the hierarchy of needs

according to abraham maslow's theory, the needs of the human beings are innate and are organized under a more or less rigid hierarchy. he used the famous pyramid to order them by their potency. so, in the bottom, we get the basic instincts of every living being. then we get safety instincts, belonging needs (relationships, basically), then esteem desires, and on the apex, the self actualization, the personal achievements and successes of the self. to be stable in one level implies that everything (or almost everything) is fulfilled on the level directly below. which seems logical: for example, if we have no physiological sex (fifth rank, below), we're bound to be frustrated in what comes to sexual intimacy (needs of belonging and love).

so the satisfaction of the needs is the key to health, growth and maybe even happiness, if such a thing is to exist.