Keeping up with your health is a determining way to aim for new goals and, above all, to find the willingness and strength (physical and mental) to achieve them. This is how Maslow’s pyramid can be part of your routine and actively contribute to it.
After all, this method – also known as the Human Needs Theory – has been widely used in different social areas. Even for those who are looking for personal and professional achievements.
Therefore, in this post we will explain the importance of the Maslow pyramid in this process and also point out some tips for you to replicate it in your daily life. Check out!
What is the Maslow pyramid?
It is a way to assess, in a hierarchical way, the needs we have. Not surprisingly, the Maslow pyramid is also known as the Human Needs Theory.
As a result, a number of factors were separated so that companies (and others) could identify the best alternatives to identify the needs of different audience profiles.
To do this, let’s start by talking about the founder of the Maslow pyramid.
Who is the man behind Maslow’s pyramid?
Born in 1908, having died in 1970, the American psychologist Abraham Maslow had an important highlight in his field of activity – and, as a consequence, he expanded to many other sectors.
In the meantime, he has worked on this very important issue, nowadays, to assess what is important personally, professionally and also so that third parties can innovate in the market in different ways.
Want to understand how the Maslow pyramid works? Let’s start scrutinizing it to understand even more!
How does each layer of the pyramid work?
As we said, there is a hierarchy within the Maslow pyramid, and that people are configured within it. With that, we understand what people should prioritize so that their achievements are successfully achieved. And with the least possible number of unforeseen events.
And that includes your health, of course, since without proper care of your body and mind, they are fundamental for you to have the disposition, discipline and motivation to always go further.
Shall we go to the Maslow pyramid structure?
Physiological needs
At the base of the pyramid are our most basic needs. Through them, we have the healthy body and mind, mentioned above, to have a stabilized quality of life. Some examples of this:
- homeostasis, which is the sensation of body temperature and also our good hormonal functioning;
- the breathing, the sleep we have and the digestion process;
- our desire to quench hunger and thirst;
- the need for shelter.
Based on this, Maslow said that this was the most important part of the pyramid, since no one would be able to focus on anything else, if these steps were not well resolved.
Security needs
Security here extends into a field beyond the shelter or care we take with our bodies. Some examples of this, according to the Maslow pyramid hierarchy:
The need for security encompasses more than the presence of a shelter. Check out some examples:
- professional stability;
- stable income, and free from financial risks and contingencies;
- protection against disease;
- family security – something from the acquisition of a health plan to home ownership for everyone.
It is, therefore, the acquisitions of security that we seek, day by day, in order to feel that the obstacles of life will not question our way in the pursuit of our goals.
Needs for love and relationships
In Maslow’s pyramid, the third hierarchical layer has to do with a thought that many take with fear: the challenge of finding someone, building a healthy relationship and establishing their family.
In addition, we can highlight the importance of intimacy and good relationships. With that, we are not only portraying the search for the perfect match, but friends and also professional relationships.
Finally, it is worth highlighting that group of belonging, whether in church, at school or in hobbies that you practice on a daily basis.
Estimation needs
An internalized layer, inside Maslow’s pyramid: esteem. And, in that, we can talk about a series of values that will help in the construction and maintenance of your objectives and goals, such as:
- self esteem;
- confidence;
- goals;
- achievements;
- recognition;
And with that, we reach the top of the pyramid.
Needs for personal fulfillment
Finally, we are talking about the values that are intrinsic to our achievements, achievements and desires. This includes the morality we develop, the values we carry, independence, creativity and control.
The self also enters this stage of Maslow’s pyramid. After all, it is through this value that we are able to inspire, deeply, to go after our goals.
And what is the importance of the Maslow pyramid?
Understanding the layers and hierarchical steps of human needs can take you a long way, in the search for self-knowledge and also in maintaining your health.
For example: why would you sacrifice your mental and physical health (which are at the structural bases of the pyramid) to achieve an achievement that should not be a priority in your life?
It is not uncommon to see people giving up their stable relationships and also their health in order to get a promotion in a job that, perhaps, is not their main goal in life.
And then, the question remains: what is all this for?
Therefore, the Maslow pyramid has the potential to help you to know yourself more, to understand the people around you, and even the challenges you face the most in fulfilling your desires.
With that, it is important to evaluate the entire pyramid to understand how you set your priorities. Then it is easy to assess what you are really looking for in life and can organize your priorities.
Want to get a taste of how it can be applied in your life? Then, do the following exercise:
- write – or draw – the levels of need in Maslow’s pyramid;
- then, analyze what your drawings, goals and dreams are;
- now, begin to identify, in the pyramid, all the needs that you would be able to supply through the achievement of these goals;
- thus, you discover what the most important needs are.
