Needs are the needs of people who ensure survival. They motivate the individual to take active action. Every person is filled with various desires, therefore the fulfillment of all of them is impossible. Moreover, as soon as one need is satisfied, a new one immediately appears. The subject never gets along without needs. As a person develops, he acquires new needs, only at different levels.

The needs of the individual directly influence the formation of his motivation, which moves the individual forward. The motive and activity that appears thanks to it depend on the cultural level of human development, his characteristics, and character traits. From those objects with the help of which he is accustomed to cognize reality.

Needs in psychology

Need is considered by psychologists from three positions: as an object, a state and a property.

1. Need as a need for existence, survival and ensuring the normal functioning of a person.
2. The appearance of desire as compensation for the lack of something
3. Need as a fundamental property of any individual that determines his relationships with people around him and the world as a whole.

Developed a large number of need theories that describe needs with different sides. A well-known follower of his father, whose ideas were aimed at studying personality in its connections with activity, D.A. Leontyev also considered needs based on this concept. K.K. Platonov saw in emerging desires only a person’s urgent need to fill something missing, to eliminate it. And Kurt Lewin expanded the concept of needs, calling them a dynamic state.

All approaches of psychologists to this issue can be conditionally divided into groups where the need was understood as:

• Need (S.L. Rubinshtein, L.I. Bozhovich, V.I. Kovalev)
• State (Levin)
• Absence of good (V.S. Magun)
• Necessity (B.I. Dodonov, V.A. Vasilenko)
• The subject of satisfying a need (A.N. Leontyev)
• Attitude (D.A. Leontiev, M.S. Kagan)
• Systemic reaction of the individual (E.P. Ilyin)
• Violation of stability (D.A. McClelland, V.L. Ossovsky)

Thus, human desires are dynamic states that form motivational sphere personality, and then motivate her to perform activities. Special role plays the content of needs and how they influence the surrounding reality. After all, a person, performing this or that action, influences the environment in which he is located. And his spiritual aspirations determine what color this impact will take on.

In this regard, the point of view of E.P. is interesting. Ilyin, who proposed to take into account several main points to understand the essence of needs:

• physiological needs should be considered separately from the desires of the individual. The body can “demand” from a person the immediate fulfillment of its request, which is not always conscious, but a person’s formed need is never unconscious;
• conscious desire and need are interconnected, however, it is important for the subject to strive to fulfill what is not in short supply, but in actual need;
• if the need has appeared as a state, it is difficult for the individual not to notice it, therefore it is important to do right choice in the method and order (and sometimes the conditions set by the person himself) of satisfying the need;
• after an urgent need or desire for something has become apparent, a mechanism is launched aimed at active search means to achieve them, since it is unlikely for a person to do without satisfying his needs.

Classifications of needs

We present to your attention the most concise, convenient classification:

• The biological type of needs is for food, water, warmth and habitat. They are of a material nature.
• Social appearance - in interaction with other subjects, the need to be in a group, to gain respect and recognition.
• Spiritual – the needs of cognition, creative realization, aesthetic pleasure, obtaining answers to philosophical and religious questions.

All three types are closely intertwined. Biological ones are also present in animals, but what distinguishes humans is their spiritual needs and their predominance over the basic, natural needs of any living organism. Social ones are also developed in to a greater extent in people.

Famous psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced his concept of “pyramid of needs” into widespread use. It can be designated as follows:

First level:

1. Congenital, biological: in eating, sleeping, breathing, having shelter, procreation;
2. Existential: in ensuring safety and protection from dangers and accidents, comfort of living, stability.

Second level (purchased):

• Social: in communication with other people, belonging to a society, group, interpersonal relationships, showing care and receiving it in return, attention to oneself, joint activities
• Prestige: in achieving respect, a certain stage of development in a career, a place in society, favorable reviews of one’s activities, successes.
• Spiritual realization: in creative consistency, high-quality implementation his work, the highest mastery of execution and creation.

Maslow believed that the needs of the first level, the lower ones, must first be satisfied, and then the person will strive to reach the higher ones.

However, we should not forget that this scheme does not always work this way in reality. Not every basic need can be fully realized, while the individual desires to achieve something from a social or spiritual group. In addition, we should not forget that the needs of some should not interfere with the life and freedom of others. It is necessary to limit yourself and keep your aspirations within reasonable limits. The process of satisfying desires should be aimed at the development of personality, its best qualities, knowledge of the truth, acquisition of new useful knowledge and experience, common benefits.

Interests and inclinations

The term “interest” is closely related to the concept of “needs” - with Latin word translated as “to matter.” Interest is directly what causes the need. A person has a desire to possess the object of his interest, and this is where his actions are formed.

