A need is something you can’t live without, such as food or water. It’s different from a want, which is something you desire or wish for. You can often have both a need and a want at the same time. For example, you may need a car but also want to be wealthy.
A person who is a need has an objective interest in avoiding serious harm. This need may be based on the societal setting in which they live or on their own personal perspective of what is good and bad. For example, if a person is homeless, they may have an objective interest in finding shelter.
People are often unable to differentiate between a need and a want, but there are certain differences. A need is defined as a deficiency that can lead to a harmful consequence, whereas a want refers to a desire or wish. This difference is important in terms of understanding human behavior, particularly in relation to consumption and consumerism.
The concept of need is central to the fields of philosophy, psychology and sociology. A common framework for discussing needs is the academic model of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which proposes that people have a set of logically ordered needs that must be satisfied before higher level psychological needs such as belonging and self-actualization can be fulfilled.
There are many different ways to categorize a need, but it is generally agreed that the most basic needs are physical (such as food, water and shelter) and psychological (such as security and love). In addition, it is often recognized that some of these needs have to be met before more advanced wants can be fulfilled, such as a desire for wealth or fame.
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between a need and a want, especially when the object of the need is abstract. Ultimately, a need is a deficiency that can cause harm, while a want is a desire or wish that does not.
English learners can learn about the use of articles with the help of a grammar book or an online English learner’s dictionary. Generally, the article “a” is used with singular countable nouns and “an” with uncountable or nonspecific nouns. For example, the words car and package are countable nouns, so they need an article, but the word rain is not, so it does not need an article.
Another useful way to understand the distinction between need and want is to think of them as static versus dynamic. For instance, you will always need to drink water, but your taste in drinking water may change daily or even hourly. Similarly, you will always need to sleep at night, but what type of bed you sleep in will likely change from day to day. Consequently, most people will tend to prioritize their basic needs over their wants.