In a comment on one of my most recent blogs - 'Sensory involvement in Intensive Interaction - a straight forward and/or a difficult question? (10/09/18) someone mentioned American psychologist Abraham Maslow (thanks Rachel) who was best known for creating Maslow's hierarchy of needs (obviously, that being his name), this hierarchy setting out the basis of his theory of the prioritisation of human psychological need fulfilment (and the associated motivational drives to act in ways to fulfil such needs).
Maslow, in his seminal and still much referenced paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’ (Psychological Review, 1943), concisely defined this hierarchy of such human psychological needs (starting with the basic physiological needs of the body):
· The basic needs: the physiological needs of the body (at the hierarchy’s base)
· The safety needs: the need for physical and social security
· The love needs: the need for love and belonging
· The esteem needs: the need for self-esteem and respect
· The self-actualisation need: the need to realise one’s individual purpose and inner potential i.e. in his own words: ‘What a man can be, he must be’
This mention of Maslow then reminded me of something I had seen a while ago (although I can't remember who pointed me to it - but thanks anyway); it was a wide-ranging and very powerful TED talk by neuro-scientist Matthew Lieberman that contested the ordering of Maslow's hierarchy. In his talk ‘The social brain and its superpowers’ Lieberman says that being socially excluded is analogous to feeling physical pain (i.e. that 'social pain is real pain') and therefore social inclusion and connection is vital for our very survival – and states that 'being social' should be at the base of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs i.e. below and supportive of access to the other, higher level physiological needs.
As well as somehow mentioning the world champion of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' (as an example of 'social thinking') Lieberman says that 'social connection is the best predictor of happiness and well-being', and also that for all of us, “getting more social is the secret to making us smarter, happier and more productive”. Here, here, I say.
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