The Hierarchy of Needs

How can we better understand our own needs? The hierarchy of needs is mostly attributed to Abraham Maslow, who published this theory of psychology in 1943 after spending six weeks with the Blackfoot (Siksika) Community. The concepts were then converted into a visually-digestible pyramid in the 1960’s:

So how can we apply this theory to our lives?

1. Prioritize basic needs. We all need a place to lay our heads at night, food, water and air to breathe. If you find that you are missing one of these things then it may be harder to achieve more complex goals. Always return to basic needs first!

   
   

2. Safety needs are also foundational. Our access to resources and our ability to feel physically and psychologically safe impacts our lives and our mental health. Systemic and cultural factors can create barriers to accessing safety needs. Recognizing these barriers can help externalize some of the issues that may feel like they are somehow an internal flaw when in fact they are structural.

   
   

3. Love and belonging is as important as safety. While the visualization depicts a hierarchy, I conceptualize the 2nd (safety needs) and 3rd level (love and belonging) from the bottom as being of equal importance. Without love, belonging and community, we cannot feel safe and well-resourced, and vice versa. Identifying social supports in your life, then taking steps to engage with those social supports, is critical to cultivating feelings of safety.

   
   

4. Be kind with yourself, and meet yourself where you are. The top two tiers of the hierarchy are self-esteem and self-actualization. WHOA. For many of us, these are VERY lofty goals! This is where the hierarchy format can come in handy, in that instead of beating yourself up about not being self-actualized, you can head back to the bottom of the pyramid to help build insight and gain information about any stuck points you may be facing.

My hope is that this theory provides some structure for the folks out there asking themselves what they might like to focus on in therapy in the future. And, whether you agree or disagree, the way that viewing this hierarchy makes you feel could also be interesting fodder for your next therapy session 🙂

Citations:

McLeod, S. (2025, August 3). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology.

Ravilochan, T (2021, June 15). The Blackfoot Wisdom that Inspired Maslow's Hierarchy. Indigenous Peoples Archives - The Esperanza Project.

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Jamie Cohen, MA, earned her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University. She considers herself a career-changer with a little over a decade of previous experiences in startup, agency, corporate and nonprofit work environments, so she understands many of the stressors that come with balancing personal and professional expectations and identities.

Jamie takes a collaborative approach to counseling and will start any new therapeutic relationship by talking with her clients about what they are hoping to get out of therapy.

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