Interest can be shown not only in a material object, but also in spiritual goods. An individual wants to get something that is offered to him by society, that is, needs appear based on the opportunities provided by the external environment.

A person counts on something, focusing on his position in society or group. Interest is regulated by the society to which the individual belongs, sometimes it is realized, and sometimes not. A person receives an incentive from society, which moves him to perform a certain activity, which will lead to the satisfaction of a need.

Interests are divided depending on:

• Carrier: personal, group, public
• Directions: spiritual, economic, social, political.

There is also the concept of “inclination” - it sets the direction of interest in performing a specific type of activity. Interest only points to the desired object. Sometimes they don't match. Misalignment occurs because some goal does not seem feasible, regardless of the efforts of the subject or group.

Interests and inclinations can determine a person’s fate, his choice of profession, and the nature of building relationships.

Signs of successful fulfillment of needs

A person is successful in achieving his goals if he sets them correctly, motivates himself correctly and selects the necessary means of solution. In addition, of course, third-party factors that interfere with the subject may influence, but their likelihood is lower than the degree of personal effort.

A person’s self-confidence will also directly affect the results of his activities. Timely satisfied needs help him in successful activities.

According to Maslow, the highest aspiration of any person is self-actualization. This is what we all ideally strive for. Here are the personality traits that have achieved maximum success, overcoming all their desires:

• Love for yourself and others, harmony with yourself and nature
• High degree of concentration and composure when solving a problem
• Interest in social interaction
• Objectivity of perception, openness to new opinions
• Spontaneity of emotions, naturalness in behavior
• Recognizing your individuality
• Tolerance towards other people, cultures, phenomena
• Independence from public opinion, the ability to express one’s point of view
• The ability to love, make friends - experience deep feelings
• A never-ending desire for knowledge
• Creative thinking
• Wit (not ridiculing the shortcomings of others, but leaving oneself and others the right to make mistakes)

Thus, we have considered the types of human needs, different approaches to this issue. Any person striving for excellence must be aware of his needs and their origin in order to weed out the unnecessary and concentrate on what is really important. Then your life will be filled with meaning and bring you pleasure.

Let's read the information.
Need - the need experienced and perceived by a person for what is necessary to maintain the body and develop his personality.
There are different classifications of human needs. In fact, they can be grouped into three groups:

• biological(natural, congenital, physiological, organic, natural) - needs that are associated with the biological (physiological) nature of a person, i.e. with everything that is necessary for existence, development and reproduction.

• social- needs that are associated with the public (social) nature of man, i.e. determined by a person’s membership in society.

• spiritual(ideal, cognitive, cultural) - needs that are associated with knowledge of the surrounding world, oneself and the meaning of one’s existence, i.e. in everything that is necessary for spiritual development.

Features of human needs:
1. all human needs are interconnected. For example, when satisfying hunger, a person cares about the aesthetics of the table, the variety of dishes, the cleanliness and beauty of the dishes, pleasant company, etc. Satisfying biological needs takes on many social facets in a person: culinary subtleties, the decor, the table setting, the quality of the dishes, the presentation of the dish, and the pleasant company sharing the meal are all important.
2. not all human needs can be satisfied.
3. needs should not conflict moral standards society.
Genuine(reasonable) needs- needs that help the development of truly human qualities in a person: the desire for truth, beauty, knowledge, the desire to bring good to people, etc.
Imaginary(unreasonable, false) needs- needs, the satisfaction of which leads to physical and spiritual degradation of the individual, causing damage to nature and society.
4. inexhaustibility, infinity, infinite set needs.

• Describing human needs, the American psychologist A. described a person as a “desiring creature” who rarely achieves a state of complete, complete satisfaction.

• Russian psychologist and philosopher S.L. spoke about the “unsatiability” of human needs.

Let's look at examples.

Needs group
Biological	Satisfying hunger, thirst, the desire to protect yourself from the cold, to breathe fresh air, housing, clothing, food, sleep, rest, etc.
Social	Social connections, communication, affection, caring for another person, attention to oneself, participation in joint activities, belonging to social group, public recognition, work, creation, creativity, social activity, friendship, love, etc.
Spiritual	Self-expression, self-affirmation, knowledge of the world around us and our place in it, the meaning of our existence, and much more. etc.

Additionally consider the information about what underlies the classification of needs from the point of view of famous psychologists.

