Six Human Needs

Author

Brent Stower
August 08, 2023

Achieving your needs in a healthy style!

Do you ever wonder why you have a hard time putting aside bad habits? If we look at a breakdown of what smoking, drinking, drugs, bingeing TV for hours the list goes on, what keeps us going down this path?

Essentially when looking at what these habits do they help satisfy our needs. There are 6 human needs that we should look closer at.

  1. Certainty - Comfort, ability to avoid pain

  2. Uncertainty/ Variety - Surprise, variety is the spice of life

  3. Significance - Feeling special, unique, needed, important

  4. Connection/Love - Most people settle for connection

  5. Growth - You must grow. Personal growth in all aspects of life

  6. Contribution - Contribute beyond yourself

Safety is a basic human need. People with a sense of security and belonging are stabilized for learning, creating, innovating. A group of wonderfully cared for, confident individuals will generate great ideas.

John Sweeney

These will all have a generic meaning based off the dictionary. However when we look at them more deeply they carry a much more significant meaning. The way they can carry this meaning is based off different areas in your life.

If we look at some examples. Starting with smoking it can give you comfort/certainty as it’s a habit that you go to when things are potentially stressful. Also when around other smokers it can be to fit in and give you a feeling of significance. At the same time of feeling significant, you will feel a connection with the ones you’re with. It might seem like a little thing but as we formed this habit it was so much more than just the cigarettes it’s fulfilling some of the needs you desire in life.

Looking at the positive association with some of the same needs we can look at a spouse or our children. If looking at to are we satisfying any of these needs? Yes. Connection/Love depending how you feel about your partner and which stage in life you’re both in. Significance they make you feel special and important. Certainty, they provide a level of comfort. Growth, the will and want to grow with in the relationship.

As we look at both examples we can see a trend with in ourselves that we lean on when focusing on our needs. When looking at a negative habit not only do we want to make small changes to break the cycle but we can start replacing the needs with another more healthy habit?

Go throughout your day and look at these in the light of how they impact your everyday. Are you using them in a positive way or is there a negativity that you hold on to for the same human needs.