The four fundamental human needs

Welcome to another issue of the Zone EQ column. Winter is no longer just upon us we have embraced it in all its cold and wet splendour. The cold and wet is regularly interspersed by the most beautiful sunny warm weather, complete with blue skies. The saying that comes to mind is you can't stop (or predict) the rain but you can wear an umbrella. Thus in the same way that we human beings do not have control over the weather, we have no control over the reality that we have certain basic needs. These are physical needs (health, finances, shelter), socio-emotional needs (belonging), mental needs (to learn) and spiritual needs (higher purpose and meaning in life). These needs are common to all people irrespective of who they are or where they find themselves on this globe.

Today we are going to reflect on the fact that in order to feel fulfilled as human beings these basic needs have to be satisfied. We are going to remind ourselves about the significance of these needs. We ask the question what are the consequences if any one of these needs are neglected or chronically unfulfilled. What happens when one is chronically hungry, unemployed or lonely? How do we explain the fact that in our present society many people's needs are seemingly well satisfied - they have well paying jobs, affectionate families and live in large beautiful houses, yet they complain that they are unhappy and dissatisfied?

Stephen Covey and Roger and Rebecca Merrill (1994) speaks eloquently in their book First Things First about the centrality of a balanced understanding of the four areas of basic needs of mankind. But before we elaborate lets first define what these needs are.

Physical needs - These include our physical needs for such things as food, clothing, shelter, economic well being, and health. We need to have the energy and physical capacity to carry out our daily activities. We who are able-bodied take it for granted that we have the strength to cook, to go to work or to play our favourite sport. Too many tasks will go unfinished or incomplete if we are too tired, too ill or too weak.

Physical needs include having financial resources, having enough money to buy or pay for services and goods. Can you imagine not having a job, not having enough money to get by, or being chronically in debt. On the other hand you may be working too long hours, or just spending too much time at work. Our physical needs also include having adequate shelter (clothing and housing) that can protect us from the elements like the sometimes harsh African sun and the bitter cold.

Social needs – No man is an island the saying goes. Nobody can dispute the fact that people are social beings. We need to have relationships with others. However, the ability to have a successful relationship with others hinges on our ability to have a relationship with ourselves. This includes an awareness of our feelings, our ability to express how we feel, to say when we are upset, happy or excited. People who like themselves can also tolerate being alone sometimes. Being social does not require being surrounded by people all the time.

We are social creatures irrespective of how self sufficient we may define ourselves to be. We need to be in relationship with others. We come through belonging and we live in belonging. Imagine if there is constant blaming, accusing, back biting or misunderstanding between yourself and others?

We like to talk to others that is why we make time to listen to our friends. In turn we like to be heard, complimented, touched, praised and laughed with. In short, we have a need to be close and intimate with others. Nobody enjoys feeling isolated, lonely, alienated, rejected or avoided by others. That is why for most people family is top on their list of priorities. A woman may decide to give up her career because she would like to dedicate more time to her family. A man may decide to forgo taking on a contract that involves spending long periods away from his family.

Need to learn- We retain the need to grow and to develop ourselves throughout our lifespan. This need includes the yearning for logic and understanding. That is why children ask why. It is a fundamental human need to want to have things explained to us. Children want to know where do babies come from? A teenager may ask why am I here? The need to understand ourselves, to gain insight into the rhyme and reason of our lives are fundamental human desires.

This is the desire to improve our lot. That is why we make decisions to acquire certain skills. Maybe you are a housewife who decides to become computer literate. Or if you can't read or write you decide to join an organisation that will teach you these basic skills. If you are a low paid worker you may decide to study part time in order to achieve the education that you have missed out on in your earlier life.

Spiritual needs - This is a need to submit to forces that are higher than ourselves. To live according to principles and values that are important to us. To become less selfish and to contribute to the well being of others. Your spiritual purpose provides you with the fire within, it fills you with passion and desire to live your best life. To do unto others....

Your spiritual life fills you with purpose and direction in life.

The interrelatedness of the four fundamental human needs

These four needs, the physical, social, mental and spiritual are intertwined.   Stephen Covey et al (1994) refer to these needs as the need to live, to love, to learn and to leave a legacy. They cannot be separated from each other. They have to work in balance and synergy with each other. If you are in poor health, or you are constantly tired, it will affect your whole well being. If you are in debt or financial dire straits it may cause personal anxiety and fear of rejection from others.

If you are doing a job that you dislike it will foster frustration and stifle your need for growth and development. If you are feeling constantly lonely or unlovable your quality of life will suffer. If you do not have a spiritual compass, or if you have lost touch with the sacred traditions of your heritage, you will struggle with meaning, with purpose and you may lack direction in life. A neglect of any one of these four areas may not just result in physical illness but may also be the reason why so many people develop addictive behaviours. A man or woman may abuse alcohol because he or she bottles up their negative feelings. Ownership and judicious expression of negative emotions is a sure sign of emotional literacy and may even promote physical well being.

If you are not spending time to find the work that is right for you, or, if you are not doing work that you are passionate about, it will negatively impact the rest of your life. The quality of our work life has enormous implications for our emotional and spiritual wellness.

These needs may differ in intensity over time, sometimes the one need may dominate over others. For instance, as people move into their late thirties and early forties the spiritual need may surface as urgent and dominant in their lives. This is the time that people want to sort out their “after life” issues. When we are in our twenties and early thirties we may spend a lot of time trying to improve our material circumstances. Rightly so because as whole balanced people we have to be successful in both the material and spiritual worlds. However, the word to watch here is balance. We know that a big part of the suffering that middle and upper middle class people experience nowadays is related to an imbalance between tending to material worldly needs versus the time and effort spent to touch base with the deeper, real values in their lives. It is vital that in our search for material well being we do not neglect to pray, to be content, to say thank you and to reflect on where we come from.

That brings us to the end of yet another walk through the Zone EQ park. I trust that visitors to this site find reading and reflecting over these passages as useful as I enjoy stringing it together. The full details of the book that I have referred to above are provided below:

Covey, S.R. Merrill, A.R. & Merrill, R.R. (1994). First things first: To live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy. London: Simon & Schuster Ltd.

Until next time

Your LM Diva

Shahieda

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