We have needs as human beings. We have natural drives, impulses and needs as humans. We have physical, material, psychological, social, and spiritual needs that we innately seek after. We try to get our needs met throughout our lives. Consider the following basic human needs and examine how you are meeting each need.
1. Shelter.
We need a place to live, a place to call home. We need to be sheltered from the elements of nature: to be warm when it's cold, to be in the shade when it's hot, and dry from the rain.
2. Food/water
We need food and water to stay alive. We need proper nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and hydration to live.
3. Clothing.
4. Sleep.
We need to sleep. We use up energy and run out of it each day. We need to sleep each day to have the energy to function.
5. Money/income/job.
Water, food, shelter, and clothing require money. We need money to obtain our basic human needs. We need a job and/or a source of income to pay for our needs.
6. Sex.
We have a sex drive, sexual impulses, and hormones that give us attraction, arousal, and the desire to have sex.
7. Security/safety.
We do not want to be attacked by others. We don't want people taking our things. We need to be safe from these threats.
8. Agency/autonomy/control
We have the need to be in control. We want to be able to choose and make decisions for ourselves.
9. Connection/touch/love/belonging
We are relational beings and need to be connected to one another. We need physical touch. We need to share, communicate, listen, and understand one another. We need to belong somewhere.
10. Competence/self-efficacy/self-esteem
We need to believe in ourselves. We need to know that we are capable of living our lives successfully. We need to be confident in who we are.
11. Pleasure/avoidance of pain
We want to have fun. We want to feel good. We want to experience excitement and happiness. We desire comfort and relaxation. We avoid pain. We take calculated risks if the return is worth the cost.
12. Growth/self-actualization
We want to grow, develop, learn, progress, change, and make things better. We want to actualize our full potential.
13. Meaning/significance/purpose
We need life to matter. We need to have a purpose in life. We need things to be meaningful.
14. Transcendence
We need to live for something greater than ourselves. As selfish as we are, there is something in us that drives us to seek something greater than ourselves to live for.