While reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” I came across Abraham Maslow, a renowned psychologist. So I looked up to read about him and found that his contribution to the understanding of the human psychology is great and his best work is “ Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs” - a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization. Its a pyramid with 5 distinct levels and a human transcends from the bottom most to the top after satisfying the needs in each level, levels here also cover our famous Indian saying“ Roti, Kapda and Makkan”. The 5 levels of the “Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs” from the bottom are
1. Physiological – At the bottom of the hierarchy there as basic needs such as breathing, food, water, sleep etc
2. Safety – Second level covers safety of body, employment, resources, morality, family, health and property.
3. Love/ Belonging – Third level covers various relationship in human life
4. Esteem – Fourth level covers self- esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect to others.
5. Self Actualization - Fifth level consists of Morality, Creativity, Spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice and acceptance of facts.
He was initially of the opinion that one person cannot move to a next higher level without fulfilling levels from the bottom of the pyramid. Later he concluded that self-actualization was not an outcome of satisfying the other human needs.
During the end of his life he put happiness, fulfillment and contribution to this posterity ahead of his self-actualization, calling it self- transcendence.
And we call it “Pursuit of Happiness”.
