Abraham Maslow is someone I consider to be one of the most famous psychologists known to my generation today. Even if they have never studied psychology or participated in ASB, almost everyone has heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow's approach to psychology was problem-centered, not method-centered, meaning instead of focusing on the problem at hand, rather than the method. At the highest level of Maslow's hierarchy is self-actualization. Traits of self-actualized people include efficient perception of reality, acceptance, spontaneity, autonomy, deep relationships, humor, ability to support both sides of the dichotomy, strong ethics and value. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs has the shape of a triangle, with the base at the bottom very wide and the tip at the top. This shape serves a purpose, not just for aesthetic appeal. Maslow believed that there are important layers of needs on the journey to self-actualization. These levels were like stepping stones, rather than levels in a game. Your position in the level could be varied, it was not necessary to completely complete a level to move on to the next. The basic level included basic physiological needs throughout life, such as food, water, sleep, and sex. The subsequent levels, in ascending order, included respectively the needs for security, the needs for love and belonging, the needs for esteem and finally for self-realization. Maslow knew, and it seems to be self-explanatory, why the needs are in this order. If someone died of starvation due to lack of food and water, they would not be preserved by their own esteem, but only by survival. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Being a lover of documentaries, when we started talking about Maslow's triangle I thought of the feral children. Feral children are children who have experienced isolation from an early age and have had little or no human contact. This is a very rare and sad situation, but it has happened more than once. These children once found were largely dogs. Most of these children die, but those who survive have not met all of their basic physiological needs, nor most of their safety needs. For more common examples of how Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs fits into everyday life, I provide two examples from people in my life. I have a roommate, let's call her Kayleigh. Kayleigh suffers from a condition called panic disorder, an anxiety disorder characterized by a series of extreme panic attacks. Much of this disorder comes from the stress of not wanting another episode, in turn causing another. As for physiological needs, most of them were met. Has the ability to eat and drink without stress. Something I would bet on is that he doesn't always sleep well. Just recently she was given a new drug that caused seizures. This, on top of already having the fear of having this disorder, I'm sure translates into less sleep than the normal "healthy" student. Since the levels function as stepping stones rather than actual levels, we move up to the third level which corresponds to the needs of love and belonging. I know her parents and immediate family love her, as do I and my other roommates. Recently his other friends from before college have been less than friendly towards him. For this reason she sometimes feels alone and as if she has no friends. We accepted her into our group but it's obvious she's still upset about the way her friends are behaving.