Used Books: 3. Unified State Exam 2009. Social studies. Directory / O.V. Kishenkova. - M.: Eksmo, 2008. 4. Social studies: Unified State Examination-2008: real tasks/aut.-state O.A.Kotova, T.E.Liskova. - M.: AST: Astrel, 2008. 8. Social studies: complete guide/ P.A.Baranov, A.V.Vorontsov, S.V.Shevchenko; edited by P.A. Baranova. - M.: AST: Astrel; Vladimir: VKT, 2010. 9. Social studies: profile level: academic. For 10th grade. general education Institutions / L.N. Bogolyubov, A.Yu. Lazebnikova, N.M. Smirnova and others, ed. L.N. Bogolyubova and others - M.: Education, 2007. 12. Social science. 10th grade: textbook. for general education institutions: a basic level of/ L.N. Bogolyubov, Yu.I. Averyanov, N.I. Gorodetskaya and others; edited by L.N. Bogolyubova; Ross. acad. Sciences, Ross. acad. education, publishing house "Enlightenment". 6th ed. - M.: Education, 2010. 13. Social science. 11th grade: educational. for general education institutions: basic level / L.N. Bogolyubov, N.I. Gorodetskaya, A.I. Matveev, etc.; edited by L.N. Bogolyubova; Ross. acad. Sciences, Ross. acad. education, publishing house "Enlightenment". 6th ed. - M.: Education, 2010. Internet resources used: Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia

Natural needs.

The need to satisfy natural needs attracts a person to work. By agreeing to work in a certain position, a person provides adequate remuneration in the form of wages.

Money allows a person to satisfy fully or partially only the following needs: survival - primary physiological needs, self-preservation (safety, security); awareness of one's importance.

However, wages alone are not a motive for increasing labor productivity. It is only a way to attract a person to work. It often seems to a person that his work is paid inappropriately for the efforts expended or the content of the results of his work. Therefore, quite often the theory of justice comes into play in an employee’s activities.

The adequacy of wages for the work performed is perceived by each person in accordance with their personal meaning. The results of Herzberg's research show that factors characterizing work conditions most significantly influence the choice of the nature of work.

These factors include:

work without much strain and stress and convenient location - 1st place.

there is no noise or any environmental pollution at the workplace - 2nd place;

working with people you like - 3rd place;

a good relationship with immediate superior - 4th place;

flexible work pace and flexibility work time- 5th place;

fair distribution of work volumes - 6th place;

interesting work - 7th place;

work that allows you to think for yourself - 8th place;

work requiring creative approach- 9th place;

work that forces you to develop your abilities - 10th place.

The differences in the choice of factors are more than significant. To attract people to work, it is necessary that these conditions meet as fully as possible what is required by representatives of various socio-demographic or professional groups.

These factors that attract people to work form a person’s interest in production activities.

Let's call him industrial interest.

The meaning of industrial interest lies in a person’s individual idea of ​​work: content and significance, conditions and attractiveness.

The organization's employees are heterogeneous and their desires to satisfy their natural needs are different.

Erich Fromm, a famous psychoanalyst, divides people into two groups: people who have and people who exist.

The first group of people wants to have something, i.e. possess as personal property. Even interpersonal relationships they view it not as belonging to a group, but as having someone. For example, “my wife”, “my partner”.

The second group - existing people, are content with a job that guarantees them adequate pay and economic security, while they are ready to put up with many negative sides your work.

These two groups of people have different interests.

The first group is characterized by satisfying needs through obtaining a position of power.

For them, it is not the work itself that is important, but the interest in having a status that makes it possible to possess something and at the same time satisfy natural needs. Such people are ready to do any work (even beyond their competence), as long as it corresponds to a leadership position. The motive for them is the need for power, which, in their opinion, allows them to have money and other benefits.

For such people, the motivation for production activity, first of all, is, let’s call it, production-job interest. It is the refraction of natural needs into the interest of leadership (clause 1.6 on the P-I-C model), the satisfaction of which occurs as a result of performing work related to the status of a person.

For “existing” people, sufficient motivational factors are material incentives (salary commensurate with work and material rewards for diligence) and symbols (values, attractive conditions, company image, etc.) of the position they occupy.

Encouraging them to active work is production and economic interests (clause 1.2), arising from the transformation of natural needs and economic needs (Fig. 12.3). The two groups have different motivational patterns.

For people who “have” the meaning of work lies in the manifestation leadership qualities in a formal position. If they do not have such a position, they will create informal groups in which they can demonstrate their power abilities. They have other motives, but they are secondary, not dominant.

To motivate such a group of people, methods of delegation of authority can be used.. But at the same time, careful control must be established over their activities.

For “existing” people, behavior is predominantly characterized by behavior motivated in accordance with Maslow’s pyramid of needs.

They are easily motivated by stabilizing, administrative and disciplinary influences.

Strong and sustained interest in professional activity, craftsmanship and excellence are the basis general orientation employee. Of the motives that motivate a person to work, the predominant ones should be those that give him satisfaction from the process of work itself and its result.

