Reply #27: You need to study Marlow's Hierarchy of Need

[happyslug]

(I stole most of this from http://web.utk.edu/~gwynne/maslow.HTM):

The Key to Marlow's Hierarchy is that people can ONLY think in "higher terms" if their basic needs are already meet. If those basic needs are NOT being meet, than basic needs will trump any higher aims. I will briefly going each type of need:

On the bottom of the list are people's Physiological Needs, (air, water, food, sleep, sex, etc.). Once they are alleviated, we may think about other things.

Second to the bottom of the list are the Safety Needs. Safety needs have to do with establishing stability and consistency in a chaotic world. These needs are mostly psychological in nature. We need the security of a home and family.

Third on the list are the "Love Needs". Humans have a desire to belong to groups: clubs, work groups, religious groups, family, gangs, etc. We need to feel loved (non-sexual) by others, to be accepted by others. We need to be needed.

Fourth on the list are Esteem Needs, There are two types of esteem needs. First is self-esteem which results from competence or mastery of a task. Second, there's the attention and recognition that comes from others. This is similar to the belongingness level, however, wanting admiration has to do with the need for power. People who have all of their lower needs satisfied, often drive very expensive cars because doing so raises their level of esteem. "Hey, look what I can afford-peon!"

On Top of the list are Self-Actualization needs, i.e. The "need is the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming." People who have everything can maximize their potential. They can seek knowledge, peace, esthetic experiences, self-fulfillment, oneness with God, etc. It is usually middle-class to upper-class students who take up environmental causes, join the Peace Corps, go off to a monastery, etc. (Most people on DU are at this level, and one of the reason some people in DU have a hard time understanding what is going on in Iraqi is they have NEVER lived in a situation where Physical, Safety or social needs had NOT been satisfied).

In Iraq the Physical Needs are being meet, but not the Safety or love needs. This is where the US has to fight this war, we have to provide the needed safety and love needs of the people. Once the US satisfies those needs, the US is in he position to withdraw those needs, thus gaining control over the people. This is what Saddam did, and what we should be doing.



See for more details
http://web.utk.edu/~gwynne/maslow.HTM