Lest We Forget Maslow

October 29, 2008 in Growing · Follow Me on Twitter

I never want to come off smug or ‘elitist’ (it’s my favourite buzz word of the moment) when I write about Cultural Creativity. It is sincerely not my intention. The understanding our subculture shares is only possible because of the circumstances we were born under. Each of us has been fortunate enough to be born into a supportive enough environment that we are able to satisfy our most basic needs.

Because we have satisfied our lower layer needs, such as safety, we are able to focus on self-actualization thus helping us to cultivate a more conscious and aware mind. This mindset change invariably shaped our values into that of a Cultural Creative.

The Five Layers of Human Needs
The Hierarchy of Needs Model by Abraham Maslow

designed by J. Finkelstein

We are in no way better than any one else. We couldn’t possibly think that and truly be self-actualized. Each of us has simply been afforded the opportunity, through God or our own actions, to lead the most conscious life we can. For this reason alone, we need to work together so that every human, at the very least, can satisfy their most basic needs.

Keep this in mind about Maslow’s Hierarchy:

  • people do not actually work through each stage one by one – we are much less structured in the way we satisfy our needs
  • Maslow’s hierarchy can be arranged differently depending on the culture – for example, in Tibetan Buddhism, self-actualization would be a primary, and thus bottom of the pyramid, need

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  • Maslow is a great stepping ground ... but the spiral continues. Spiral dynamics argues that human nature is not fixed: humans are able, when forced by life conditions, to adapt to their environment by constructing new, more complex, conceptual models of the world that allow them to handle the new problems. The best approach to this model is the new ILP - Integral Life Practice book by Ken Wilber and others.
  • Desiree,

    Thank you for the recommendation. Another reader has also suggested that I read up on Spiral Dynamics and I will be sure to.

    Ken Wilber´s name seems to keep coming up - it is obvious that I should pursue his teachings as it seems that he has great insights into a more conscious life.

    Tara
  • robert
    I am not much of a writer that's for sure. I meant that if you can maintain a detachment to materiality the distress that is entangled it's demand for continuance can be overcome.
  • Robert,

    I thought you expressed your thought's beautifully and I completely agree. Maslow's Hierarchy is simplistic but it does do a good job of outlining the basic needs we have as humans.

    But you are dead on with your summation that the chart needs to be turned upside down in order to properly express those needs that one can maintain in continuance.

    Very enlightening thoughts you have shared. Thank you. I appreciate them and the thoughts they have provoked in me.
  • robert
    I think that Maslow's ideas have a relative truth to them, but I like to kind of keep my eye on the ball so to speak and look at the ultimate truth as well.So what would an ultimate" need" be? Maslow's needs don't adress an actual fullfilment of needs, since everyone of the needs listed have a everchanging demand for continuancy and that demand is a pressurized contraption of unfullfilled needs, that are impossible to maintain. That impossibilty and constantly changing demand is a physiological and psychological burden and distress. A ultimate fullfilment of needs would have to be one that fills the criteria of being independent of change and can maintain it's own continuance. If you take Maslow hierarchy and ask the question, what needs can maintain a continuance you would have to turn the whole chart upside down, since the only need that can be met on a basis of continuance would be morality.If morality can be fulfilled then so can self esteem.If self esteem can be sustained then the rest of the psychological needs can be sustained.The burden of the physiological needs can be overcome through the continuance of a sustained application of detachment to materiality, surley the need for food, water etc. exists, but a detachment from craving it can actualy be maintained along with all the distess entangled within it's demands.This is sort of a simplistic generalization, but so is Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
  • johnny92104
    I believe that Maslow’s hierarchy can be applied creatively to all humans, no matter what your background/culture is. However Love/Belonging, Esteem and Self-Actualization are needs some people do not aspire too. Even a Tibetan Buddhist monk needs physiological realization. His safety is created from the monastic order, his love and belonging rise from his friendships in the order. His self-esteem and confidence are critical to the pursuit of self-actualization. Now once a person is self-actualized many of the lower human needs (physiological and safety) if taken away do not destroy the pentacle of his or her achievement. The only thing that changes is the way one copes with those deficiencies, however they still remain important foundational needs, especially the Physiological ones, because with out those we can not live.
  • Johnny,

    Thank you for the important insights into Maslow's hierarchy. I just finished reading Man's Search for Meaning and Viktor Frankl's message that man's greatest challenge is how he deals with his suffering resonated deeply. Your thoughts on Maslow's Hierarchy perfectly align with Frankl's observations.

    Meaning is found in how you react to the world not by what you receive from it.

    Thank you for further clarifying Maslow's ideas and sparking deeper thoughts in my mind.

    Tara
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