Maslow’s Hierarchy gives us a clear and compelling way to classify our needs throughout life. Climbing up the triangle of Maslow’s model tells us that we meet our needs in generally the same order: physiological first, then safety, belonging, esteem, then self-actualization. When used thoughtfully, the hierarchy can help reveal the reasons why some of us end up or get stuck the way we do, unable to achieve our next psychological milestone.
But knowing why or when a psychological milestone has gone un-met is next to useless. At most, Maslow’s theory is a warning to parents and caregivers of children. Feed them! it says. Love them! it says.
Maslow’s hierarchy is not a tool for adults who have long since departed the days of any childhood trauma they may have faced. For a grown person who has food, shelter, and warmth, and even friends or lifelong companions, why are the top tiers of Maslow’s triangle still so frequently elusive?
A new model is needed to turn the pyramid upside down. One that incorporates all those needs and more. One that can be a roadmap to emotional fortitude and true happiness.
Questions about the nature of happiness aside for the moment, I propose that happiness is the product of properly managed needs, and that conversely, unhappiness results when we are unable, through circumstance or misguided intention, to manage our needs. For those of us whose basic life needs are met—or were not met before but are no longer a problem—a top-down approach is needed.
I have designed the following model as a category-based tool for effective needs assessment and management.
Proper needs management requires proper classification. We are all compelled to satisfy our needs, whether consciously or subconsciously—that isn’t the problem. The problem arises when we don’t recognize or understand the needs that shape our behavior. Further, we are unhappy when we treat our needs in a manner inconsistent with the nature of the need. The above diagram represents a novel and much-needed way for us to understand our needs, their natures, and the most appropriate way to respond.
On the left axis are Ephemeral—lasting only briefly—and Enduring—lasting a long time, and along the bottom are Urgent—requiring immediate action—and Eventual—allowing for postponed action.
Ideally, our psychological and self-fulfillment needs reside in the top right square. They are Eventual and Enduring. They do not feel urgent to us, nor do they go away. They can be satisfied in their own time.
The top left square is the home of the basic needs like food, water, warmth, and rest. Security and safety are there as well. These needs are Urgent and Enduring. They demand consistent immediate action to be maintained and they do not go away.
The bottom left square, the Urgent and Ephemeral, is an unhealthy square to be in. When needs venture into this region of the diagram, they resemble addictions. They cause us to act quickly to resolve a temporary need that only goes away because it was satisfied. Impulsive behavior reigns here.
The bottom right square is the place for what I call “luxury needs,” needs that are Eventual and Ephemeral. They are not urgent but they are fleeting. The need for enjoyment of some kind. The need for gratification. It is the least unhealthy place for an addictive or impulsive need to live because they are seen as Eventual instead of Urgent. For example, the bottom right square is where the occasional cigar sits, whereas the bottom left square is where nicotine addiction sits. The distinction between Ephemeral needs that are either Urgent or Eventual is an important one.
That was all ideal. Now let’s look at a worst case scenario.
The movement occurring in the above diagram is this: each square that isn’t Basic Needs has invaded the Basic Needs space. Addictive and Impulsive Needs and Psychological & Self-Fulfillment Needs have gone there directly while Luxury Needs moved into the Addictive and Impulsive spot before making it to Basic Needs. In such a scenario, Basic Needs is cramped and must suffer a demotion by moving from Urgent to Eventual as it has no room and is subsequently neglected.
Notice that Basic Needs is not the first to leave. This is because the above model does not account for or explain the accomplishment of psychological milestones like Maslow’s does. It instead gives a picture of how we should be able to understand, classify, and respond to our needs in a healthy and appropriate way. Here are some counter-examples:
Entertaining an addictive or impulsive need for so long that it begins to supersede basic needs, i.e. drinking oneself into alcoholism, forcing proper caloric intake off the table
Relying on a luxury need to the extent that it becomes an addiction or an impulse, i.e. playing video games so much that it becomes an unjustifiable compulsion
Acting urgently about psychological or self-fulfillment needs that should be eventual, i.e. initiating excessive frivolous romantic relationships or abusing attention-seeking tactics
It should be noted that I do not propose the minimization of past trauma. Maslow’s Hierarchy is a psychological theory for a reason.
My proposition is that for adults, knowing and recognizing one’s needs and classifying them in a healthy way is a tremendous first step towards generating happiness through behaviors that are commensurate with the nature of those needs. In effect, simply identifying the tendency to treat psychological or self-fulfillment needs as Urgent is a significant move in the right direction. Such an identification would allow a person to modify his or her behavior in response to those needs and thereby satisfy them more effectively and fully.