Thus, according to the P-I-C model, purposeful (effective) work significantly contributes to the satisfaction of natural needs; for some workers, providing financial sources, strengthening confidence and security due to its long-term nature, for others - the opportunity to occupy a position that has sources of power.

Classification of needs.

There are many classifications of needs. The first classification divides all needs by origin into two large groups- natural And cultural. The first of them are programmed at the genetic level, and the second are formed in the process public life.

Second classification (by difficulty level) divides needs into biological, social And spiritual.

Biological needs- a person’s desire to maintain his existence (the need for food, clothing, sleep, safety, saving energy, etc.).

Social needs- human needs for communication, popularity, dominance over other people, belonging to certain group, in leadership and recognition.

Spiritual needs of man- this is the need to know the world and oneself, the desire for self-improvement and self-realization, in knowing the meaning of one’s existence.

Biological (vital) needs are easily and quickly saturated. Regulatory function biological needs limited because they determine behavior in short periods of time during which needs are satisfied.

Spiritual Needs(cognitive and social) are not saturable. Their regulatory function in relation to human behavior is unlimited.

Usually a person simultaneously has more than ten unfulfilled needs, and his subconscious mind ranks them in order of importance, forming a complex hierarchical structure known as pyramid A. Maslow.

Level of needs	Content
Physiological (biological) needs.	Human needs for food, drink, oxygen, optimal temperature and air humidity, rest, sexual activity, etc.
Need for security and stability.	The need for stability in the existence of the current order of things. Confidence in tomorrow, the feeling that nothing threatens you, and your old age will be prosperous.
The need for acquisition, accumulation and capture.	The need for not always motivated acquisition of material assets. Excessive manifestation of this need leads to greed, avarice, and stinginess.
The need for love and belonging to a group.	The need to love and be loved. The need to communicate with other people, to be involved in some group.
The need for respect and recognition.	The desire for freedom and independence; the desire to be strong, competent and confident. The desire to have a high reputation, the desire for prestige, high social status
and power.	Need for independence.
The need for personal freedom, for independence from other people and external circumstances.	The need for novelty. The desire to receive new information
. This includes the need to know and be able to do something.	The need to overcome difficulties.
Needs for risk, adventure and overcoming difficulties.	The need for beauty and harmony.
The need for order, harmony, beauty.	The need for self-realization.

The desire to realize one’s uniqueness, the need to do what one likes, what one has abilities and talents for. A person is aware of the freedom of his actions, and it seems to him that he is free to act one way or another. But a person’s knowledge of the true cause of his feelings, thoughts and desires often turns out to be false. A person does not always realize his actions and the underlying reasons for his actions. As Friedrich Engels said, “people are accustomed to explaining their actions from their thinking, instead of explaining them from their needs.”

Classifications of human needs:

1. By area of ​​activity:

a) Labor needs.

b) Needs of cognition.

c) Communication needs.

d) Rest needs.

2. By object of need:

a) Material.

b) Biological.

c) Social.

d) Spiritual.

e) Ethical.

f) Aesthetic and others.

3. By importance:

a) Dominant/minor.

b) Central/peripheral.

4. According to temporary stability:

a) Sustainable.

b) Situational.

5. By functional role :

a) Natural.

b) Conditioned by culture.

6. By subject of needs:

a) Group.

b) Individual.

c) Collective.

d) Public.

American psychologist. Poppy-Dougal believed that the basis of certain human needs are certain instincts, which manifest themselves through corresponding sensations and motivate a person to certain activities.

Guildford Motivational Factors:

1. Factors, corresponding to organic needs:

a) Hunger.

b) General activity.

2. Needs, related to environmental conditions:

a) The need for comfort, a pleasant environment.

b) Pedantry (need for order, cleanliness).

c) The need for self-respect from others.

3. Needs,work related:

a) Ambition.

b) Perseverance.

c) Endurance.

4. Needs, Related social status :

a) Need for freedom.

b) Independence.

c) Conformism.

d) Honesty.

5. Social needs:

a) The need to be around people.

b) Need to please.

c) Need for discipline.

d) Aggressiveness.

6. Common interests :

a) Need for risk or safety.

b) Need for entertainment.

Types of needs according to approach B. AND. Dodonov’s classification of emotions:

1. Active (need for accumulation, acquisition).

2. Altruistic (the need to perform selfless actions).

3. Hedonic (need for comfort, serenity).

4. Gloric (need for recognition self-worth).

5. Gnostic (need for knowledge).

6. Communication (need for communication).

7. Praxic (need for effectiveness of effort).

8. Pugnetic (need for competition).

9. Romantic (need for the unusual, the unknown).

10. Aesthetic (need for beauty).

According to X. Murray, needs are divided into primary And secondary. Vary needs are clear And latent; These forms of existence of needs are determined by the ways of satisfying them. They vary in function and form of manifestation. introverted needs And extroverted. Needs may appear on effective or verbal level; They may be egocentric or sociocentric.

