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Volume #4: A Theory for Motivation, Needs and Fulfilment
Isabella from Simplish
November 03, 2023
“Having needs is not evidence of weakness – it is human.”
November is one of those in-between months, after all the back-to-school busy-ness subsides and before the high gear of the holiday season. Sandwiched between the year’s “main events,” what better time can there be to reflect on your motivation to keep up with it all?
Now let’s be clear: I'm not talking about how to get pumped up to kill your to-do list just so you can squeeze more into your day. I’m also not spreading the message that you can “just choose to be happy” today and 💥BAM💥 your problems will be solved.
Nope. There are no hacks or “how-tos” that will 100% guarantee your personal fulfilment.
If we dig into behavioral psychology, though, there is a pretty useful theory for understanding the relationship between needs, motivation and personal fulfilment.
And understanding is the first step to positive change 💪🏿
By understanding your human needs on a deeper level, you can decode the mystery of your own motivation for getting just about anything done.
Enter: Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation
Here’s my quick take on this established theory, which was originally published in by the American psychologist Abraham Masow in 1954:
All humans are driven by fulfilling needs, and this is a good thing. Fulfilling essential needs for survival drives us toward defensive behavior, while fulfilling our dreams and desires drives us toward personal growth.
⭐ Prioritizing your personal needs is a very human thing to do
⭐ You can make peace with obstacles to fulfilling your needs at any time by stepping outside yourself and marvelling at the universe a bit
⭐ Psychological balance comes from recognizing and fulfilling your needs roughly in order, from most essential to most abstract
Keep reading for more on Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation, including why the most widely-known version of this theory is actually wrong.
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Maslow’s hierarchy presents human needs in the shape of a pyramid 🔺 At the base are basic physiological needs like food, water, and shelter, which are essential for survival. The next level focuses on safety and security, ensuring physical safety and financial stability.
Maslow’s complete theory, outlined below, includes beauty, knowledge and self-transcendence, though these are excluded from the most popular 5-tier hiearchy of Maslow’s model. Beauty and knowledge are typically combined with the self-realization tier for simplicity, as we’ve done in our own version, and self-transcendence is typically omitted altogether (more on why this is below).
“The appearance of one human need usually rests on the prior satisfaction of another. No need or drive can be treated as if it were isolated or discrete; every drive is related to the state of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of other drives.”
1. Physiological Needs
2. Safety
3. Love And Belonging
4. Esteem
5. Self-Actualization
7. Transcendence
The idea behind the pyramid is to categorize the needs from most basic to most complex. Maslow recognized, however, that most people strive to fulfill needs from multiple tiers of this hierarchy at one time. By positioning the needs in a hierarchy, Maslow’s model can suggest where you might focus to stabilize your mental health and fulfil your human potential.
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As a full time working mom of twins, I have a lot of balls in the air and endless lists! It has been really helpful to have my tasks and thoughts captured in one place so they aren't running in my head all day. I like that I can quickly share lists with my employees at work or at home. The daily planner is probably my favorite part because it's how I like to get things done by focusing on what I have to get done immediately. I am finally on top of it! Thanks Simplish! . — Neera
Stay tuned for an interview with our Contributing Writer and psychologist Clara Roberts Otero for a complete guide to planning in alignment with your personality type! We’ll discuss enneagrams, finding time management techniques that work with your natural groove, and when sleeping in is a better idea for those of us who aren’t exactly morning people ☀️ Be well and do good work!
