, lowest and strongest one in the hierarchy of needs. This need covers the basic life needs such as water, food, oxygen, and so on. These needs must be fulfilled at some minimal level by each human in his or her life before someone is able to move to the higher level. If these needs are not fulfilled yet, the person will be not motivated to fulfill the higher level of needs. Physiological needs differ from other needs because it is the only needs which can be satisfied or even overly satisfied. Besides, physiological needs are able to reappear because of its recurring nature. b. Safety Needs After the physiological needs are fulfilled, human will start to pursue the higher level of needs which is safety or security needs. This includes physical security, stability, dependency, protection, and freedom from threatening forces i.e. war, terrorism, illness, fear, anxiety, danger, chaos and natural disaster. c. Love and Belongingness Needs Once the safety needs are fulfilled, people become motivated by love and belongingness needs. Humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, which is expected to be found both in one’s society and family. Besides, they need to love and be loved by others. Love and belongingness needs cover the desire for friendship, the wish for a mate and children, the need to belong to family, a club, a 14 neighborhood, or a nation. Deprivation to this need will lead to loneliness, social anxiety and clinical depression. d. Esteem Needs To the extent that people satisfy their love and belongingness needs, they start to pursue esteem needs, which include self-respect, confidence, competence, and knowledge. Maslow divides two level of esteem needs namely reputation and self-esteem. Reputation is the perception of prestige or recognition achieved by a person which is seen by the eyes of others. Meanwhile, self- esteem is a person’s own feeling of worth and confidence. When this need is met, people will be confident and valuable. On the other hand, people with low self-esteem will show lack of confidence in themselves and often believe that they are unworthy of the attention or regard of other people. This can lead to isolation and loneliness. e. Self-actualization Needs The last and the highest needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are the self- actualization needs. This includes self- fulfillment, the realization of all one’s potential, and a desire to become creative in the full sense of the word. These needs are psychological needs which develop and exploit all of his or her capabilities, potentialities, and talents to be everything he or she wants. It will enable a person to improve him or herself thoroughly and reach a healthy mental condition. 15

5. Review about Loneliness

There are many reviews about loneliness proposed by experts which is related to the topic of this study. This part presents a review about loneliness used in conducting and supporting this study. They are definitions of loneliness, types of loneliness, causes of loneliness, and the effects of loneliness.

a. Definitions of Loneliness

Human being needs to interact with others by establishing relationships. Establishing relationships with others is a universal and fundamental human need. People who have difficulty in establishing relationships will have negative effects, which is likely to be loneliness. Loneliness is a psychological experience which occurs in human being’s life and it is typically an unpleasant experience. Many different definitions of loneliness have been offered by researchers. Peplau and Perlman 1982 define loneliness as a feeling which appears whenever a person is unable to attain his or her desired relationship as cited in Baron, 1974, p. 521. This is supported by Kimnel and Weiner 1985, who define loneliness as an unpleasant experience because of a discrepancy between one’s actual relationship and desired companionship p. 330. In addition, Baron and Byrne 1987 state that loneliness can be a situation when a person feels isolated and friendless although he or she is in the midst of crowd p. 521. In conclusion, loneliness is a situation when a person is friendless or a situation in which a person has inability to fulfill his or her desired relationship. 16 People can be alone without being lonely. According to Baron and Byrne 1987, being alone is different from feeling lonely p. 523. It is supported by Tillich 1959, who also distinguishes solitude and loneliness as cited in Vanhalst, 2012, p.4. He explains that solitude expresses the joy of being alone while loneliness expresses the pain of feeling alone. Many people prefer solitude; it is when they choose to be alone but they do not feel lonely. For instance, a person is able to make friends and interact with them well and yet prefer to spend some times alone. It is usually done in order to spend leisure time in solitary activities such as pursuing a hobby, reading a book, listening to music, or having a self-reflection.

b. Types of Loneliness

Many social scientists have identified various forms of loneliness. In Perlman and Peplau 1984, there are three dimensions which divide loneliness into different types as cited in Peplau and Goldston, 1984, p. 16. These dimensions have to do with the positive or negative nature, the source, and the duration of loneliness. The first dimension was suggested by Moustakas 1961, namely positive or negative nature as cited in Peplau and Goldston, 1984, p. 16. He divides loneliness into existential loneliness and loneliness anxiety. According to Moustakas 1961, existential loneliness is a part of human condition which is inevitable and able to lead to positive experiences, for instance: periods of self-