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The Hierarchy of Needs – What We Can Learn from The Walking Dead

November 18, 2013 by Alison 7 Comments

Hierarchy Cover Edited

 

Have you ever wondered what motivates people and how they prioritize what is important? Are there certain needs that are similar for the majority of people or is it always based on the individual and their life experiences? Would we make the same decision in a post-apocalyptic scenario as we do today in our relatively comfortable setting? And when the heck does The Walking Dead have to do with any of it? Well, let me tell you…

 

As many of you may know I have quite the obsession with The Walking Dead (Team Daryl!). (If you don’t believe me check out my post about it here.)  I also have an obsession with learning and education (I know, boring right?). But honestly, if I could afford it, I’d probably be a career student. Since I can’t afford it I try to seek out every opportunity I can to learn something new or challenge myself (blogging for instance!). Combine these two crazy obsessions of mine and you get why I was so excited to find Society, Science, Survival: Lessons From AMC’s The Walking Dead; an eight-week online course through University of California – Irvine. Even more exciting, the course was free so even I could afford to participate! Winning! So far I’ve finished up the first module which covered Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and how the characters in The Walking Dead exhibit this theory.

 

maslows-theory-edited

 

For those of you who (like I was) are unfamiliar with Maslow’s theory, it basically states that all people are motivated by certain needs and those needs are at five different hierarchical levels: basic needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. The theory also conveys that people generally must meet lower level needs (food, water, safety, etc.) before they move on to attempting to satisfy higher level needs like love or personal growth. (If you’re interested in more details check out Simply Psychology).

 

To me that sounds legit – basically that’s like getting your priorities straight. For example, I think it is safe to say that most people would agree that feeding yourself and your family is a bigger priority than finding a partner or fitting in with co-workers right? For those of you who have seen even a few episode of The Walking Dead, you can see how this theory correlates with the show. Now into season four, the main characters have established a hierarchy and learned to work together to meet basic needs. Now you see several friendships, relationships and emotional attachments at the core of what is motivating the individuals.

 

So I pose this question to you, if faced with a post-apocalyptic scenario, do you think that Maslow’s theory would prove accurate? How would you rank the factors that motivate you to survive?

 

(For those of you wondering, this is not a sponsored post, I have received zero compensation, I simply find this crap interesting.)

Filed Under: Psychology, Survival Tagged With: Heirarchy of Needs, Maslow, phychology, Walking Dead

Comments

  1. jo-anne says

    November 18, 2013 at 10:54 pm

    I studied this waaay back in college and I’ve always been a believer of this theory.

    Reply
  2. earthlingorgeous says

    November 19, 2013 at 12:53 am

    great question you posted now I’m thinking but i think everyone will still go for the basic need to survive and eat and live another day.

    Reply
  3. earthlingorgeous says

    November 19, 2013 at 12:54 am

    you gave me something to think about!

    Reply
  4. Lauren Monsey Nagel says

    November 19, 2013 at 7:00 am

    Hi Alison, I’m not sure what I think. I have not seen the show but I have several family members that love it. I’m going to your questions some thought, that’s what I’m going to do. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Missy Kierstead says

    January 20, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    Oh my god. Love Walking Dead, and Daryl especially. I’ll be one of those people picketing in the streets if the show ever thinks about killing him. Okay, maybe not picketing, but I’d stop watching! I am incredibly sad that I missed this course. So fun!

    I am checking out all the other courses they offer, though, so thanks for that. (I’m also stomping all over your blog to see what other greatness you have here!)

    Reply
  6. Jake says

    September 9, 2014 at 8:06 am

    This helped a lot for my project, if i could i would give you a cookie 😀

    Reply
  7. Lisa says

    February 5, 2017 at 2:38 am

    Please do not take this post down! I am a nursing instructor and use it to trigger an online discussion about prioritizing nursing care. Well written!!! Thank you for posting this!!

    Reply

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About Me

My name is Alison. My favorite color is glitter. I love tattoos and finding ways to simplify life. Life with my husband, two children, five dogs, three cats, and lots of miniature horses is never boring but I still find the time to advocate for brands that I love and share my life, helpful hints, and a laugh or two with my amazing fans! Read More…

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