The Steps of Life

-

Image result for maslow's hierarchy of needs
     A personality theory I thought was most interesting and preferable was Maslow's Theory. Maslow's Theory is the idea that, for a human to reach certain peaks in his life, he must go through a process of obtaining the essentials for surviving and prospering. Using a pyramid, he creates five different sections, the lowest or in other words the bare necessities of life in the first section, then each section after that evolving higher and higher on the scale of needs and desires, finally reach the top where there is a sense of purpose. 

     Looking at the picture above, you can easily see and understand Maslow's perspective on life and how we must go through it. I personally believe this is a fine and strong example of how we live. In order to focus on the bigger picture in life, we must fill all our needs. If you are starving or dehydrated, you definitely won't be thinking about passing your math final or hanging out with your friends. You'll be thinking about your next meal. If you are satisfied with thirst and hunger, but you live on a park bench in the city and it's pouring rain, you won't be trying to discover your purpose in life. You'll be searching for the closest 7/11 gas station with a nice bathroom to crash in. 

Image result for homeless man pictures black and white old     Although some people may use the combatting idea that there are loopholes in the Maslow Theory, like when a starving homeless man gives his only meal to a hungry little child or when a business man gives up everything he owns for his dreams of becoming a famous restaurant chain owner, these are just simple random acts of fluctuating sections of the pyramid, as Maslow states that  "...satisfaction of a need is not an 'all-or-none' phenomenon...[You don't have to be]
satisfied 100 percent before the next need emerges”. People are a gateway to thousands of different possibilities. We are all different, and not all of us follow the books.

Image result for drinking water black and white photography     Take a second to look at this theory reflected in your own life. When you are hungry, you go to lunch, and when you are thirsty, you get something to drink. You don't usually like to push it off and do other things unless you are maybe stuck in class or busy at an event. Even then, you can't stop thinking about it, and can't wait to get food. You may even become angry or irritated if you don't. Another example higher up Maslow's pyramid would be this idea of self-actualization ( to realize one's potential/ purpose). If you are still at a time in your life where you are trying to fill the basic needs, like getting a house or job to support yourself, you aren't going to be thinking about your purpose in life, unless your a college student and your purpose is your career. Even then though, that's more focused on the esteem category below, trying to achieve goals and excel. There are many other examples that could be incorporated into your life based upon Maslow's Theory, as Maslow depicts the journey of each individual through their own needs and desires.  
     Even if you don't believe in Maslow's Theory, it is a "clear way to summarize the needs we all have for a full and fulfilling life". Maslow's Theory defines humanity and the journey we are all on, the live well, to be satisfied, and to finally find our purpose for why we are here and what we were made to do. In the end, that is all were looking for.

Related image
                                                      Abraham Maslow 1908-1970

 Sources 
https://simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 26, 2018 at 6:03 PM

    That is a very cool model that Abraham Maslow created. I agree with pretty much everything said here. Yes, we need the basics first before we can go on to focus on the bigger aspects of life. And yes, of course there will be overlap in the stages of the pyramid. There is no way we could just be in one section at a time. That would be a really dull life!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Just Because Birds Have Wings Doesn't Make Them Good Flyers.

-
Image
                The topic today I am going to discuss is Nature vs. Nurture. If you may have heard of these two ongoing debaters, but have never taken the time to truly understand what these two words mean, I am here to tell you the believed truth of both sides. Starting with the basis of the conversation, there are two different ideas about us (you and I) living organisms and how we are put together, from our anatomy to our skills and talents and every single part that makes up who we are.       If you are on the nature side, you believe that everything comes from genetics, from our height to being good at math or even the way we feel. Nature believes you are who you are because of your DNA, not because of your experiences or environments or own will power to achieve greatness. Nurture is the complete opposite. With the idea of Nurture, it is believed that you are you, not because of your genetics, but because of ...
Read more

How We See and Feel Through the Eyes of our Brain

-
Image
     Studying the brain and its behavior, I read many different articles of how the brain creates, processes, and, most importantly, feels. Looking at two specific video assessments over the brain, I was overwhelmingly fascinated by about how the brain works, and I still cannot get a grip on it. In Anjan Chatterjee's "How your brain decides what is beautiful," and Rebecca Saxe's "How we read each other's minds," both of these speakers discuss the brain's ability to express itself  through desire, sympathy, and many other powerful emotions.      In Chatterjee's speech, he discusses the connection our brain makes when each individual person sees beauty. Some observed factors over the years stretch from the likes of having a symmetrical face/body to a preference of the stereotypical looking man/woman, and just simple hormones. In our brain, there are actual parts which are specifically activated when we see beauty. Our vision center connects with...
Read more

Dear Diary

-
Image
Through the course of multiple journal entries, I pushed myself to defeat a common addiction/problem I have had all my life. I attempted to be healthier, better me, picking the salad instead of the cheeseburger or the veggie sub instead of pepperoni pizza. At the beginning of this experiment, I worked really hard to achieve these goals, picking a healthy sub or salad and drinking water rather than soda. If I did achieve these goals, I would reward myself by watching an episode of my favorite T.V show, relaxing and just enjoying my night. Later in the week, I was not as successful with my goals, eating late night sweets and drinking soda for dinner. I believe my behavior for eating and drinking healthier fluctuated by day, as some days I were better than others. I feel the biggest problem was not enough motivation. If I were to do it all over again, I would pick something else as my reinforcement.  This idea of reinforcement and behavior comes from this leaning psychology calle...
Read more