Needs hierarchy

According to Maslow there are five [stages]

in human motivation: (1) [Physiological]

needs which cover basic biological drives (sex, food and drink, sleep and avoidance of pain). This is the most primitive condition. (2) [Safety]

needs, which predominate when physiological needs are met and the desire is for security, change is looked on as a threat, and thinking is in black-and-white terms. Authoritarianism is typical of this level. (3) [Love-belongingness]

emphasizes membership of a group, warm human relations and the goodness of conviviality. (4) Need for [esteem]

, when a person has a feeling of self-worth and values being looked up to for his or her ability more than simply belonging to a group. (5) [Self-actualization]

, when a person's reference group has narrowed from people in general, then colleagues, to finally the person himself. Personal development and self-exploration become of the greatest importance.

Although no one person is totally at one stage, the lower stages have to be satisfied before the higher stages appear, and each person has one stage which predominates. Sudden loss at a lower stage will cause temporary reversion to that stage while the need is attended to.