A heirarchical perspective of needs is not for everyone

Understanding the needs of an individual is highly important in many aspects of life and society. Businesses try to understand it to motivate staff and attract new customers, educators aim to enhance learning experiences and support workers focus on ensuring that people access the care they need. Recognising and addressing these diverse needs can lead to greater personal and professional fulfilment, fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment for everyone involved.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

One of the key theorys behind understanding human needs was published by Abreham Maslow in 1943 in his paper “The Theory of Human Motivation”. This theory tends to be displayed in a pyramid form in the as shown here:

Maslow’s hierarchy suggests that there is a structured pattern through which human needs and motivation generally progress. For example in order for safety needs to be met, physiological needs must be met first. This hierarchy is typically divided into five levels:

1. Physiological Needs: These are the basic needs for survival, such as food, water, and shelter.
2. Safety Needs: Once physiological needs are met, the need for security and protection becomes prominent
3. Love and Belonging: The next level involves emotional relationships, including friendships, family, and intimacy.
4. Esteem Needs : This level encompasses the need for self-esteem, recognition, and respect from others.
5. Self-Actualisation: The final level is the realisation of one’s full potential, seeking personal growth, and peak experiences.

This hierarchical structure indicates that more fundamental needs must be satisfied before higher-level needs can be pursued. However, Maslow’s model does not always apply universally, as self-actualisation can mean different things to different people.

Diverse Paths to Self-Actualisation

Individuals prioritise the various aspects of Maslows heriachy in unique ways reflecting their personal goals, values, and circumstances. For example,

• Female models and ballet dancers often emphasise body shape and weight, sometimes to the detriment of meeting their nutritional needs. This intense focus on physical appearance can overshadow other basic needs.
• For those with extreme goals, such as summiting Mount Everest, only the top two tiers of the hierarchy—esteem and self-actualisation—might be realised, and even then, only if they survive the endeavor.
• For some people love and belonging, is their self-actualisation. This could include raising children and then grandchildren and finding deep fulfilment in family life.
• Some individuals find self-esteem and self-actualisation through caring for others. This work, often low-paid, means they might forgo financial security for the emotional satisfaction of helping others.
• There are those who are ambitious and seek career progression. They find their fulfilment in their work and some continue working long beyond retirement age. Others, while finding work satisfying may prioritise family and/or hobbies and look forward to retirement.

This would suggest that needs are not hierarchical and are in fact interdependent and far more influenced by context. A better diagram that takes personal preference into account might look like this:

This diagram allows an individual to choose the aspects that are important to them and to mix and match according to their personal constraints. It may not be possible or even desirable to be fulfilled in all areas. Choices have to be made and choices affect those around you. If you have a family then their needs have to be taken into account as well. Sometimes what you think will help you attain self-actualisation doesn’t provide the satisfaction you thought it would.

Children

Recognising and nurturing individual interests from an early age can significantly impact a child’s development and sense of fulfilment. Some children may find self-actualisation in creative expression, such as art or music, while others may thrive in sports, academics or finding out how things work. Encouraging children to explore their passions can lead to lifelong skills and a deep sense of satisfaction. Understanding that each child is unique and supporting their individual needs can help them grow into well-rounded, fulfilled adults.

Autistic people

With autism, it is often difficult or even impossible to meet social needs because of lack of understanding of other people and because other people don’t understand them. Feelings of rejection and loneliness, sometimes leading to intractable anxiety are common. Sometimes engaging with people, is so difficult that the autistic child gives up at an early age. Sometimes an adult will deny they have any social needs. Sometimes an autistic adult will (partially) meet social needs via animals. Others seek online communities.

Some autistic people give up trying to meet social needs and find other ways of self-actualisation, by meeting cognitive needs and/or becoming very knowledgeable and/or skilled with a hobby - or extremely good at their chosen sport or the arts. This can lead to both recognition and opportunity to join a community with like minded people. For those autistic people who obtain work, work can become their source of recognition and fulfilment - even if the job would be classified as unskilled. Bosses generally appreciate a job that is well done, no matter what that job is.

Those autistic people who have a very strong need to connect with other people will unfortunately find it very difficult to achieve self-fulfillment. For these people who really struggle to meet their needs in this area, support activities are vital.

The Workplace

This has applications in the workplace as well. Wellbeing and retention while fostering a pride in your work (whatever that is) ideally means treating people as individuals and working with their priorities as far as operational needs allow. A one size fits all heirarchy that assumes everyone has the same aspirations and priorities will have limited impact.

In the workplace, the desire to fit in and feel a sense of belonging is often paramount. Employees want to feel valued and recognised for their contributions. When employees feel they are valued, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and committed to their work.

By understanding and addressing the diverse needs of employees, businesses can create a more inclusive and productive work environment. This approach not only enhances employee satisfaction and retention but also drives organisational success. It is crucial for employers to recognise that individual needs and motivations vary widely and to adopt flexible strategies that cater to these differences.

For autistic people, employment provides not just financial security but also a sense of purpose and belonging. Inclusive hiring practices and simple workplace accommodations can make a significant difference in helping autistic individuals thrive and become a valued and productive member of the workforce.