Final answer:
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, physiological needs are the first type of needs a person seeks to satisfy. These include necessary requirements for survival such as food and water. Only once these needs are met does the individual move on to higher levels of the hierarchy, such as security, love, esteem, and self-actualization.
Step-by-step explanation:
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a person seeks to satisfy physiological needs first. These are the most fundamental needs for survival, such as food, water, and shelter. Following the satisfaction of these needs, a person can then pursue safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and ultimately self-actualization.
It is important to note that Maslow later proposed an additional level above self-actualization called self-transcendence, which involves finding a meaning and purpose beyond the self. This theoretical framework helps us understand the motivation behind human behaviors.
Therefore, before a person concerns themselves with how others view them or achieving their full potential, they are more likely to concentrate on fulfilling their basic physiological needs. Only when these lower-level needs are met do higher-level needs become significant drivers of behavior.
It is also worth mentioning that while Maslow's hierarchy is a valuable psychological model, some researchers have critiqued its subjective nature and its inability to account for all real-world phenomena. For instance, individuals sometimes sacrifice their own needs for a greater cause or purpose, which does not strictly adhere to the hierarchy's sequence.