Hi, I'm Julie Tietz. And welcome to Conflict Resolution-- putting the pieces together. Today, our topic for discussion is Maslow's hierarchy of needs. So why don't we get started off with our key terms.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs-- a model of universal categories of human needs developed by Abraham Maslow. So a little background on Maslow before we get started into his hierarchy of needs. He was an American psychologist that studied humanistic psychology. So he was interested in looking at how people desire to reach their full potential. And through his study, he created the Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
So Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a model of understanding of our universal human needs that are placed in an order. So let's start off with the bottom. And that's our physiological needs. And so this would include food, sleep, shelter, water, and air that we breathe.
Next is safety. And that's physical, financial security, and emotional safety as well. Love and belonging-- that includes affection, partnerships, friendships, memberships, relationships, our need to have a sense of belonging in this world.
Next is esteem. And that includes our self-esteem or how we feel about ourselves and respect-- how people treat and see ourselves and respect us. And then finally at the top is self actualization. So this is where we are meeting our potential up at the top.
And so each of these needs are in an order. And the base needs to be met before the next level or higher up need is focused on. But in any context, a person can determine or decide which need is to be focused on in that moment.
So how does Maslow's hierarchy of needs relate to conflict? Well, when there is something or someone impeding on our needs, this can lead to conflict. So let's use the physiological need, for example. You need sleep. You work really early in the morning. But you have a noisy roommate who comes in late most nights of the week. And due to her impeding on your need, your physiological need of sleep, this causes a conflict between you two.
Or another example could be your need for esteem. Let's say that there are some rumors going around about your integrity. And this harms your self-esteem. And you find out who has been spreading the rumors. And you confront that person. And this could also lead to a conflict because they are impeding on your self-esteem need.
So going back to the hierarchy of needs one last time so we can see that our five needs are physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self actualization.
So now that we've briefly covered Maslow's hierarchy of needs, let's go over our key points today. The hierarchy of needs is a model of our universal human needs so what we need to survive and what we need to reach our full potential. And each level or base need must be met before the next need can be addressed. But we as people determine which needs are going to be focused on at any given time.
And this is also considered the most useful model in understanding universal human needs. But remember-- or please keep in mind-- that it's not the only model out there. And if you're interested, you should consider looking into other models out there to understand the universal human needs. So I hope you've gained something and learned something more about your human needs and how this all fits in with your life. And I can't wait to catch you again next time.
