Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

I was first introduced to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs by my brother who was taking a psychology elective at Virginia Tech. 

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a pyramid of needs necessary to reach self-actualization. It states that in order to get to the highest point in the pyramid, your previous needs have to be taken care of. When one need if fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfill the next one, and so on. The five-stages of the pyramid are biological and physiological needs, safety needs, love and belongingness needs, esteem needs, and then finally actualization needs.

Biological and physiological needs: air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex and sleep

Safety needs: protection and freedom from fear

Love and belongingness needs: friendship, affection and love

Esteem needs: achievement, independence, and self-respect 

Self-Actualization needs: realizing personal potential and self-fulfillment 

Resources used: 

McLeod, Saul. "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." Simple Psychology. N.p., 2007. Web. 

     6 May 2015. <http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html>. 

Video via Science Channel

This video is the missing puzzle piece that ties together my entire independent study. This short clip, narrated by Morgan Freeman, explains how two identical twins can be greatly impacted base on their socioeconomic standing. It was just added to my presentation I will be presenting Monday the 11th. From this video I was reminded of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which will also be tied into my presentation. 

Does a child’s upbringing directly impact their future successes or failures? 

So back to my essential question... A child's upbringing does impact their future successes or failures due to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Future post about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to come! Stay tuned... 

My Progress

Oh, goodness! I can't believe how fast my independent study has flown by. My final presentation and final report are due Monday the 11th (!!). So far I've found Malcolm Gladwell's book so inspiring.  It is interesting how the smallest things can relate to everyday life. Today however, I want to talk about Gladwell's work outside of The Tipping Point.

Instead I want to talk about one of Malcolm Gladwell's TED talks I came across: Choice, Happiness, and Spaghetti Sauce

He takes spaghetti sauce and relates it to finding the perfect recipe. It only took one differing view to revolutionize the pasta industry and make chunky spaghetti sauce popular. Diversity was introduced, and this process changed the way the food industry viewed making their customer's happy.

So why does this relate to nature vs. nurture?

When kids begin preschool, they are automatically picking up on small social cues. If they sit in a circle every morning to say their ABC's that will quickly because the norm. However, when those kids begin the enter middle school and are challenged with the task of "finding themselves," they are afraid to embrace diversity. It is because of this fear that finding ones self is a challenging task for a 13 year old.