Common list needs:

1. Dominance- the desire to control, influence, direct, persuade, hinder, limit.

2. Aggression- the desire to disgrace, condemn, mock, humiliate in word or deed.

3. Finding friendships- desire for friendship, love; good will, sympathy for others; suffering in the absence of friendly relations; the desire to bring people together and remove obstacles.

4. Rejection of others- the desire to reject attempts at rapprochement.

5. Autonomy- the desire to free yourself from all restrictions: from guardianship, regime, order, etc.

6. Passive obedience- submission to force, acceptance of fate, intrapunitivity, recognition of one’s own inferiority.

7. Need for respect and support.

8. Need for achievement- the desire to overcome something, to surpass others, to do something better, to achieve top level in a certain matter, to be consistent and purposeful.

9. The need to be the center of attention.

10. Game need- preference for play over any serious activity, desire for entertainment, love of witticisms; sometimes combined with carelessness and irresponsibility.

11. Egoism (narcissism)- the desire to put one’s own interests above all else, self-satisfaction, auto-eroticism, painful sensitivity to humiliation, shyness; tendency towards subjectivity when perceiving the outside world; merges with the need for aggression or rejection.

12. Sociality (sociophilia)- forgetting one’s own interests in the name of the group, altruistic orientation, nobility, compliance, caring for others.

13. The need to find a patron- waiting for advice, help; helplessness, seeking consolation, gentle treatment.

14. Need for assistance.

15. The need to avoid punishment- containment own impulses in order to avoid punishment or condemnation; need to reckon with public opinion

16. The need for self-defense- difficulties with recognition own mistakes, the desire to justify oneself by citing circumstances, to defend one’s rights; refusal to analyze your mistakes.

17. The need to overcome defeat, failures- differs from the need for achievement with an emphasis on independence in action.

18. The need to avoid danger.

19. Need for order- desire for neatness, orderliness, accuracy, beauty.

20. Need for judgment- desire to place general issues or answer them; penchant for abstract formulas, generalizations, passion " eternal questions", And so on.

Needs are divided into:

1. Congenital.

2. Simple purchased.

3. Complex acquired.

Simple acquired needs- needs formed on the basis of the individual’s own empirical experience.

Complex acquired needs- needs formed on the basis of one’s own conclusions and ideas of non-empirical origin.

Basic behaviors (needs), describing the life activity of higher animals and humans, within the framework of the ethological approach (according to F. N. Ilyasov):

1. Food.

2. Sexual (sexual-reproductive).

3. Status (collective, social).

4. Territorial.

5. Comfortable.

6. Juvenile (game).

Within ethological approach- giving the “lowest” level of description, they believe that these needs are capable of exhaustively describing the functioning of such complex system As a person. The Hierarchy of Needs Problem within the framework of this approach, it is solved through the problem of typology of individuals according to the ranking of dominant needs.

Personal needs(need) is the so-called source of personal activity, because it is a person’s needs that are his motivation for acting in a certain way, forcing him to move in the right direction. Thus, need or need is a personal state in which the dependence of subjects on certain situations or conditions of existence.

Personal activity manifests itself only in the process of satisfying its needs, which are formed during the upbringing of the individual and his introduction to public culture. In its primary biological manifestation, need is nothing more than a certain state of the organism, expressing its objective need (desire) for something. Thus, the system of personality needs directly depends on the individual’s lifestyle, the interaction between environment and the scope of its use. From the perspective of neurophysiology, need means the formation of some kind of dominant, i.e. the appearance of excitation of special brain cells, characterized by stability and regulating required behavioral actions.

Types of personality needs

Human needs are quite diverse and today there is huge variety their classifications. However, in modern psychology there are two main classifications types of needs. In the first classification, needs (needs) are divided into material (biological), spiritual (ideal) and social.

The realization of material or biological needs is associated with the individual-species existence of the individual. These include the need for food, sleep, clothing, safety, home, intimate desires. Those. need (need), which is determined by biological need.

Spiritual or ideal needs are expressed in knowledge of the world around us, the meaning of existence, self-realization and self-esteem.

The desire of an individual to belong to any social group, as well as the need for human recognition, leadership, dominance, self-affirmation, affection of others in love and respect is reflected in social needs. All these needs are shared by important species activities:

• labor, work - the need for knowledge, creation and creation;

• development – ​​the need for training, self-realization;

• social communication – spiritual and moral needs.

The needs or needs described above have a social orientation, and therefore are called sociogenic or social.

