Needs (original) (raw)

[Needs models](#Needs models) | Individual needs | Articles | So what?

What are needs? Needs are a kind of natural mental programming that make us want things. They essentially motivate us into action as a stimulated need leads to the inner tension that drives us into action.

Needs models

There are a number of theories and models of motivation that have been proposed, including:

The 4S Needs Net: Four need groups.
Four As of Social Needs: Sub-needs around our relationships.
Actualizer Needs: A whole set for actualizers.
Argyris' Governing Values: Needs for career success.
Berne's Six Hungers: Drivers from Transactional Analysis.
Braybrooke's Needs: Course-of-life and adventitious needs.
Schein's Career Anchors: What drives you to particular careers.
CIA Needs Model: A useful changing-minds model.
- Harm in CIA Needs: How each is related to harm.
- Internal CIA Conflicts: How CIA needs conflict with themselves and one another.
  * Control Conflict: The issue of managing risk.
  * Identity Conflict: Who am I?
  * Arousal Conflict: Taking risks.
CNVC Needs Inventory: A long list of needs.
Cummins' Quality of Life domains: Viewing needs through the 'well-being' lens.
Customer Emotional Needs: What customers really want.
Deci and Ryan's Needs: Self-determination theory.
Doyal and Gough's Needs: Health and autonomous.
Eight Need Domains: Where other needs may be found.
Emotions Analytics Types: From emotion and evolution.
Alderfer's ERG Theory: Alderfer reduced Maslow's hierarchy to three key needs in 1972.
Evolutionary Needs: Fundamental forces.
Finnis' Seven Basic Reasons for Action: In the good that they give us.
Glasser's Five Needs: Similar to Maslow's, but include fun!
Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory was proposed in the 1960s.
Horney's Neurotic Needs: What very anxious people seek.
ILO Basic Needs: For developing countries.
Kano's Needs: Defined in 1984 with regard to customers, but are very relevant to all people.
Lawrence and Nohria's Employee Motivation: Drivers seen from the organizational angle.
Mackay's Ten Social Desires: A practical list of needs.
Maslow's Hierarchy: One of the best known descriptions of layered needs.
Max-Neef Needs: Another recent list.
McClelland's Acquired Needs Theory: Also a three-need model.
Mumford's Needs: Four basic needs of workers.
Murray's Needs: A longer list of needs identified by Henry A. Murray in 1938.
Narayan's Voices of the Poor: From the voices of those in desperate need.
Nussbaum's Ten Central Human Functional Capabilities: Basic human rights.
Packard's Eight Hidden Needs: That advertisers target.
Pink's Three Motivators: That are core drivers.
The Psychic's Seven: Common needs that 'psychics' target.
Ramsay's Six Universal Psychological Needs: Six needs from combination of studies.
Rawl's Primary Goods: According to a system of justice.
Reiss' 16 Human Needs: A longer list.
Robbins' Six Needs: Three pairs of needs.
Rock's SCARF Social Needs: Five human social needs.
Ryan and Deci's Three Intrinsic Needs: At the heart of intrinsic motivation.
Schwartz's Universal Values: That also act as needs.
Self-Determination Theory: Autonomy, relatedness, competence.
Sen's Capability Approach: Not a list, more about what you are able to do.
Sirota's Three-Factor Theory of Employee Motivation: Needs of employees.
Spitzer's Eight Desires: A recent collation.
The Needs of Children: And the responsibility of parents.
Ury's Basic Needs: A Maslow variant.
Yalom's Ultimate Concerns: Deep troubles we need to avoid.

Another useful view of needs is to understand the priorities of and differences between needs, wants and likes, and hence find where to focus your efforts and identify potential trade-offs.

Individual needs

While many models settle on a few generalized needs, here is a fuller list of needs, complete with descriptions, examples and discussions:

Articles

And here are some further discussions about needs.

Needs: Independent, Grouped, Hierarchy or Network?: How to think about types of need.
Status, Equality and Motivation: A tricky balance.
Natural vs Necessary Needs: There is a subtle difference.

So what?

You can leverage needs in two ways, stimulating or satisfying them.

Stimulate needs

The simplest way of stimulating needs is to make them visible. Show people what they have not got. Show them the future, and how their needs might be met. If you have the power, you can even take things away from them (or just threaten to do so).

Satisfy needs

When people have needs (perhaps those which you have stimulated), you can promise to satisfy them. It puts you in a position of being able to negotiation with them. The more desperate the needs, the more you can require in exchange.