Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs

1. According to Maslow (1943, 1954), human needs were arranged in a hierarchy (layers of a pyramid), with physiological (survival) needs at the bottom, and the more creative and intellectually oriented ‘self-actualization’ needs at the top.
   1. physiological,
   2. safety,
   3. love/belonging,
   4. esteem, and
   5. self-actualization
2. Lower-level basic needs (physiological) like food, water, and safety must be met first before higher needs can be fulfilled.
3. Few people are believed to reach the level of self-actualization, but we can all have moments of peak experiences.
4. The order of the levels is not completely fixed. For some, esteem outweighs love, while others may self-actualize despite poverty. Our behaviors are usually motivated by multiple needs simultaneously.

Reference

1. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Self-transcendence - The missing apex of Maslow’s hierarchy could save us all

https://www.freethink.com/society/apex-of-maslows-hierarchy?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=youtube_community

In his later years, he added a new apex to the pyramid: self-transcendence.

The most serious problems facing humanity aren’t technical: Although engineering our way out of trouble is possible, it can’t happen until we transcend ourselves, seeing beyond our own individual well-being to the needs of us all.

Having met our basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid, having worked on our emotional needs in its middle and worked at achieving our potential, Maslow felt we needed to transcend thoughts of ourselves as islands. We had to see ourselves as part of the broader universe to develop the common priorities that can allow humankind to survive as a species.

Maslow saw techniques many of us are familiar with today — mindfulness, flow — as the means by which individuals can achieve the broader perspective that comes with self-transcendence. Given the importance of coming together as a global community, his work suggests that these methods and others like them aren’t just tweaks available for optimizing our minds, but vitally important tools if we hope to continue as a living species.