In another type of classification, all needs are divided into two types: need or need for growth (development) and conservation.

The need for conservation combines the following physiological needs (needs): sleep, intimate desires, hunger, etc. These are the basic needs of the individual. Without their satisfaction, the individual is simply unable to survive. Next is the need for security and preservation; abundance – comprehensive satisfaction of natural needs; material needs and biological.

The need for growth combines the following: the desire for love and respect; self-actualization; self-esteem; cognition, including life meaning; needs for sensory (emotional) contact; social and spiritual (ideal) needs. The above classifications make it possible to highlight the more significant needs of the subject’s practical behavior.

OH. Maslow put forward the concept systematic approach to research into the psychology of personality of subjects, based on the model of personality needs in the form of a pyramid. Hierarchy of personality needs according to A.Kh. Maslow represents the behavior of an individual that directly depends on the satisfaction of his any needs. This means that the needs at the top of the hierarchy (realization of goals, self-development) direct the individual’s behavior to the extent that his needs at the very bottom of the pyramid (thirst, hunger, intimate desires, etc.) are satisfied.

They also distinguish between potential (non-actualized) needs and actualized ones. The main driver of personal activity is internal conflict(contradiction) between internal conditions existence and external.

All types of individual needs located at the upper levels of the hierarchy have different levels severity in different people, but without society, not a single person can exist. A subject can become a full-fledged personality only when he satisfies his need for self-actualization.

Social needs of the individual

This is a special kind of human need. It lies in the need to have everything necessary for the existence and functioning of an individual, a social group, or society as a whole. This is an internal motivating factor for activity.

Social needs are the need of people to work, social activity, culture, spiritual life. The needs created by society are those needs that are the basis of social life. Without motivating factors to satisfy needs, production and progress in general are impossible.

Social needs also include those associated with the desire to form a family, joining various social groups, teams, various areas of production (non-production) activity, and the existence of society as a whole. Conditions, factors external environment, which surround the individual in the process of his life, not only contribute to the emergence of needs, but also create opportunities to satisfy them. In human life and the hierarchy of needs social needs play one of the determining roles. The existence of an individual in society and through it is the central area of ​​manifestation of the essence of man, the main condition for the realization of all other needs - biological and spiritual.

Classify social needs according to three criteria: the needs of others, one’s own needs, and common needs.

The needs of others (needs for others) are needs that express the generic basis of the individual. It lies in the need for communication, protection of the weak. Altruism is one of the expressed needs for others, the need to sacrifice one's interests for others. Altruism is realized only through victory over egoism. That is, the need “for oneself” must be transformed into a need “for others.”

One’s own need (need for oneself) is expressed in self-affirmation in society, self-realization, self-identification, the need to take one’s place in society and the team, the desire for power, etc. Such needs are therefore social, because they cannot exist without needs “for others.” " Only through doing something for others is it possible to realize your desires. Take some position in society, i.e. It is much easier to achieve recognition for oneself without affecting the interests and claims of other members of society. The most effective way to realize your egoistic desires will be a path along which a share of compensation is contained to satisfy the claims of other people, those who can claim the same role or the same place, but can be satisfied with less.

Joint needs (needs “together with others”) - express the motivating power of many people at the same time or society as a whole. For example, the need for security, for freedom, for peace, for a change in the existing political system and etc.

Needs and motives of the individual

The main condition for the life of organisms is the presence of their activity. In animals, activity manifests itself in instincts. But human behavior is much more complex and is determined by the presence of two factors: regulatory and incentive, i.e. motives and needs.

The motives and system of needs of the individual have their own main characteristics. If need is need (scarcity), the need for something and the need to eliminate something that is in abundance, then the motive is a pusher. Those. need creates a state of activity, and motive gives it direction, pushes activity in the required direction. Necessity or necessity, first of all, is felt by a person as a state of tension inside, or manifests itself as thoughts, dreams. This encourages the individual to search for an item of need, but does not give direction to the activity to satisfy it.

Motive, in turn, is an incentive to achieve the desired or, conversely, to avoid it, to carry out an activity or not. Motives can be accompanied by positive or negative emotions. Satisfying needs always leads to a release of tension; the need disappears, but after a while it can arise again. With motives, the opposite is true. The stated goal and the immediate motive do not coincide. Because a goal is where or what a person strives for, and a motive is the reason why he strives.

You can set a goal for yourself following different motives. But an option is also possible in which the motive shifts to the goal. This means transforming the motive of activity directly into a motive. For example, a student initially learns his homework because his parents force him to, but then interest awakens and he begins to study for the sake of learning itself. Those. It turns out that a motive is an internal psychological motivator of behavior or actions, which is stable and encourages an individual to carry out activities, giving it meaning. And the need is internal state a feeling of need that expresses the dependence of humans or animals on certain conditions of existence.

