Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, wanted to understand what motivates human behavior. Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs to explain how human actions are motivated in order to achieve certain needs. When basic needs are fulfilled, a person moves to more advanced needs, or levels, illustrated in his model. As Maslow discusses in his hierarchy of needs, human will not reach full development when the progression of levels is prevented. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley reinforces the restrain of one’s full potential through the development of the creature who has been denied the need for belonging as he begins his path of destruction. When the monster is created, he begins at the first level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The first level of Maslow’s hierarchy is physiological needs. These needs, including breathing, food, water, and sleep, are vital to survival. Although they are the most basic necessities, Maslow believed that these were “the more critical to survival” (Armstrong 75). In Frankenstein, the monster is forced to take care of these important needs on his own. After he is created, the monster “ate some berries which [he] found hanging on the trees, or lying on the ground. [He] slaked [his] thirst at the brook; and then lying down was overcome by sleep” (Shelley 87). In his hierarchy of needs, Maslow explains that once the needs of a certain level are satisfied “other (and ‘higher’) needs emerge and…dominate the organism” (Maslow 375). After the monster learns to manage his physiological needs, he is able to concentrate on the second level of Maslow’s hierarchy: safety needs. After the monster obtains food and water, he finds a place of security in the woods where he “retreated and lay down happy to have found ... ... middle of paper ... ...of “eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind” (Shelley 121) and therefore is unable to concentrate on his own self-esteem or self-actualization. As Maslow discusses in his hierarchy of needs, human will not reach full development when the progression of levels is prevented. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley reinforces the restrain of one’s full potential through the development of the creature who has been denied the need for belonging as he begins his path of destruction. The monster is able to satisfy the basic needs of Maslow’s hierarchy, but depends more on others to fulfill his need for love. As the monster is rejected of the need for love, he becomes more destructive and is unable to advance to the needs of self-esteem and self-actualization. Without the satisfaction of these needs the monster is denied the opportunity to reach full psychological development.
Knowledge comes from experience. Since birth, Mary Shelley’s Monster from her acclaimed epistolary novel, Frankenstein, has been assaulted by all of the difficulties of life, yet he has faced them completely alone. The Tabula Rasa concept is completely applicable to him. The Monster begins as a child, learning from mimicking and watching others. He then educates himself by reading a few books which help shape his personality and give him an identity. Following Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the Monster searches for and accomplishes the basic human necessities but feels alone, and needs human interaction and companionship. “My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot even imagine,” (Shelley 115). As the book progresses, the Monster ceases to be a one-dimensional and flat watcher of humanity. Through his numerous experiences and education, the monster instead morphs into a participator of humanity with the ability to achieve goals, broaden his personality and create himself an identity.
In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the author’s view concerning the role that human connections play is that humans need others in their lives in order to function correctly. As conveyed by Shelley, isolation and separation from any other beings leads to misery. Not having companions around also leads to a lack of the ability to behave constructively. Shelley’s views are conveyed throughout the novel through the decaying well being of certain characters.
Upon the many observances that can be seen throughout the story of Frankenstein, one of the main focus points would be that of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This is a psychological pyramid that consists of the basic needs of the subconscious human. These needs consist of self-actualization needs, esteem needs, social needs, safety needs, and psychological needs. Once one need on this period is met, the human body will subconsciously seek to fulfill the next item it feels is missing (McLeod). There are many circumstances within the novel that concern this hierarchy, and it is made apparent that this gives reason for many of the actions of the monster that take place. It can be justified in the sense that his actions were committed for a feeling
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), depression occurs in over 26% of adolescents and can lead to morbidity, mortality, and social problems that can last into adulthood (SCREENING FOR DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS -- RISKS AND BENEFITS, 2015). Signs of adolescent depression can sometimes be different than adults, and possibly harder to identify. It is most often identified as an increase in negative behaviors or somatic complaints such as an upset stomach (SCREENING FOR DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS -- RISKS AND BENEFITS, 2015). Behavioral changes that are associated with adolescent depression include an increase in irritability, tantrums, anger outbursts, decrease in school performance, and social isolation (SCREENING
Often times in society, people are neglected and judged solely based on other people’s opinions, how they look, or how they act. Many times in these situations, the people that are prematurely shunned from society are morally sound, kind hearted people. In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the monster was the one who was prematurely judged, and as a result, shunned from society. The depthlessness of society is represented throughout by selfishness and fear, as well as retaliation.
