If your experience is similar to mine, you would have been introduced to Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation during a management development course.
For those of you who are not familiar with his theory or if you want a refresher:
Abraham Maslow introduced “A Theory of Human Motivation” in 1943. He presented the theory in the form of a pyramid of human needs, which represented a need hierarchy. The need classifications are:
physiological, safety & security, love & belonging, self-esteem and self-actualisation.
Maslow theorised as each need is met people strive to satisfy their need at the next level, culminating in self actualisation, which is a drive to achieve one’s full potential.
However, Matthew Lieberman, Professor and Social Neuroscience Lab Director at UCLA, argues that Abraham Maslow got it wrong.
Maslow said that our need for love, belonging and relationships does not emerge until hunger, safety, and other key needs are satisfied. However, Lieberman challenges this: without love, care and social connection as babies we would not get our physiological needs. We need other people to provide food and warmth.
Lieberman suggests social needs should be moved to the bottom of the pyramid, being socially cared for and connected is crucial.
We might think love and relationships are ‘nice to have’ but without them, we would not make it through our initial years. Our need to connect with other people is paramount and stays with us throughout life.
It could be argued the need for social connection and to fit in could be one of the reasons we make decisions that could put our life at risk. It may be the reason teenagers who know the risks of smoking still take up the habit.
One of the most interesting findings that have been identified from the research conducted by neuroscientists is that although we tend to think of social pain (bereavement, rejection, being excluded) as being very different from physical pain, to the brain they are very similar. The brain processes physical and social pain using the same network.
In the current climate, where we are being asked to self-isolate due to the Covid 19 pandemic, our ability to connect is being limited significantly. Knowing this should cause leaders to reflect, during this period of self-isolation organisations need to ensure their leaders are connecting with their team on a regular basis. The pain we feel from a loss of social connection means we will always seek out connection and a sense of belonging, both in and outside the workplace.
In fact, social pain endures longer, if I asked you to think of the last time you had physical pain, you may recall the experience. If I asked you to think of a time when you experienced social pain (someone insulted you, an argument or when you felt lonely), you won’t just recall the experience, the painful feelings will come flooding back too. With social pain we tend to remember the emotional aspect of the event vividly.
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