Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs In Lost Boy By Ruth B.

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“Lost Boy” by Ruth B could be analyzed using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs because it elaborated about loneliness and being an outcast. For instance, the term “lost boy” itself referred to being an outcast that did not fit in, which correlated with Maslow’s theory involving alienation. To also demonstrate, the notion of belonging was prominent throughout the song, corresponding to Maslow’s theory of human needs motivating human behaviour. On the contrary, the song spoke of “Peter Pan” and “Neverland”, iconic representations of never growing up, thus, associating greatly with the concept of delayed transition. Another contrast to Maslow’s theory would be the presence of Lewin’s Theory of Adolescences, which was illustrated in the song when Ruth …show more content…

To demonstrate, Maslow coined the term alienation as the “estrangement or distance of people from each other, from what they find meaningful, or from their sense of self” (De Coeur, Rawes & Warecki, 2012, p. 72). In other words, when an individual failed to meet the need of a group’s acceptance, they became socially isolated. Comparatively, as stated before, a lost boy was anyone who did not fit in or was lonely, which related back to being socially isolated because they were not accepted in their mainstream society. To illustrate, the song said, “As we soured above the town that never loved me” (Berhe, 2015, p. 26), demonstrating the internal alienation conveyed within the lost boys. Furthermore, they felt as if they were not true members of the place they should consider home, a form of alienation because, to the lost boys, it was not deemed meaningful. Overall, Ruth B used the phrase “lost boy” to showcase alienation upon those that distanced themselves from society, since they believed that they were the …show more content…

Likewise, Lewin stated that since adolescents were unclear about their role within a group dynamic, they were more likely to change their social group (De Coeur, 2012). To put it simply, adolescents were confused about their purpose in a group setting because they were newly experienced in the adult world. Furthermore, this was significant because, Ruth B stated that in Neverland, she was finally content with the new family she had in the Lost Boy community. To emphasize, the song said, “Neverland I love you so you are now my home sweet home, forever a Lost Boy at last” (2015, p.43-44), demonstrating the new family she had in Neverland, her new home. Moreover, this signified that because she was uncertain about her role in society, she joined the Lost Boy community where she opened up and felt accepted. To correspond to Lewin’s theory, the new social group was the Lost Boy community, which she entered in response to being an outcast in the world she used to live in. Another illustration of this connection would be when Ruth B stated, “There was a time when I was alone, no where to go, and no place to call home” (2015, p. 1-2), showcasing how out of place she felt in the real world. Generally speaking, Ruth B changed her social group to of the Lost Boy community because she was unsure about

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