Basic needs are those that must be satisfied to survive (drink, eat, etc.).
With etymological origin in the Latin word necessĭtas , necessity is a term with several uses. It may be something that is essential to survive or something that requires urgent help or attention, for example.
Basic , meanwhile, is an adjective that allows you to qualify what is essential or fundamental . It can also refer to that which lacks complexity or depth.
Basic needs are known as the set of issues that must be satisfied to survive or to have a decent life. Basic needs are both material and symbolic .
What are the basic needs
There is no precise or exact list of basic needs. However, certain physiological needs can be recognized that are essential for life , such as drinking , eating and sleeping .
There is no human being who can survive without satisfying these needs. In other words: without drink or food, and without having the possibility of sleeping, a person dies in the short term.
Furthermore, it must be considered that the satisfaction of basic needs may be partial, affecting the quality of life. An individual who eats every other day may survive, but suffer various health problems.
Covering basic needs, on the other hand, requires the development of certain actions or the fulfillment of other factors. It can be indicated, in this framework, that having a job and a home are unavoidable requirements for survival.
Sleep is part of people's basic needs.
The symbolic aspect
Beyond physiology , it is common to recognize basic needs linked to the social, cultural and emotional . A person must have psychological support, have access to education and have moments of leisure, to mention a few possibilities.
In these cases, needs are linked to the use of potential and well-being. No one dies for not going to school or for not knowing how to read or write, although these situations undermine the subject's progress and make it difficult for them to integrate into the community.
Although these basic needs are not strictly material, their satisfaction usually has to do with the availability of money and the presence or absence of the State . A child can attend classes only if his parents or guardians cover his physiological needs (if they buy him food, drinks, etc.) and if he has an educational establishment near his home where he can attend.
Basic needs according to Maslow
The American psychologist Abraham Maslow ( 1908 – 1970 ) developed a theory that is often referred to as the hierarchy of human needs or, simply, Maslow's pyramid . What Maslow did was hierarchically order the needs of individuals, placing the basic needs in the lower sector of a pyramid: food, breathing, rest, etc.
Then, in an ascending direction, needs occur that are no longer so elementary and that are related to desires. Thus, issues such as physical security, private property, friendship , self-recognition and morality, among others, arise.
According to Maslow , only physiological needs are present from the birth of the human being. The others appear as time progresses. This psychologist even maintained that, when the subject manages to satisfy his or her basic needs, higher-order needs begin to emerge.