On many occasions, experts in the area of social psychology have defended the idea that human beings are social beings by nature.
But what does this statement really mean and what implications can a lack in the relationship that he establishes with his environment have on human beings?
The Hierarchy of Needs proposed by Abraham Maslow was presented in 1943 as a pyramid-shaped model where five typologies of needs to be satisfied by human beings are represented, ordered according to their complexity and relevance granted in achieving the maximum state of growth. staff. At the base level are physiological needs (food, for example), followed by security needs (protection of the individual), social acceptance needs (belonging and love), self-esteem needs (valuation of one’s own status) and , already at the higher level, the needs for self-realization (self-fulfillment).
The first four types of needs are called “deficit needs”, since it is possible to satisfy them at a given moment, while the fifth is known as “being need”, because it can never be completely satisfied, it is continuous. . When an individual reaches the satisfaction of the most basic needs, his interest in meeting the needs of higher levels increases. This movement towards the top of the pyramid is defined as growth force On the other hand, the decline in the achievement of increasingly primitive needs is due to the action of regressive forces.
Satisfaction of needs
Maslow understands that every human being aspires to satisfy needs at increasingly higher levels, although it admits that not all people want to conquer the need for self-realization, it seems that it is a more particular goal depending on the characteristics of the individual. Another important idea of the author’s model is that it highlights the relationship between action (behavior) and willingness to achieve different levels of needs. Thus, unmet needs are the only ones that motivate behavior and not those already consolidated.
As can be seen, all the components of the pyramid of needs in Maslow’s model are closely related to the significant relevance that the environment exerts on human beings. Thus, both the basic or physiological elements and those of security, belonging and self-esteem can only be understood and given when an individual develops in society (at least in a psychologically adaptive way).
Relevance of environmental stimulation in humans
Countless research has shown how human development is influenced by biological or genetic factors, environmental factors and the interaction that occurs between the two. Thus, an internal predisposition is modulated by the context in which the subject develops and gives rise to a very particular conformation of the characteristics that the subject manifests, both at a cognitive level and at an emotional or behavioral level.
Among the environmental factors to take into account as determining aspects in children’s psychological development are:
Both aspects significantly influence the type of cognitive and emotional functioning that the child internalizes, the quality of their communication skills, their adaptation to the changing environment and their attitude towards learning.
An example of what was stated in the previous paragraph is illustrated by the scientific experience of the doctor Jean Itard with the wild child of Aveyron. The boy was found at the age of 11 in the forest, and behavior similar to that of an untamed animal was observed. After a substantial alteration of the boy’s context, he was able to learn certain social skills, although it is true that progress was limited since the environmental intervention occurred at a very advanced point in development.
Secondary intersubjectivity
In reference to the point mentioned about emotional ties, also The role of the concept of “secondary intersubjectivity” can be considered relevant Secondary intersubjectivity refers to the phenomenon that occurs in babies of approximately one year of age and that consists of a form of primitive symbolic interaction between them and the mother where two types of intentional acts are combined simultaneously: the praxic ones (such as point to an object) and interpersonal ones (the smile, physical contact with the other, among others).
A deficit in achieving this evolutionary milestone is determined by the establishment of an insecure emotional bond and can have significant consequences such as difficulty in constructing one’s own symbolic world, deficits in interpersonal communication and intentional interaction, or development of stereotyped behaviors similar to those manifested on the autism spectrum.
The contribution of Ecological or Systemic Theories
One of the fundamental contributions in this regard has been the proposals of the Ecological-Systemic Theories, which defend the relevance of intervening not only in the subject in question, but also in the different social systems where it interacts such as the family, the school. and other environments such as the neighborhood, peer group, etc. At the same time, the various systems influence each other and others simultaneously
From this systemic conception it is understood that individual behavior is the result of the relationship between the subject, the environment and interaction between both parties (transactionality). The system, therefore, is not equal to the sum of its components; It has a different nature. In this sense, this model gives a holistic vision to the process of human development, assuming that all the capacities of the subject in the childhood stage (cognitive, linguistic, physical, social and emotional) are interrelated and form a global whole that is impossible to segment into areas. specific.
Another characteristic that this theoretical proposal offers of child development is its dynamism, by which the context must adapt to the needs of the subject to facilitate the maturation process. The family, as the main system in which the child’s development occurs, also presents these three aforementioned particularities (holism, dynamism and transactionality) and must be responsible for providing the child with a safe physical and psychological context that guarantees the child’s overall growth in all aspects. indicated development areas.
Relationship between the concept of Resilience and Sociocultural Deprivation
The Resilience Theory emerged from the work carried out by John Bowlby, main author of the Theories of Attachment established between the baby and the affective reference figure. This concept was adopted by the Positive Psychology movement and was defined as the ability to face adversity actively, effectively and being strengthened by it. Research shows that resilient people have lower rates of psychopathological alterations, since this phenomenon becomes a protective factor.
In relation to the issue of sociocultural deprivation, the Resilience Theory explains that the person exposed to an environment that is not very stimulating and suitable for development (which could be understood as adversity) can overcome this complication and achieve satisfactory development that allows you to advance through the different vital stages adaptively.
Intervention in cases of socio-cultural deprivation: Compensatory Education Programs
The Compensatory Education Programs have the objective of reducing educational limitations in groups that present sociocultural and economic deprivation that makes it difficult for them to obtain their inclusion in society as a whole in a satisfactory manner. Its ultimate goal is to achieve a positive bond between family, school and community
These programs are situated within an ecological or systemic explanatory perspective, which is why they prioritize directing their intervention in the environmental context in which the individual is confined, analyzing and altering (if necessary) the economic factors, offering psychoeducational guidelines on the relevance of collaborate with the school area, addressing the emotional problems of students and working to promote teacher training
In conclusion
Throughout the text, it has been observed and contrasted how the quality and enriching nature of the context in which an individual develops is decisive in order to facilitate or bring them closer to greater emotional or psychological well-being. One more time, It is shown that the way in which the different factors are interrelated is very diverse both internal or personal and external or environmental, to configure how the individual development of each human being occurs.
Therefore, in the field of psychology, the attribution of a certain event or psychological functioning to a single specific and isolated cause cannot be correct.
Domingo Segovia, J. and Miñán Espigares, A. (2001). Special educational needs related to the socio-cultural context. Chapter 25, in Psychopedagogical Encyclopedia of Special Educational Needs. Malaga: Cistern.
Grau, C.; Zabala, J.; Ramos. C. Early intervention programs as compensatory education: model of a structured program: Bereiter – Engelmann. Available here.
Martínez Coll, JC (2001) “Social needs and Maslow’s pyramid”, in The Market Economy, virtues and disadvantages.
