Maslow

For those of you who didn't know, I was a psychology major in undergrad. Having a bachelors degree in psychology means that I am an expert in all things psychological and that if I ever offer you advice it is as if a licensed clinical counselor just gave you treatment. And most of the time I don't even charge.

As an authority in the psychological realm I would like to educate you on a little something called "Maslow's hierarchy of needs." This is a model proposed by Abe Maslow, that pretty much says that some needs are more important, and more urgent than other needs. He ranked these needs and put them in a little pyramid so it would be easier for the freshmen to memorize.



As you can see, the basic stuff is on the bottom, and the stuff we student development professionals focus on are at the top. The theory is that people need to have their needs met in order. So trying to bolster the self esteem of a person who is quite literally starving to death will be ineffective and is pretty much just going to make you look like a jerk.*

Well, since I am a specialist, I would like to make an important addition to this model, and I am completely qualified to do so, so look for it in the new textbooks coming out this fall**

I've been walking around in Washington D.C. the last few days and I have determined that "going to the bathroom" is the most basic (and important) need there is.

Why is that you ask? Because when you need to go, there is NOTHING in the world that matters. My house could be on fire and if I really needed to use the restroom I would probably stop to do my business before I ran out. And you would too. Conversely, if you have really had to go to the bathroom and you get the chance to, nothing can get you down for at least a minute. A man seeing an oasis in a desert is not as happy as a girl on a bus who sees a rest area.

So next time you are in a major city, where none of the businesses have customer rest-rooms and you have to walk 7 miles to get to the train to take you to a place where you can walk 2 miles back the way you came... think about Maslow, and how he apparently has never been in your shoes.

*Christian missionaries are getting better at this. People's hearts are more receptive to the gospel when they aren't worried about whether or not they will eat that week.

**It's the only thing they changed in the old textbook, except the pages are in a different order and they are glossier...also there are more pictures of ethnic minorities. The new text is $119 and required for class.