The Significance Of Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs
In my opinion, I believe Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was most relevant to my study of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Coming into the course I had previously learned about the Hierarchy of Needs. In that course we took an in-depth look at Maslow’s Theory, and applied it to several real life scenarios. One scenario that caught my eye was when we studied a group of plane crash survivors. I do not remember the exact details of the story, but I remember that their hunger drove them to cannibalism. After some time their food sources ran out, and without food to eat the people became unable to function. The hunger they faced brought weakness and immobility but if they wanted to survive, they had to stay strong. Initially,
their cannibalism began as a way to meet their physiological needs. However, as time went on the cannibalism was used to achieve safety from death, belongingness with the “Alpha Pack” and embrace the fact they were never going to be saved. In the end only one man remained, but once everyone had been eaten he died of starvation. This prior knowledge allowed me to understand why certain events in the novel occurred. It helped me understand why Ishmael always needed to have a weapon on him to feel safe (Beah 129), or why his newfound safety amongst the soldiers allowed him to feel like he belonged. To achieve self-satisfaction each stage of the Hierarchy must be accomplished and this was very evident in the novel. For Ishmael to achieve the first stage and meet his physiological needs he, “stole people's food while they slept” (Beah 29). Once his physiological needs were met he found safety through artillery. This cause-and-effect cycle continued until Ishmael had achieved the other three stages of the hierarchy (belongingness, self-esteem and self-actualization). Without Maslow’s Theory I would have never been able to understand how all these events were entwined or why Ishmael’s priorities shifted at different times. This knowledge will help me in my everyday life when trying to figure out why certain things happen.
their cannibalism began as a way to meet their physiological needs. However, as time went on the cannibalism was used to achieve safety from death, belongingness with the “Alpha Pack” and embrace the fact they were never going to be saved. In the end only one man remained, but once everyone had been eaten he died of starvation. This prior knowledge allowed me to understand why certain events in the novel occurred. It helped me understand why Ishmael always needed to have a weapon on him to feel safe (Beah 129), or why his newfound safety amongst the soldiers allowed him to feel like he belonged. To achieve self-satisfaction each stage of the Hierarchy must be accomplished and this was very evident in the novel. For Ishmael to achieve the first stage and meet his physiological needs he, “stole people's food while they slept” (Beah 29). Once his physiological needs were met he found safety through artillery. This cause-and-effect cycle continued until Ishmael had achieved the other three stages of the hierarchy (belongingness, self-esteem and self-actualization). Without Maslow’s Theory I would have never been able to understand how all these events were entwined or why Ishmael’s priorities shifted at different times. This knowledge will help me in my everyday life when trying to figure out why certain things happen.