The Hierarchy of Needs and Becoming Whole

The work of psychologists such as Jung and Maslow can provide us with a framework for understanding what makes us tick. The hierarchy of needs developed by Maslow helps us understand what makes us human and what motivates us to press forward in the face of challenges and adversity. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, or the seven stages of personal development, can be described in ascending order as follows:

1. Physical survival

2. Safety

3. Love and belonging

4. Self-esteem

5. Mental development and understanding

6. Appreciation or creation of aesthetic beauty

7. Self-actualization and transcendence

Each one of us will typically experience fulfillment as well as deficiencies in one or more of these seven areas. To reach our fullest potential – to become whole – we must accept and overcome the challenges laid out before us in our progression from the basic stages of physical survival to the ultimate stage of self-actualization through fulfilling our soul purpose on earth. As we overcome survival fears, for example, we free ourselves to move up the hierarchy of needs to focus on higher level needs such as creating positive and fulfilling relationships. As we work through unbalanced relationship patterns that we may have learned from our families or prior lifetimes, we free ourselves to pursue other goals further up the “pyramid,” all the way to self-transcendence.

Fear and negativity vibrate at lower frequencies than the energies of love and spiritual truth. Therefore, an important life task for each one of us to heal those parts of ourselves that are out of balance, that hold false and limiting beliefs and patterns that vibrate at frequencies lower than that of pure love. Personal transformation involves learning how to integrate our lower level physical and psychological ego-based needs with the spiritual needs of our soul. Healing allows us to fully align with our highest potential with the vibrational frequency of our soul. Eventually, each one of us will discover the truth that our most meaningful experiences in life are where we use our energies, talents and resources to improve our own lives and the lives of others, and support the flourishing of our beautiful planet.