I was reading through some theories today and one of them was on the Maslow's Hierarchy of needs theory.

Maslow argued that there are 5-levels of needs, namely Physiological, Safety, Love/Belongness, Esteem and Self-actualisation. The most basic of needs must be met in order to move up the levels to achieve self-actualisation, which is the acceptance of oneself and to achieve "Nirvana" in a sense.

And then, i tried the theory on myself to assess which level i am at. I figured, no problem with physiological, all basic needs like food, water, shelter are met. Next, safety. No treat to current level of safety, met.

Next, Love/Belongness/Social needs. The need to feel belonged to a social group, thus refraining from loneliness, social anxiety and depression. There are so many "social groups" that i can relate to, my closer groups of friends, my buddies, my social work classmates, my colleagues, my family... They all give me a different sense of belongness, some a lot more, some lesser. So met? Yes and no. Not an easy answer.. Towards some groups, the sense of belongness remains, whenever it is. Towards another, the feeling exist when we see each other, towards yet another, you just don't feel that you are one of them. At times, feelings of loneliness can be overwhelming, yet at times the feeling of happiness can be overwhelming too. Basically, i'm a person who need to feel "loved" and "needed". Grey area.

Esteem. 1 huge problemful area. I am no confident a person. Have been told a number of times that i appeared very confident, the fact is, i appear confident. Maslow states that a person who achieved his esteem needs accepts himself and feels a sense of contribution towards the activities he engages in. There are 2 levels and i reckon i belonged to the lower level where a person needs to be constantly re-assured by the others on their achievements.

So, i am stuck at the Esteem level. The level before self-actualisation. And rest assure, that i am finding my way up the level, one day, i will achieve self-actualisation. =)