Needs and interests of the individual

The category of need is inextricably linked with the category of interests. The origin of interests is always based on needs. Interest is an expression of an individual’s purposeful attitude towards some type of his needs.

A person’s interest is not so much directed specifically at the subject of need, but rather directed at such social factors that make this subject more accessible, mainly the various benefits of civilization (material or spiritual), which ensure the satisfaction of such needs. Interests are also determined by the specific position of people in society, the position of social groups and are the most powerful incentives for any activity.

Interests can also be classified depending on the focus or the carrier of these interests. The first group includes social, spiritual and political interests. The second includes the interests of society as a whole, group and individual interests.

The interests of an individual express his orientation, which largely determines his path and the nature of any activity.

In its general manifestation, interest can be called the true reason for social and personal actions, events, which stands directly behind the motives of individuals taking part in these very actions. Interest can be objective and objective social, conscious, realizable.

The objectively effective and optimal way to satisfy needs is called objective interest. Such interest is of an objective nature and does not depend on the consciousness of the individual.

Objectively effective and optimal way to meet the needs for public space called objective social interest. For example, there are a lot of stalls and shops in the market and there is definitely an optimal path to the best and cheapest product. This will be a manifestation of objective social interest. There are many ways to do various purchases, but among them there will definitely be one that is objectively optimal for a particular situation.

The subject's ideas about how best to satisfy his needs are called conscious interest. Such interest may coincide with the objective one or be slightly different, or may have a completely opposite direction. The immediate cause of almost all actions of subjects is precisely the interest of a conscious nature. Such interest is based on a person’s personal experience. The way that a man is walking to satisfy the needs of the individual is called realized interest. It can completely coincide with the interest of a conscious nature, or absolutely contradict it.

There is another type of interest - this is a product. This variety represents both the path to satisfying needs and the way to satisfy them. The product may be in the best possible way satisfaction of needs and may seem so.

Spiritual needs of the individual

The spiritual needs of the individual are a directed aspiration for self-realization, expressed through creativity or through other activities.

There are 3 aspects of the term spiritual needs of the individual:

• The first aspect includes the desire to master the results of spiritual productivity. This includes exposure to art, culture, and science.

• The second aspect lies in the forms of expression of needs in the material order and social relations in today's society.

• The third aspect is the harmonious development of the individual.

Any spiritual needs are represented by a person’s internal motivations for his spiritual manifestation, creativity, creation, creation of spiritual values ​​and their consumption, for spiritual communications (communication). They are conditioned inner world individual, the desire to withdraw into oneself, to focus on what is not related to social and physiological needs. These needs encourage people to engage in art, religion, and culture not in order to satisfy their physiological and social needs, but in order to understand the meaning of existence. Their distinguishing feature is their insaturability. Since the more internal needs are satisfied, the more intense and stable they become.

There are no limits to the progressive growth of spiritual needs. The limitation of such growth and development can only be the amount of spiritual wealth previously accumulated by humanity, the strength of the individual’s desires to participate in their work and his capabilities. The main features that distinguish spiritual needs from material ones:

• needs of a spiritual nature arise in the consciousness of the individual;

• needs of a spiritual nature are inherently necessary, and the level of freedom in choosing ways and means to satisfy such needs is much higher than that of material ones;

• satisfaction of most needs of a spiritual nature is associated mainly with the amount of free time;

• in such needs, the connection between the object of need and the subject is characterized by a certain degree of unselfishness;

• the process of satisfying spiritual needs has no boundaries.

Yu. Sharov identified a detailed classification of spiritual needs: the need for work; the need for communication; aesthetic and moral needs; scientific and educational needs; need for health improvement; need military duty. One of the most important spiritual needs of a person is knowledge. The future of any society depends on the spiritual foundation that will be developed among modern youth.

Psychological needs of the individual

Psychological needs of an individual - these are needs that are not limited to bodily needs, but do not reach the level of spiritual ones. Such needs usually include the need for affiliation, communication, etc.

The need for communication in children is not an innate need. It is formed through the activity of surrounding adults. Usually it begins to actively manifest itself by two months of life. Adolescents are convinced that their need for communication brings them the opportunity to actively use adults. Insufficient satisfaction of the need for communication has a detrimental effect on adults. They dive into negative emotions. The need for acceptance is the desire of an individual to be accepted by another person, a group of people or society as a whole. Such a need often pushes a person to violate generally accepted norms and can lead to antisocial behavior.

Among psychological needs, basic needs of the individual are distinguished. These are needs that, if not met, young children will not be able to fully develop. They seem to stop in their development and become more susceptible to certain diseases than their peers who have such needs met. For example, if a baby is regularly fed but grows without proper communication with his parents, his development may be delayed.

