A Different View of Maslow’s Needs
The first ‘personal development’ model I ever discovered was in a business management class in high school, this model was the first time I had seen human behaviour structured into a framework and at the time made reasonable sense to me. This framework was Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This framework has stuck with me ever since finding it, but as time has gone on, I have come to realise its fundamental flaws, as it presents a ‘checkbox’ style approach to achieving a fulfilled life.
This model is somewhat subjective, however, I feel it is appropriate for the vast majority of people who seek to find ‘meaning’ or ‘purpose’ in their lives to achieve fulfilment.
What is Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs?
For those who don’t know the framework, it’s a fairly simple, yet practical view developed in the 50’s on the linear progression of all human needs in order to get to 'Self Actualisation’, which is a word for content and fulfilment (yep, vague as anything).
The idea of the Hierarchy of Needs, is that you work bottom to top, with each layer providing the foundation for the next one, it’s presented in a completely linear fashion.
There is a reason why this has stood the test of time, it’s clear, structured, simple to grasp and reasonably logical. However, the part I struggle with most is two-fold; the linear approach to ‘building’ your needs layer by layer and the idea that you can reach the pinnacle of ‘self actualisation’. Let me explain.
You can’t ‘tick’ your way to fulfilment
One clear problem with Maslow’s needs is the linear progression that it presents. Building up needs sequentially implies you need to ‘complete’ a layer before the next is developed. When put through the lens of reality, and not just theory, this is fundamentally flawed.
On this basis, a homeless person lacking shelter can’t have any mates, and someone can’t have a good sense of self esteem without first having a ‘substantial’ social life. A stoic would also argue you can reach a state of self actualisation and inner peace without having food or shelter.
These are the first examples I could think of, it was pretty easy, and all flip the pyramid completely on its head. Life cannot be viewed as a checkbox exercise, there is no formula for self actualisation. If it was that easy, every checkbox obsessed maniac (we all know who these people are) should technically be completely enlightened, and we know for the majority of these people it simply isn’t the case.
It’s extremely difficult to permanently reach self actualisation
The checkbox mentality leads directly into the second flaw of the model, the idea of permanently ‘acquiring’ self actualisation.
The idea of reaching a permanent state of self actualisation is almost impossible, as your personal goal posts are forever shifting. I’ll write a dedicated piece on how this works, as it deserves its own model, but in short, the thought that you can tick off all the layers of the pyramid, add a self actualisation cap on top, and call it a day forever, is a complete fantasy.
Human emotions are hardly stable and rarely rational, as much as we’d like to think so. Everyone goes through highs and lows which are influenced by different events. Much of the time, this leads to a change in perspective on whats important, which always makes us reevaluate how close we are to self actualisation. Self actualisation is an ongoing process, it’s hardly ever an end state, or outcome that we can finish and put to one side.
Another simple way to think about this flaw of the model is to apply the lens of money, and it’s purchasing power. Money can buy all basic needs quite easily, it can somewhat buy you social needs (Gold digging partners or below average mates), but it absolutely cannot buy you inner peace and fulfilment.
Think of regular self assessment rather than self actualisation
Self assessment is a topic that’s often highly subjective and extraordinarily difficult to accurately judge. For this reason, the following model is designed for however you want to use it, it’s not designed to ‘tick off’ each box as you go, but a guiding structure for how to approach self assessment.
It should provide you with a holistic, ongoing structure to navigate self improvement, ensuring every aspect of your life is equally balanced and always being adjusted. You can never ‘tick’ a W off, you’re simply monitoring and improving each element over time, therefore, no W should be greatly over (or under) indexed.
The Five Ws: Five elements for self assessment
Wealth: The sum of a persons net wealth
Work: The value a person provides to society
Wisdom: The knowledge a person acquires
Weld: The interactions a person has with friends and family
Wellbeing: A persons mental and physical health
How to use Five Ws for yourself
All W’s are equally distanced from the centre of the prism, there is no priority for any W. No one wants to be overworked person who has a drinking problem, and no one wants to be the rich person who has no mates. The goal is to be equally balanced in every element, and always aiming to improve and optimise each element over time.
All of these elements also interplay with each other, wisdom and work will gather more wealth, while wellbeing and weld are also highly correlated. You could make a case that every one of them interlinks in an equal way.
Key takeaways for the Five Ws
Each W element should be assessed on an individual basis
Aim for an qual balance between each W element
Assess performance against each W, for me, this is done as a monthly journal.
Use the Five Ws approach as a base for your first set of Recognition Towers
The role of Five Ws in developing Recognition Towers
I’ve previously mentioned the need to use time and repetition to build skillsets overtime, I call this process the building of ‘Recognition Towers’. In order to decide which recognition towers to focus on and build, it helps to break up each tower into categories that span all facets of your lifestyle, The Five Ws is a great starting point for each of your first towers.