Category » Applied Philosophy & Psychology
Maslow and Aesthetic Growth Needs
If Maslow was right, all our deficiency needs must be met before the blooming of the individual can begin. Last time, the tenacity of Maslow’s deficiency needs was explored (lower half, Table 1, below). Since then, I’ve gone to source and found hard evidence that Maslow was convinced that the satisfaction of deficiency needs is […]
Maslow and Cognitive Growth Needs
This blog marks a jump from Maslow’s deficiency needs (physiological, safety, love & belonging, and self-esteem) to his growth needs: cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. Maslow’s division of needs into two major parts is interesting in itself. If all that we’ve discussed so far are deficiency needs, what does this tell us? Maslow maintained that […]
Maslow and Self-Esteem Needs
We now move to the last of Maslow’s deficiency needs: self-esteem. That need is associated with achievement, recognition, respect, and competence. Table 1, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Atkinson and Tomley, 2012) That’s an interesting list as it divides into two uneven halves: one half we gain mostly for ourselves (achievement, competence) and one half we […]
Maslow’s Love & Belonging Needs
Two things we can take from this exploration of Maslow’s hierarchy so far: 1) Gratitude for and regular acknowledgement of our physiological needs makes us more fully aware and present—humans being; and, 2) The unmeasurable nature of our safety needs is only considered when they are absent. The third band from the bottom of the […]
Maslow’s Safety Needs
We resume our exploration of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs at the second from bottom band of his pyramid. (Last week’s blog looked at the bottom band: physiological needs.) This level is categorized as safety needs. Those include security, stability, health, shelter, money, and employment. As some of you may already have gleaned, these needs (safety) […]
The Basics: Physiological Needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy
I have always wanted to know more about Abraham Maslow and, as he made an appearance in last week’s blog, it seems an opportune time to take a closer look at the stages of his hierarchy of needs. We will start at the base and move upward in an attempt to understand what he was […]
p: Happiness Requires Responsibility
A few summers ago, I attended a series of lectures delivered by the U of T psychologist, Dr. Jordan Peterson. Seats sold out fast and a long line formed on the sidewalk at the west end of Charles Street in Toronto, as we awaited admission to the Isabel Bader Theatre each week. Because I was […]
The Inextinguishable Capacity to Flourish
People in recovery are concerned about life after the pandemic. Some are worried their sobriety won’t make it through, others that the reignition of “real life” will lead to a lapse or relapse into addictive behaviours. On a recent Saturday morning, two articles sat side-by-side on page two of the front section of my national […]
Recovery & Identity II
In the last blog, the idea of recovery as changed identity was explored. The conclusion was that when a person does enter recovery (“…an ongoing dynamic process of behaviour change characterized by relatively stable improvements in biopsychosocial function and purpose in life”), identity is renovated, not replaced. In other words, the recovered person is herself […]
Recovery as Transformed Identity
In early April (2021), discussion at one of the SMART meetings edged toward the premise that as you move out of addiction, through sobriety, and into recovery, your identity changes. This blog explores that idea. Defined terms help. My favourite definition of addiction is that fashioned by Gabor Maté et al. Addiction requires a susceptible […]