Six Human Needs
Understanding The Six Human Needs
As humans, we all have simple needs that we try to meet in our lives, each day. These needs are necessary to feel secure in our jobs, in our homes and in our relationships. Consciously or unconsciously, we will try to satisfy the needs which are most important to us. The success or failure to satisfy these needs can either have a negative or positive impact on the quality of our lives.
By trying to meet needs which are not in line with our personal values, we will experience dissatisfaction and conflict.
When our highest values are aligned with our needs, we will feel more satisfied, content, and happy.
There are six basic human needs, according to Human Needs Psychology, that we try to fulfill in varying degrees:
CERTAINTY
The need for the feeling of comfort, security, stability, protection, predictability, and feeling grounded.
VARIETY/UNCERTAINTY
The need for change, stimulation, surprise, and challenge.
SIGNIFICANCE
The need to feel unique, acknowledged, important, special, valued and recognized.
LOVE
The need to love, feel loved, a sense of togetherness, warmth, to feel a connection with others.
GROWTH
The need to improve, grow, and develop, both in spirit and character.
CONTRIBUTION
The need to help, to give, and to support others.
The top four needs shape our personality, while the last two shape our spiritual needs.
Which needs are most important for you? What do you do to meet those needs?
Human behavior is motivated by the pursuit to fulfill one or more of the six human needs. We all experience the same six human needs; however, we all find different ways to satisfy these needs. This can either be accomplished in negative, positive, constructive, or deconstructive ways.
Taking the steps to discover which needs are most important to us and how we endevour to meet those needs, will help us to bring harmony in our lives and in our relationships.
Find out what is driving your behavior by taking the Six Human Needs Test!
Don’t overthink your answers, and remember to HAVE FUN!