Do you think the pandemic has changed the order of your needs? During confinement, did you see that your priorities were different? And… does Maslow’s pyramid sound familiar to you?
The pandemic has reached us all, whether we wanted it or not. And with this we have had to take a look at how to fit our needs, as if we were looking at a kaleidoscope and turning to see which image best suits our new reality.
A long time ago, Maslow, a psychologist and one of the founders of humanistic psychology, spoke about how all people We have needs that are arranged hierarchically , and that will lead us to act in a certain way with the aim of satisfying them. He ordered them into 5 blocks that, from smallest to largest, would be as follows.
1. Physiological needs
These would be those most basic for survival of a more biological nature such as food, drinking water, breathing, rest, reproduction or homeostasis.
2. Security needs
This category would include physical security, employment security, resource security, family security, health security, moral security and privately owned.
3. Membership needs
Also known as social needs, according to Maslow perhaps less basic. Would friendship, affection and sexual intimacy.
4. Recognition needs
At this level you would find self-recognition, self-esteem, respect, confidence and success.
5. Self-actualization needs
It would be the highest level, the peak, and this category would include potential development, creativity, spontaneity, acceptance of facts, problem solving and lack of prejudice.
What does Maslow’s pyramid tell us about our needs in a pandemic?
Maslow told us that To complete a higher need we first had to have satisfied the previous one. , that is, without having met the physiological and safety needs we could not satisfy the affiliation needs. But later, it was seen that it is not necessary for some needs to be covered for others to arise.
The pandemic, and specifically confinement, has made many of these needs more urgent than others that some could not be covered, or it has challenged us to change the way we satisfy them.
We start with the most basic ones, the physiological ones, which were the first to start just before confinement. We only have to remember the empty food shelves or the controversial stockpiling of toilet paper. If we use Maslow as a guide it seems logical: We people try to stock up on the basics to live in an unprecedented situation that we did not know about.
Once the most vital needs were met came the need for security, for protect our health by using gels, masks, keeping distance, etc. But unfortunately many people saw their security needs greatly affected, either because they suffered the virus and their health was greatly affected in the short and long term, or because they lost their job or entered into the notorious EREs. The employment situation also affected family security, resources and property, so that many families have seen their lives change 180 degrees.
If, on the other hand, you have been luckier and your basic and security needs have been covered, you will surely affiliation needs (meeting friends, chatting, sharing and making plans) emerged strongly During this period when we had to be at home, and you had to resort to video calls to see and interact with many of your loved ones. And then, things haven’t gotten any easier, as there were still restrictions on seeing friends and family.
Of course, the summer and Christmas were a challenge to not throw ourselves into everything we needed, and where we had to put health first before affection in order to be safe.
At this point, Many people began to feel that their lives had certain deficiencies at higher levels. and they were inclined to delve into their needs for self-realization, beginning to rethink their relationships and their life situations with the aim of seeking a change for the better, and this has been noted in an increase in the use of psychological services.
And now that?
And now that we can say that we are gradually emerging from this pandemic, Where are you in the pyramid? What do you need right now? Have you perhaps had to reorganize your priorities because your situation has changed?
Of course, we are all clear that the pandemic has not left us indifferent. You may have reviewed your values or seen that your priorities have changed.
Continuing with Maslow’s pyramid, the most basic needs seem to be covered again. However, Restoring the second level of needs (security needs, especially related to work and health) is going to be what is going to cost us the most.
In terms of work, the panorama is diverse and plagued with uncertainty: it may be that you are unemployed and the way is to continue searching. Or that you have to reactivate your business after losses; or that you have to readapt and return to the office after more than a year of teleworking.
At the level of physical health, although the vaccines are already here and a return to normality and taking off our masks is in sight, there are probably many people who will still feel that uncertainty and the instinct to protect weigh more, and It will take some time for them to return to previous normality, to physical contact and to eliminate all prevention and hygiene measures.
We cannot forget about our mental and emotional health and its care, because perhaps it is one of the needs that is emerging the most in this progressive recovery of the “new normal.”
Before COVID-19 and its multiple consequences, people lived at faster paces, carried out activities that are not possible during a pandemic, saw our friends more frequently and in other circumstances, etc. But After the mandatory break we have had to sit down with problems or discomforts that we had not attended to for a long time. or with some new emotions, feelings or situations to which we have to adapt.
For sure, Reconnecting with our family and friends is one of the most desired needs. and that we are being able to resume. Being able to see each other, make plans, share, hug each other (how much we have missed it!)… At this point it is important that each one can check how they are and what is the appropriate pace to contact again.
That is, instead of planning or attending a meeting with many people, like before, you may need to slow down if you feel overwhelmed and leave only a few friends for a walk outdoors, for example. It is important to resume social relationships but even more important is to do it in the most appropriate and self-respecting way.
Perhaps you have noticed that we have not talked at all about the last level of the hierarchy, the so-called level of self-actualization, since as Maslow said, only once we have met the lower needs will they arise and we can cover the higher ones. And it seems that, in this case, The pandemic has kept us very busy trying to reorganize, adapt and survive at the most basic levels.
It is true that certain questions began to arise, such as, for example, who do I want to be when all this is over? Or, what are my priorities or what is most essential to me? But these questions derived in many cases from a feeling of emptiness or loss of what we had before, and from the fact of having more time with oneself to be able to observe oneself.
It is possible that as security and social needs are met, and we fill those gaps again we are in a better position to return to these questions from another angle, no longer from lack but from the need to grow.
Despite the commotion caused by this pandemic, which almost turned the pyramid upside down, we have been facing adversity, adapting to the new and unexpected. The famous resilience and the search for new ways to make and supply what we need has emerged.
We have seen that some of these needs that Maslow talked about have been revised during the pandemic or have been more pressing than others as the situation progressed or changed. Right now, when we are starting to get out of it, we have to check them again with conscience and patience.
Are you interested in having psychological assistance?
In TherapyChat We are aware that after the mandatory break, we have modified our needs and we have had to sit down with some new emotions, feelings or situations to which we have to adapt.
Maybe mental health is that pending task that you have been putting off for a long time but that you can no longer do. If you are looking for support in this aspect, at TherapyChat, we have a great team of experts who can guide you so that you can achieve your best version.
