Maslow's pyramid: the 5 fundamental human needsby Team AllYourVideogames | Nov 10, 2022 | Entrepreneurship |
Do you know what motivates a person to get out of bed every day to study, work, get married and everything in between? This is what the theory of Maslow's Pyramid.
From the name it may seem complex, but in practice it is not. Maslow's Pyramid can help in different areas of your business, even to create content for social networks, such as Facebook and Instagram.
Therefore, we will tell you in this post what it is, how it works and how you can use Maslow's Pyramid in your company.
What is Maslow's Pyramid?
Created by American psychologist Abraham Maslow, Maslow's Pyramid is a theory that defines and organizes human needs into categories, according to their priorities.
Also known as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, this concept aims to define the circumstances necessary for satisfaction to be achieved, whether personal or professional.
According to Maslow's idea, human needs must be met in a hierarchical manner, starting with the most basic to the most difficult. Therefore, it was illustrated in the shape of a pyramid.
Maslow's pyramid: hierarchy of needs
According to Maslow, the human being has 5 types of most important needs, ranging from the most fundamental to the most complex. The needs are: physiological, security, love and relationship, esteem and personal fulfillment.
Source: Wikipedia
For you to understand better, we will talk more about each of them below:
At the base of Maslow's Pyramid, we have the most essential needs of a human being, the physiological ones. They need to be satiated to maintain survival and ensure a balanced body and mind.
Some examples of physiological needs indicated in Maslow's Pyramid:
- Satisfy hunger and thirst;
- Have housing conditions;
- Maintain the balance of the body (body temperature, hormones and absorption of nutrients that the body needs);
- Quality of sleep, breathing and digestion.
Without supplying a more basic need, the person cannot think about the others.
Another basic need illustrated in the second line of Maslow's Pyramid is safety. And this goes far beyond just having a shelter over your head: it's feeling safe as a whole. Some examples of security needs:
- Health: medical assistance, health insurance, not being sick;
- Of the body: protection against accidents, violence and threats;
- In the family: life insurance, for example, not to leave the family helpless;
- Property: property and home insurance, owning a home, public security;
- At work: having the guarantee of income, stability, being respected in the work environment.
These needs bring insecurity to life and are often out of human control.
After satisfying your most essential needs, which we mentioned in the previous topics, Maslow's Pyramid enters the psychological needs, as is the sphere of love and relationships.
Here, it is about the search for affection, a sense of belonging and intimacy. Because we live in society, we seek the acceptance and interest of a group or person. We have selected some examples:
- Good relationships with friends and family;
- Good love relationships;
- Have sexual intimacy;
- Belonging to social groups (work, school, sports teams, religious, etc.).
Here the search is for connection with people and a reciprocal relationship.
The fourth level of Maslow's Pyramid deals with the need to be valued, admired and esteemed by others. Examples of esteem needs:
- Have success and achievements;
- Have respect for the other and/or the group;
- Have confidence and self-esteem.
We reached the top of Maslow's Pyramid and the higher, the more complex to reach. However, it is necessary to reach this level for the person to achieve both personal and professional success. Some wishes from this phase:
- Have freedom and independence;
- Know and practice your own values;
- Have a sense of morality;
- Have control and balance of emotions and actions;
- Have self-knowledge and self-realization.
What is Maslow's Pyramid for?
The purpose of Maslow's Pyramid is to help understand human needs, inspirations and motivations, thus facilitating self-knowledge.
In addition, Maslow's Pyramid serves as a manual to guide you not only in self-knowledge, but also helps in understanding other people, identifying motivations, desires, fears, frustrations and goals.
Learn More: Neuromarketing: how neuroscience combined with design can increase engagement and influence over consumers
How and where to use Maslow's Pyramid?
If you have a company, Maslow's Pyramid can help you much more than just developing the people on your team. Based on it, you can find answers and strategize for other essential areas of your business.
Company
For those who lead a company, Maslow's Pyramid can help to identify new possibilities for the business, especially in management demands.
Clients
Maslow's Pyramid can help structure and manage customer needs in order to understand you better. By understanding your consumer profile, it becomes easier to create strategies for each level of the hierarchy.
Partners
Use the method to understand what your employees' needs are and thus attract and develop them in the company.
Marketing
To market your company, it is essential to use Maslow's Pyramid. Whether building branding or mapping your persona, you'll discover your customers' motivations and use them to your advantage.
Sales
If you understand what your customer's needs are, it's much easier to understand why they consume your product or service and, thus, justify the purchase based on their desires.
Want to continue delving into the humanistic psychology of digital marketing? Access our posts on Inbound Marketing and Color Psychology!