Basic personality needs of adults psychological nature are divided into 4 groups: autonomy - the need for independence, independence; need for competence; the need for interpersonal relationships that are significant for the individual; the need to be a member of a social group and to feel loved. This also includes a sense of self-worth and the need to be recognized by others. In cases of unsatisfaction of basic physiological needs, the physical health of the individual suffers, and in cases of unsatisfaction of basic psychological needs, the spirit (psychological health) suffers.

Motivation and personality needs

The motivational processes of an individual are aimed at achieving or, conversely, avoiding set goals, implementing certain activities or not. Such processes are accompanied by various emotions, both positive and negative character, for example, joy, fear. Also during such processes some psychophysiological tension appears. This means that motivational processes are accompanied by a state of excitement or agitation, and a feeling of decline or surge of strength may also appear.

On the one hand, regulation mental processes, which influence the direction of activity and the amount of energy needed to perform this very activity is called motivation. On the other hand, motivation is still a certain set of motives that gives direction to activity and the most internal process of motivation. Motivational processes directly explain the choice between different options actions, but which have equally attractive goals. It is motivation that influences the perseverance and perseverance with which an individual achieves his goals and overcomes obstacles.

A logical explanation of the reasons for actions or behavior is called motivation. Motivation may differ from real motives or be deliberately used to disguise them.

Motivation is quite closely related to the needs and requirements of the individual, because it appears when desires (needs) or a lack of something arise. Motivation is initial stage physical and mental activity individual. Those. it represents a certain incentive to perform actions by a certain motive or process of choosing reasons for a particular direction of activity.

It should always be taken into account that behind completely similar, at first glance, actions or actions of a subject there may be absolutely different reasons, i.e. Their motivation may be completely different.

Motivation can be external (extrinsic) or internal (intrinsic). The first is not related to the content of a specific activity, but is determined by external conditions relative to the subject. The second is directly related to the content of the activity process. There is also a distinction between negative and positive motivation. Motivation based on positive messages is called positive. And motivation, the basis of which is negative messages, is called negative. For example, a positive motivation would be “if I behave well, they will buy me ice cream,” a negative motivation would be “if I behave well, they will not punish me.”

Motivation can be individual, i.e. aimed at maintaining consistency internal environment of your body. For example, avoidance of pain, thirst, desire to maintain optimal temperature, hunger, etc. It can also be a group one. This includes caring for children, searching and choosing one’s place in the social hierarchy, etc. Cognitive motivational processes include various play activity and research.

Basic needs of the individual

The basic (leading) needs of an individual can differ not only in content, but also in the level of conditioning by society. Regardless of gender or age, as well as social class, every person has basic needs. A. Maslow described them in more detail in his work. He proposed a theory based on the principle of a hierarchical structure (“Hierarchy of Personal Needs” according to Maslow). Those. Some personal needs are primary in relation to others. For example, if a person is thirsty or hungry, he will not really care whether his neighbor respects him or not. Maslow called the absence of an object of need scarcity or deficiency needs. Those. in the absence of food (an item of need), a person will strive by any means to make up for such a deficiency in any way possible for him.

Basic needs are divided into 6 groups:

1. These include primarily physical needs, which include the need for food, drink, air, and sleep. This also includes the individual’s need for close communication with subjects of the opposite sex (intimate relationships).

2. The need for praise, trust, love, etc. is called emotional needs.

3. The need for friendly relations, respect in a team or other social group is called a social need.

4. The need to obtain answers to questions posed, to satisfy curiosity are called intellectual needs.

5. Belief in divine authority or simply the need to believe is called a spiritual need. Such needs help people find peace of mind, experience troubles, etc.

6. The need for self-expression through creativity is called creative need (needs).

All of the listed personality needs are part of every person. Satisfaction of all basic needs, desires, and requirements of a person contributes to his health and positive attitude in all actions. All basic needs necessarily have cyclical processes, direction and intensity. All needs are fixed in the processes of their satisfaction. At first, the satisfied basic need temporarily subsides (fades away) in order to arise over time with even greater intensity.

Needs that are expressed more weakly, but are repeatedly satisfied, gradually become more stable. There is a certain pattern in the consolidation of needs - the more diverse the means used to consolidate the needs, the more firmly they are consolidated. In this case, needs become the basis of behavioral actions.

Need determines the entire adaptive mechanism of the psyche. Objects of reality are reflected as probable obstacles or conditions for satisfying needs. Therefore, any basic need is equipped with peculiar effectors and detectors. The emergence of basic needs and their actualization directs the psyche to determine appropriate goals.