Question

Research findings have led to the postulate of three innate psychological needs—competence, autonomy, and relatedness—which, when satisfied, yield enhanced self-motivation and mental health and which, when thwarted, lead to diminished motivation and well-being. Do you the postulate to be valid? Why or why not? How would accepting or rejecting the postulate influence real-world motivational strategies? Explain.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily.

(Answer) For the sake of psychological impact and analysis, let us assume a single individual as the subject for this response. John Doe is a hardworking person. He likes his job in human resources. He is affectionate with his family and likes his friends. Now according to Maslow, the following is the need hierarchy:

Starting from the base to the top of the pyramid –

1. Physiological needs
2. Safety
3. Love/ belonging
4. Esteem
5. Self-actualisation

John has his physiological needs like food, clothing and shelter that are taken care of. Therefore he has accomplished the first level of the pyramid.

Because of John’s job security, he feels safe and steady in terms of an economic and social standing. Therefore he has accomplished “competence.”

John shares strong bonds with his family and a few close friends. This means that he has accomplished “relatedness” with the third level of the pyramid being ‘love and belonging’.

John is liked by his family, friends and is respected by his colleagues. At the fourth level of the pyramid, he has esteem. This means he has achieved “autonomy.”

The fifth and final level of the pyramid is ‘self-actualisation’. One needs to be in great emotional and physical health to be motivated and reach self-actualisation. Hence, when any of the lower levels of the pyramid are taken away, the top will crumble as well. Self-motivation and self-actualisation will be thwarted if the lower levels which have helped accomplish competence, relatedness and autonomy are taken away.

That is why this is a valid postulation. It would affect real-world scenarios by helping individuals accomplish each need one-by-one and in ascending order. It is difficult to reach the top of the pyramid without having satisfied the basic needs first. This postulation is a typical analogy of taking things “one day at a time.” This inculcates the idea of progress in stages.