Hierarchy of Human Needs

As quoted by Kalish, Maslow shows his hierarchy of human needs. According to Maslow, there is a tendency to “become more and more what one uniquely is”, to become everything that one is capable of becoming. This concept implies that people have a desire, or a need, to make something of themselves to do as much as their potential allows 35-48. There are seven levels of needs shown by Maslow. The first need is physiological need. Maslow divides physiological need into survival need and stimulation need. Survival need includes those produced by hunger, thirst, fatigue, temperature regulation demands, and pain avoidance 35. Stimulation need, including the need for sex, activity, exploration, manipulation, and novelty, does not appear necessary for personal survival 39. The fourth need according to Maslow is safety and security needs. Aiken states that safety and security needs are needs to be secured and out of danger 115. Maslow defines that everyone needs to feel safe from such harm as meeting with physical violence, having things he values taken away, or losing the care of parents or other protectors 43. Fifth is love and belonging needs. Aiken defines that love and belonging needs are needs to be with others and to be accepted by them 115. People with unsatisfied need for love or belonging to a group may go to great lengths to satisfy this need even at the cost of their self-esteem Kalish, 44. The needs of love and belonging include motives such as love and affection. As this need dominates, we feel a desire for friends, family, and social contact. As quoted by Pettijohn, if we do not satisfy the belonging and love needs, Maslow believes that psychological problems may develop 206. Sixth is an esteem and self-esteem need. Kasschau states that esteem needs are the need to achieve, be competent, and gain approval and recognition 144. Self-esteem needs also include the desire for strength, for adequacy, for mastery, for confidence in the face of the world, and for independence and freedom Kalish, 46. As quoted by Kasschau, a lack of love and esteem makes people anxious and tense 143. The last need is self-actualization needs. Aiken states that this level is the highest level which shows the human needs to fulfill one’s unique potential 115. Kasschau also defines that these needs may include the pursuit of knowledge and beauty, or whatever else is required for the realization of one’s unique potential 143. The need to self-actualize motivates people to grow and develop their talents Kalish, 48.

b. Deprivation of Love

In life, human being experiences many kinds of deprivation. These deprivations sometimes influence human emotion. Emotional deprivation means that because of environmental obstacles, the person is denied from stimulus objects which arouse emotional reaction. One example of emotional deprivation is deprivation of love. Hurlock defines that deprivation of any emotion is harmful to the personality, but deprivation of love is especially damaging 210-214. The theory of deprivation of love is beneficial to identify the effects of deprivation of love towards human behavior. Hurlock states that many adults experience deprivation of love, especially in the old age and after the death or divorce of a spouse. Deprivation can be almost as damaging to the self-concept in adulthood as in childhood. Deprivation of opportunities to love and to be loved delays the normal pattern of physical and mental development. This, in turn affects the personality. Some of the specific effects of emotional deprivation have been reported to the physical, social and emotional 211. Hurlock also states that the effects of deprivation to the human physical can be seen in listlessness, emaciation, quietness, general apathy, and psychosomatic illnesses. To human social, the effect can be revealed in handicaps in learning how to get along with people, lack of responsiveness to the advances of others, lack of cooperation, and hostility. And to the emotional deprivation, the effects can be seen in lack of emotional responsiveness and interchange the emphatic complex, feelings of insecurity, resentments as expressed in social behavior, restlessness, anxiety, temper tantrums, and many other forms of maladjustive behavior 212. One of the most common long-term effects of deprivation of love on personality is emotional insecurity, a feeling of not belonging and of being unable to count on the affection of significant people. The alienated person avoids social relationship outside the home because he has not found them satisfying in the