What we truly need: CONNECTION

In a previous blog I discussed a hierarchy of needs. In this blog I would like to look into this further as well as question this model offered by Abraham Maslow. Just to be clear I'll place Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in this blog again.

To me it is still an interesting way of looking at human psychology and needs. I also see how it can be applied to the field of education (as discussed in another previous blog). However, I've begun to really question this hierarchy. The order in this system is somewhat unrealistic. In reality if people list their needs and wants it comes out looking more like the diagram created by our group in our first meeting with Irene.

And that's because in reality life is not as orderly and simple as Maslow's pyramid. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs seems similar to a video game in which you have to (at least partially) fulfill one level in order to advance to the next. Life looks more like our messy system of post-its.

After looking at the different levels in Maslow's pyramid and reading up on what Maslow might have missed, I've come to wonder something. This is somewhat of a hypothesis. I wonder if all of the levels can be fulfilled if someone has a strong social connection to at least one individual in their environment.

What is truly needed to not only survive but to thrive is connection and collaboration.

When a project, a community or a society becomes more complex there is an immediate need for more collaboration and more connection between the individuals. I think we have all noticed that there is a great deal of collaboration required within this research team of ten people. A bigger group would require even more collaboration and correspondence.

Pamela B. Rutledge (Ph.D., M.B.A.) has come up with a new 'rewired version' of Maslow's hierarchy of needs in which social connection is key.

“Needs are not hierarchical. Life is messier than that. Needs are, like most other things in nature, an interactive, dynamic system, but they are anchored in our ability to make social connections. Maslow's model needs rewiring so it matches our brains. Belongingness is the driving force of human behavior, not a third tier activity. The system of human needs from bottom to top, shelter, safety, sex, leadership, community, competence and trust, are dependent on our ability to connect with others. Belonging to a community provides the sense of security and agency that makes our brains happy and helps keep us safe.”

-Pamela B. Rutledge (Ph.D., M.B.A.)

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2012/03/29/what-maslow-missed/#6be39135661b

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/positively-media/201111/social-networks-what-maslow-misses-0