Science of Human Motivations and Needs

A behavioral and cognitive science perspective

June 7, 2023

Mital

Human Psychology

Motivation

Behavioral and Cognitive Science

Scientific Model in Human Psychology

Behavioral and cognitive science (BSC) discipline is recognized by the US National Science Foundation, which focuses on human psychology for behavior and brain cognition aspects. There are many scientific models attempted on human psychology, one of the popular models on human motivations and needs is high here.

Motivation & Needs Relations

One famous model of human motivation and hierarchy is proposed by Abraham Maslow as illustrated here. Human needs are divided into 2 categories: 1) Deficiency needs; 2) being (growth) needs. Deficiency needs decrease motivation as they are met, and then we start seeking the next set of needs that we have yet to satisfy. Meanwhile, If any lower deficiency needs temporarily lose the level of our satisfaction level, we try to go there again and work out to bring it back to a satisfactory level. Being/growth need is the one where motivation keeps growing as self-actualization need level achievements are met.

There is no unidirectional flow from bottom to top in this pyramid, sometimes we move up and down (back and forth) depending upon the level of satisfaction at lower levels.

Deficiency needs are primarily driven by the worldly desires from external objects or living beings; whereas being/growth needs are subjective and internal to an individual being. Motivation decreases as the need for an external object or person may also make a person dependent on external conditions met for satisfaction, and in many cases this satisfaction or pleasure/happiness of achieving them doesn’t last long.

More stages of needs

Maslow originally proposed 5 stages of human hierarchical needs in 1943, and then added 3 more stages in 1970, which are Cognitive, aesthetic and transcendence, shown below:

Physiological needs - these are biological needs for human survival. If these needs are not satisfied the human body cannot function optimally. 

Safety & Security needs - the next is security and safety, where people want to experience order, predictability and control in their lives. For example, emotional security, financial security, law and order, freedom from fear, social stability, property, health and wellbeing.

Love and belongingness needs - the third level of human needs is social and involves feelings of belongingness, interpersonal relationships. Examples include friendship, being part of a group, intimacy, trust, and acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love.

Esteem needs can be divided into two categories: (i) esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence); and (ii) the desire for reputation or respect from others (e.g., status, prestige). The need for respect or reputation becomes important, and then real self-esteem or dignity needs arise.

Cognitive needs – knowledge and understanding, curiosity, exploration, need for meaning and predictability.

Aesthetic needs – appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.

Self-actualization needs refer to the realization of a person's potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be. Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically.

Transcendence needs – A person is motivated by values that transcend beyond the personal self.

Scientific research results from a global survey

Contemporary research by Tay and Diener (2011) has tested Maslow’s theory by analyzing the data of 60,865 participants from 123 countries, representing every major region of the world.

Respondents answered questions about six needs that closely resemble those in Maslow's model: basic needs (food, shelter); safety; social needs (love, support); respect; mastery; and autonomy. They also rated their well-being across three discrete measures: life evaluation (a person's view of his or her life as a whole), positive feelings, and negative feelings.Even when we are hungry, for instance, we can be happy with our friends. The needs work independently. We need them all.

Top Take-aways

1. Generalized human needs appear to exist regardless of cultural differences. However, the ordering of the needs within the hierarchy may vary.
2. Deficiency needs decrease motivation as they are met, whereas, Being/growth needs motivation keeps growing as they are met.
3. Although basic needs get the most attention, we don’t have to spend our entire life fulfilling all of them, all the time.. self-actualization and transcendence can offer more happiness and life satisfaction.

References

1. Abraham Maslow, “Toward a psychology of being”,
2. Hoffman, E. (1988). The right to be human: A biography of Abraham Maslow. Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher
3. McLeod, S. A. (2020, March 20). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
4. Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2011). Needs and subjective well-being around the world. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(2), 354-356.
5. Scott B. Kaufman, book on “Transcend - A new science of self-actualization”, 2020.