by I jumped the gun in my last post in suggesting we could move directly to the situation-specific needs. First, it would probably be more helpful to show what the universal needs were!
The table below organizes the universal needs using Maslow’s structure and notes how the categories overlap with the New Dimensions values: survival needs–traditional values; belonging needs–modern values; self-actualizing needs–postmodern values; self-transcending needs–integral values. The needs are further organized into three subcategories: self-related, other-related, and existential. By reading across the rows, one can get a sense of how needs evolved over time as an individual matures. Here is a scenario using the self-related needs as an example:
• First, one eats, drinks, and seeks security, etc.
• When those needs are met, self-respect is the next quest
• When that need is met, it is on to independence, creativity, etc.
• Finally, it’s on to fulfilling one’s purpose.
Real life, of course, does not proceed that linearly or sequentially, but iterates, starts, and stops. The point is that the overall directionality holds, and it gives a sense of how priorities shift over time. The satisfied needs don’t go away, but become less of a focus as new needs challenges emerge.
With that set, now we’re primed to move to situation-specific needs in the next post. Andy Hines
[…] get started. The first step in creasing the needs states was to craft a simple matrix comparing theuniversal needs with Robinson’s categories above, with more specific need states being identified at the […]