Regardless of the meaning of the term need, it can be said that a need is something necessary for living. Needs can be objective, such as food, or subjective, such as self-esteem. It is important to distinguish between needs and wants. Needs are something that is necessary to survive, while wants are not. A lack of needs may cause illness or death. However, a lack of wants may not cause serious problems. In fact, wants may change over time. If you want to improve your quality of life, you may want to attend a cooking class or invest in a new book. However, if you cannot afford to purchase these items, then they do not have a significant impact on your life.
Need and want are two words that are frequently used as synonyms. Wants are desires of an individual, whereas needs are necessities. Wants can become economic demands when the individual has the purchasing power to purchase the goods. However, the needs of an individual are a personal, social, and cultural aspect of his or her life.
Need is a psychological feature that can be defined by its “owner”. Needs are something that a person requires to survive and maintain a desired state. Needs are also necessary to function in society. Needs give a purpose to behaviors. For example, a person may need food to survive and may want to attend a cooking class. However, a person does not need to attend a cooking class to survive. He or she may want to write a book, but not necessarily have to.
Need and want are also used as terms in politics and economics. Politicians often discuss community needs, such as water or housing, and business needs, such as goals and objectives. They also discuss needs and wants in psychology and biology. Needs and wants are also common substrates in philosophy. Needs are also referred to as “gross ethical concepts” by Hilary Putnam. However, needs and wants can also be used in psychology and economics.
Need is used in the U.S., Britain, and Ireland, and is most often followed by the present tense, need to be, or the modal verb need. The auxiliary verb need is used in negative and conditional clauses. It is used in present tense questions. However, the auxiliary form of need has no past tense like do or might. Need also behaves as a main verb, but combines with do in some constructions. The use of need as a main verb can be a little controversial. Some speakers omit to be and use just the past participle form, need to be. This practice is common in Scotland, where the past tense is also used.
Need is a working definition for needs assessments, and the implications for practice flow from the definition of need as a discrepancy between the present and the desired state. Needs can be classified as objective, subjective, or prescriptive needs. Objective needs are tangible things, such as food, water, and shelter. Subjective needs are emotions and feelings, such as love, approval, and security. A person may also have personal needs, such as food, shelter, and medical care.