XLRI: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is flawed

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Questioner (Q): I try to experiment with and apply the philosophies I have heard of in class to real-life situations. So, during one of our classes, I came across a philosophy called ‘Maslow’s hierarchy of needs’.

In that hierarchy, self-actualization was placed at the top of the pyramid. And I think that for many individuals, including myself, our long-term goal is either instinct-based or security-based. If you ask me, I will say that I want to become a CEO of a company, which is a security-based or an esteem-based need. But the self-actualization need won’t be a long-term goal for many.

Do you think that having a long-term goal of attaining self-actualization, which in turn is spiritual, is important? Do you think that creating awareness about self-actualization in an individual from an early age is important?

Acharya Prashant (AP): See, the way Maslow constructed his pyramid is good, nicely indicative, but not very exact. Self-actualization is not something that stands distinct from all your other needs. The way that pyramid stands is, you say, “Once all my lower needs are satisfied, only then I come to self-actualization,” right? So, you have kept self-actualization at the top and you say, “Food…