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Needs

Explanations > Needs

Needs models | Individual needs | So what?

What are needs? Needs are a kind of natural mental programming that make us want things. They essentially motivate us into action as a stimulated need  leads to the inner tension that drives us into action.

Needs models

There are a number of theories and models of motivation that have been proposed, including:

• Actualizer Needs: A whole set for actualizers.
• Argyris' Governing Values: Needs for career success.
• Berne's Six Hungers: Drivers from Transactional Analysis.
• Career Anchors: What drives you to particular careers.
• CIA Needs Model: A useful changing-minds model.
  • Internal CIA Conflicts: How CIA needs conflict with themselves and one another.
    • Control Conflict: The issue of managing risk.
    • Identity Conflict: Who am I?
• Doyal and Gough's Needs: Health and autonomous.
• Eight Need Domains: Where other needs may be found.
• ERG Theory: Alderfer reduced Maslow's hierarchy to three key needs in 1972.
• Evolutionary Needs: Fundamental forces.
• Glasser's Five Needs are similar to Maslow's, but include fun!
• Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory was proposed in the 1960s.
• Horney's Neurotic Needs: What very anxious people seek.
• Kano's Needs were defined in 1984 with regard to customers, but are very relevant to all people.
• Maslow's Hierarchy is one of the best known descriptions of layered needs.
• Max-Neef Needs: Another recent list.
• McClelland's Acquired Needs Theory is also a three-need model.
• Mumford's Needs are four basic needs of workers.
• Murray's Needs are a longer list of needs identified by  Henry A. Murray in 1938.
• Packard's Eight Hidden Needs: That advertisers target.
• Robbins' Six Needs: Three pairs of needs.
• Self-Determination Theory: Autonomy, relatedness, competence.
• Spitzer's Eight Desires: A recent collation.
• The Needs of Children: And the responsibility of parents.
• Yalom's Ultimate Concerns: Deep troubles we need to avoid.

Another useful view of needs is to understand the priorities of and differences between needs, wants and likes, and hence  find where to focus your efforts and identify potential trade-offs.

Individual needs

If you want to get to descriptions of individual needs, here is a full list of needs that have more detailed descriptions available:

• Arousal

• Beauty

• Belonging

• Certainty

• Challenge

• Completion

• Conformity

• Consistency

• Control

• Curiosity

• Esteem

• Explain

• Fairness

• Freedom

• Health

• Identity

• Novelty

• Prediction

• Rationality

• Repetition

• Safety

• Self-actualization

• Status

• Understanding

• Winning

So what?

You can leverage needs in two ways, stimulating or satisfying them.

Stimulate needs

The simplest way of stimulating needs is to make them visible. Show people what they have not got. Show them the future, and how their needs might be met. If you have the power, you can even take things away from them (or just threaten to do so).

Satisfy needs

When people have needs (perhaps those which you have stimulated), you can promise to satisfy them. It puts you in a position of being able to negotiation with them. The more desperate the needs, the more you can require in exchange.

See also

Drive Theory, Deep Stuff, Evolution, Motivation, Inner systems, Four components of success, Satisfy Needs for Happiness, Graves' Levels

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