What Is Need?

A need is an object or situation that an individual requires in order to live. These items can be either physical or psychological and they are the basis for all human behavior. They are also necessary for the well-being of an individual. Needs are essential for life and constitute the common substrate of many fields. A need can be defined by psychologists as a psychological feature that arouses an organism and provides a basis for action. Identifying a need for a certain product or service is therefore important for the successful development of any new product or service.

Whether a need is physical or emotional, it is important to recognize when one needs something. There are two types of needs. One is a teleological need, which is a need that arises as a result of not achieving a goal. The second type of need is an emotional need, which is a need that is present in the person’s life. Regardless of the form, need is always a valid requirement of a person.

Depending on context, need can be an auxiliary or a main verb. The former agrees with the subject and takes to before the next verb. The latter is used in conditional clauses and questions, as it does not have a past tense equivalent. Need is accompanied by a present participle or a past participle. However, some speakers omit the to be and use only the past participle form of need.

In present-tense sentences, need can act as a main verb or an auxiliary. When it is an auxiliary, it takes the role of the subject in the following sentence. When it is used as a main verb, it often takes the form of the modal conjunction, whereas when it is used as an auxiliary, it has no corresponding past tense word. It is also a supplementary word for the modal.

In the present tense, need may be an auxiliary verb, indicating an object that is necessary to achieve a goal. Its auxiliary form, need, is used for conditions, such as “assume a person”, while a modal verb, such as “want to be an individual” (or a group of people), is an auxiliary. Alternatively, need can be followed by a bare word.

Despite being an auxiliary verb, need can be used as a main verb. It takes the place of the preceding verb in a conditional clause. For example, a person might want to buy a new car to improve his quality of life, or desire to have a child. While a need is an auxiliary verb, it also can be a modal. For instance, a child may need affection. A need is a need that is expressed by another way.

A need is a need for something that an individual requires in order to live a healthy life. It is different from a want, which is a desire. A need is a measurable discrepancy between the desired state and the present state is the need. A need can be prescriptive, and it can be an economic demand. The latter is the determining factor in a need assessment. It can be a good starting point for improving healthcare services.