Michael Stein talks about "Human Needs Psychology"

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The needs as described by Maslow were divided into three groups:

1. Our Basic needs
   1. Psychological needs: The needs for survival ie., food, shelter, water etc.
   2. Safety Needs: These include our need for personal, emotional and financial security as well as physical wellbeing.
2. Our Psychological needs
   1. Social Belonging: Our ability to belong, to connect with others. These can be large or small groups. It can be family. This need can be very strong ie., those in abusive relationships, that stay in them(although this is quite complex).
   2. Self Esteem: This is about the need most humans have to be respected.
3. Our Self-Fulfilment needs
   1. Self Actualisation: This refers to the realization of our full potential
   2. Transcendence: Giving ourselves to something beyond ourselves.

Although there has been some challenge to these needs, they still hold true. A few years ago I listened to a variation of these needs. An adaptation that looked at how these needs drove behavior. Anthony Robbins, a behavioral influencer, spoke about the 6 human needs. Understanding human needs, allows us to understand what drives others towards their behavior and more importantly, what drives us in our own behaviors. That understanding allows us to control our responses. It allows us to not let others ‘push our buttons’, it allows us to understand why we have the visceral response we do.

Why is this important?

Burnout, psychological disease, and suicide are a part of our society and a part of our workplace, unfortunately. Suicide is the one cause of death that continues to increase. We all respond differently to situations and it's that response that determines how we feel about things. It’s not what people say or do to us, that’s important, its how we interpret and react to it. It is our heart attack, our dissatisfaction in our workplace and it is our stress that we can potentially control with an understanding of this. I’m not saying that its okay for people to behave badly, it’s definitely not and should not be tolerated. However, we may not be able to acutely control their behavior, but we can control our own if we understand where that behavior comes from.

What are the 6 Human Needs and How do they Work?

These needs control our behavior. We all have the same human needs, however, the importance we place on each of the needs dictates, together with our beliefs, values, and the rules we’ve set for our lives how we respond behaviourally.

Let’s look at each of the 6 needs and how they can affect behavior.

They are:

1. Certainty
   • We all have a need for certainty. This relates back to Maslow’s basic needs of food and shelter and safety but goes beyond this to the emotion that certainty provides. An example is; “Have you ever watched a movie more than one? Why?” Because we are certain of the way it makes us feel.
2. Uncertainty or Variety
   • This relates to a need we have for variety. if we knew exactly what was to happen, when etc., life would be unbearable.
   • Who might value this need highly? Think of entrepreneurs, thrill-seekers, etc.
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3. Significance
   • This relates to Maslow’s ‘Esteem’. It’s about our need to feel important, to feel respected, to feel that we have something of value to contribute. We all value this need. One of peoples’ greatest fears, is that they are not enough.
4. Connection +/- Love
   • This relates back to Maslow’s ‘love and belonging’. Our ability to belong or connect with others. We may not have love, we can just have a connection.
5. Growth
   • The ability for us to grow, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. The lack of growth or progress can rob us of fulfillment. It relates back to Maslow’s need for us to reach our full potential.
6. Contribution
   • This is our way of making a difference, of contributing to something outside ourselves.

They are the 6 needs, based on Maslow’s needs.