Individuals are motivated by their own unique situations and worldviews; but beneath everything, we are all human. All humans have the same basic needs, such as food, water, and sleep. Lacking one of these essentials will cause serious detriment to one’s health. Humans also have more complex needs such as self-esteem, confidence, and simple happiness. A deficiency of one of these needs will not cause damage to the individual’s physical health, but instead to the individual’s mental health. Mental health is arguably not as necessary, though it is still extremely important and not to be ignored.
Human behaviours can be explained almost entirely by the urge to fulfill needs. This diagram, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, represents the varying degrees of importance of human needs. The needs at the bottom of the pyramid are considered the most essential for daily life. As one goes up the pyramid, the needs become less important for daily life. The needs at the bottom of the pyramid ensure survival, whereas the needs at the top of the pyramid promote happiness. Once one need has been satisfied, the individual will then seek to fulfill another. One can only seek to fulfill a need until the all the needs on the lower levels have been met. For example, one cannot seek safety until one has food and water. One cannot seek love if one is not yet safe, and so on.
Humans are diverse in many ways, but in just as many ways, we are all the same.