The term need, which is often shortened to need, refers to a psychological feature that causes an organism to act to satisfy a goal. Need is a central concept in the fields of philosophy, biology, psychology, social science, economics and politics. Needs are contrasted with wants, which are desires, wishes or aspirations.
The study of human needs is a central topic in anthropology, philosophy, history, sociology, psychology and political science. In philosophy, the idea of need is based on the idea that every person has certain fundamental requirements to live a happy and healthy life. These requirements are called needs, and they include food, water, shelter, clothing and health care. Without these essentials, a person cannot function normally in society.
Psychologists, however, are divided on what constitutes a need. Some think that a need is only something a person cannot do without, while others define the word more broadly to include anything that prevents an individual from fully functioning in his or her environment. Regardless of the definition, psychologists agree that an individual’s need is a factor in behavior.
A number of psychological theories of need exist, but the most prominent and well-known is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s theory argues that a human being has various levels of needs that must be met in order to achieve happiness and success. The first level of needs involves basic survival requirements, such as water, food and shelter. Once these necessities are met, the next level includes self-esteem, accomplishment and belonging. Finally, the highest level of needs includes love and esteem from others.
In addition to the hierarchy of needs, other psychologists also focus on how a person’s perception of his or her needs influence his or her behavior. For example, a person may believe that he or she is a good parent because he or she provides all of the needs of the child. This perception can be problematic because it may lead to feelings of resentment when the child does not meet his or her needs.
Another approach to the notion of need is the theory of self-determination, developed by Doyal and Gough. This theory emphasizes that a person has a responsibility to work toward his or her own version of what is good for himself and for the society in which he or she lives. This view of need is compatible with the capability approach to development developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nusbaum.
It is important to distinguish between a need and a want, especially when talking about the needs of a person or of a community. Many words have countable and uncountable uses, such as the word exam. Usually, it is possible to determine whether the noun in question is countable or uncountable by asking the question, “Can there be more than one instance of this noun?” If the answer is yes, then it is a countable noun and requires an article, such as the definite article ‘the’.