Maslow believed that there was a hierarchy of five innate needs that influence people’s behaviors (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p.246-247). In a pyramid fashion, at the base are physiological needs, followed by safety needs, then belonginess and love needs, succeeded by esteem needs, and finally the need for self-actualization. Maslow claimed that lower order needs must be at least partially satisfied before higher level needs are addressed. Furthermore, behavior is dominated by solely one need
Physiological is ones most basic of needs: food, water, air, sleep, the environment in which one lives. These needs must be met at the time of birth, as with out the first stage a person cannot grow and develop the mental abilities to move to the next level. Maslow’s hierarchy states that as one is starved of these needs the desire grows stronger to achieve it. Genie, a child that was found at the age of 13, only received the basics of life, food, water, air and nothing more. Her body grew, and life of the body sustain but development into the next level never happened; she was never able to achieve Maslow’s second level of the hierarchy.
Unlike many of his colleagues at the time who were focusing on psychopathology, or what is wrong with individuals, he focused on how individuals are motivated to fulfill their potential and what needs govern their respective behaviors (McLeod)). Maslow developed the hierarchy over time, adjusting from a rigid structure where needs must be met before being able to achieve a higher level, to where the individuals can experience and behave in ways across the hierarchy multiple times daily depending on their needs. The hierarchy is comprised of 5 levels; Physiological, Safety and Security, Love and Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. The bottom two levels are considered basic needs, or deficiency needs because once the needs are met they cease to be a driving factor, unlike psychological needs. Loving and Belonging and Esteem needs are considered psychological needs, and are different from basic needs because they don’t stem from a lack of something, but rather the desire to grow. Maslow theorizes that individual’s decisions and behavior are determined based on their current level of needs, and the ideal level to achieve full potential culminates in self-actualization; however, operating on this level cannot be achieved until the preceding levels of needs have been
Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, created a theory about how humans fulfill their needs. Robert Gwynne emphasizes Maslow’s theory that “human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied” (Gwynne). In Maslow’s Hierarchy, he explains that humans must fulfill their basic necessities before they can reach a higher level of contentment. Accomplishing needs allows for humans to stay motivated in their daily life. The ability to attain their goals originates from the order of the hierarchy. Saul McLeod helps to provide information about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. He explains that the levels of needs include physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization (McLeod). The beginning level, physiological, includes essential needs: food, water, air, sleep, and shelter. After filling those urges, a person would move on to the safety level which ensures that they are protected from the elements and have security. Then the social level of the hierarchy should be met because humans have to feel a sense of connection and belonging. The higher levels of the hierarchy are more challenging to satisfy, so not everyone completes them. Esteem consists of a person’s achievements, independence, self-respect, and respect from others. Once a person feels that they have accomplished esteem, they arrive at self-actualization. The last level requires for the person to reach self-fulfillment and to realize their full potential. Humans do not approach maturity until they make their way through all five levels of the hierarchy. However, completion of the hierarchy does not happen often because people neglect their impulses. If a person chooses to ignore their needs, then they can be negatively affected: “The need to fulfil such needs will become stronger the longer the duration they are denied. For example, the longer a
Considering the fact sixty-two percent of people watch television every day, most people don’t realize how advertising commercials use Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to sell products. They use this to sell products because Maslow’s needs come in five levels and describe the things that each person wants to achieve in life. The levels start with the Physiological needs which are the basic needs such as food and water. The second level is safety this level deal with things such as employment, security of the body and more. The third level is Love/Belonging and deals with friendship and family. The fourth level is Esteem needs and appeals to people’s confidence, achievement, and others things. The final level every person wants to achieve
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory that includes a five level pyramid of basic human
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a theory of basic human needs: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. His theory suggests that embedded in the very nature of each human being are certain needs that must be attained in order for a person to be whole physically, psychologically, and emotionally. First, there are phys...
Abraham Maslow wrote the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. This theory was based on fulfilling five basic needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. Maslow believed that these needs could create internal pressures that could influence the behavior of a person. (Robbins, p.204)
Food, water, sleep, and sensory gratification are all at the top of the hierarchy. These and other needs are considered to be part of the psychological needs. These rest at the top of the hierarchy because they are the essence to basic human survival. The list of these needs can be much larger or shorter depending of personal opinion. Maslow himself said that said “it would be po...
Similarly, Maslow's theory also reflects that humans have an internal force to reach their highest potential (Maslow, 1968). Maslow examined the hierarchy of basic human needs and developed a pyramid of requirements which motivates human beings and shapes their personality. At the bottom of his pyramid are found the basic physiological motivations which are necessary for survival such as food and shelter. The next level incorporates the need for safety, both physical and psychological. This is followed by love and belongingness which relate to receiving and giving affection. Presuming the love need is met, the next level up is the need for esteem which includes the feeling of self-esteem and self-respect. At the top of the pyramid stands the complex need for self-actualization which is a meta-need as per Maslow (1964) and we can reach it through peak experiences. It is the highest level of growth when someone reached her or his capacity to the fullest. Maslow estimated that only 1 percent of people ever really fulfil this need (Maslow,