Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

In this week’s post, I wanted to highlight Abraham Maslow’s conception of human motivation. In a classic paper he wrote in 1943, Maslow suggested that there are certain needs that urge us to do what we do. Unlike many other theories on human needs, he thought about these needs to fall in a hierarchy. That is to say that one needs to fulfill a more basic need, at least to some extent, before moving on to the next higher need.

This hierarchy of needs can be summarized using the above pyramid, as taken from the following source <http://dinamehta.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/800px-maslows_hierarchy_of_needssvg.png>

What this theory suggests is that we all have the potential to work towards self-actualization, that state of being when we are able to maximize our potentials and become the persons we have always wanted to become. Such people are often able to accept themselves for who they are. Similarly, they are also able to accept others in equal measure. They face reality squarely and are able to adapt themselves in ways that accommodate the situation they face.

According to this hierarchy of needs, a person is only able to achieve one’s desire to self-actualize when one has already met lower needs, at least to some extent. So what are these other needs?

The most basic set of needs are physiological needs. Simply put, this includes survival needs, like, food, water, shelter, exercise, and enough rest.

Next are safety needs. Going beyond mere survival, the next set of needs include health and a sense of wellbeing. There is a sense of security of one’s person and within one’s environment.

A step further is the love and belonging needs. When we have basics met and we feel secure enough, we often strive towards identifying ourselves with a group of people. This group could be a family or a group of friends with whom we can identify ourselves. This is also the time we seek out intimate relationships.

According to Maslow, only when we are secure about our belongingness to a group of people can we begin to work towards the esteem of others. This is a good time for us to make our mark and to achieve something significant.

These are all the necessary steps that we need to take before we can effectively work towards self-actualization.

Oftentimes, what happens with many of us is we attempt the achievement of higher needs in the hierarchy while forgetting to meet more basic needs first. How many people have we seen working very hard to gain the esteem of others while omitting to take care of themselves? They might not eat well or sleep very little just to fulfill higher needs. This can be problematic.

Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule. Some self-actualizing people actually sacrifice lower needs in order to fulfill much higher needs, oftentimes beyond their own personal gain. For instance, when a martyr suffers for the sake of other people, that person is likely to be self-actualizing.

We all desire to fulfill higher needs. In fact, many religions espouse sacrificing lower needs for the sake of higher needs. And yet, what I am saying here is the importance of fulfilling lower needs first before meeting higher needs. I guess the paradox to all this is that only when we are able to fulfill lower needs knowingly can we later on give them up in place of fulfilling higher needs.

Parent-less Families

Joy just had her 18th birthday party. It was a lavish celebration by the standards of her peers, where she hosted a guest list of over 200 persons. She even had a gown designed and made by a distant relative. Conspicuously absent though were her parents, the very people who financed her grand debut. Standing in for them were her grandparents, the people who had raised her from the time she was six years old. Her parents have been working abroad, and she and her younger brother were left to the care of these older folks. She did not seem to mind her parents’ absence. After all, she knows that she can only afford this bit of luxury because they are working overseas.


How many Filipinos share this same story with Joy? There are reportedly around 2 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s), according to the latest census data of 2008. Many among these people have left behind their children. When they do, many families effectively become single-parent families. In cases when both parents work abroad, the families are virtually parent-less.

Most of the time, of course, there are extended family members who stand in as primary caregivers. My concerns stem from the multiple roles that these family members play in raising these children. Perhaps, for these children, their extended family members play the role of their parents. They do not know anything else, as they grew up only knowing their specific arrangement. They have never really fully experienced in their growing up years how it is like to have their parents to go home to after school, and still have the supporting role of other extended family members. This is what they are missing.

Can a grandparent play the role of the parent to their grandchildren? Similarly, can aunts and uncles really care for their nephews and nieces in the same way they would treat their own children? What are these ever-increasing children who are growing up in virtually parent-less homes really missing?

When we think of the repercussions of having many of our countrymen work overseas, we cannot deny the effects that this has on the basic unit of our society, the family. These children often have access to the financial resources of their parents. After all, it is for their betterment that their parents left in the first place. They are able to go to better schools and access generally better services. The opportunities open to them probably exceed the ones that their parents had in their own youth. The economic benefits are obvious. And yet, how are they growing up?

One possible effect might be that these children start to think of their parents as mere material providers and nothing more. They might call and talk to their parents when they need some cash or when they want to buy something they want. Otherwise, they are emotionally detached from these people who are not present in both the important occasions and the mundane day-to-day goings on of their lives.

Having said this, I must highlight the importance of having emotional connections with children despite one’s absence. Parents need to take extra effort in reaching out to their children even from a distance. Fortunately with the internet, getting in touch does not have to be expensive and inconvenient. Needless to say, it is important to get involved in each other’s day-to-day lives in order to maintain an emotional connection.

If Joy had such an emotional connection with her parents, she would have enjoyed her party except for one major detail—her parents were not there to share it with her.

Parenting in the 21st Century

There is no perfect parent. The fact is that all parents make mistakes, and that children are often resilient enough to deal with these parenting mistakes. With the exception of extreme circumstances, such as, violent and abusive homes, most homes do provide the nurturing and protective environment that children need. Ideally, homes provide beyond survival needs and also cater to the psychological needs I discussed in a previous post.


As we struggle towards being a better parent, it is often important to begin with an understanding of oneself. That’s right. We need to know ourselves fairly well in order to be a good parent. That’s where it all begins. What such things do you need to know about yourself? For starters, you might want to answer the following questions:

• How was I parented by my own parents/caregivers? In what ways do I want to do things similarly and in what ways do I want to do things differently with my own children? 
• What is important to me? What are the most important things I want my children to learn from me?
• What are my strengths as a person and how am I able to use these with my children?
• What are my areas of weakness and how do they compromise my good parenting strategies?
• Given the areas of my history, my values, my strength and weaknesses, how do I see myself as a parent? In what ways can I further improve?

The next element in becoming a good parent is in knowing your child well. As each child is different and reacts to you differently, so your strategies may also vary from one child to another. On one hand, we need to be nurturing towards each of our children. We need to accept them and affirm their reactions and ideas. On the other hand, we also need to exercise some level of control in setting clear and predictable limits. Similarly, we need be able to challenge our children enough so that they exert themselves and strive for something better for themselves. We need to do this in a way that is not too taxing and frustrating, given their personalities and talents.

In accomplishing these, you might want to ask yourself the following questions for each of your children:

• How does this particular child respond to me? What dynamics do I see between this child and myself?
• In what ways do I show and express my acknowledgment of this child’s talents, reactions, and ideas? Does this child know that I am acknowledging him/her?
• What are the strengths and areas of weakness of this child, given what is important to me as a parent?
• How responsive is my child in the ways that I challenge him/her in prompting him/her to improve him/herself?
• What changes do I need to make in order to balance the roles of being more accepting and responsive of this child while exerting some level of control and demand on this child’s abilities?

This process that I am proposing is not easy. It demands much introspection into oneself, which also often leads to a better understanding of others. Only when we are armed with such insights are we able to tweak our parenting strategies and become relevant to the children that we parent today.

The Stigma of Mental Illness

Every time there is an election in the Philippines, at least one of the viable candidates running for an important position is accused of having or has had a mental illness by his or her opponent. The election that just passed was no exception. In fact, this recent event prompted the Ateneo de Manila’s Department of Psychology to issue an official statement denying the veracity of these reports. Subsequently, the Psychological Association of the Philippines, the largest organization of psychologists in the Philippines, also issued a statement strongly condemning the use of such foul tactics.

This misuse of the diagnosis of a mental illness, whether true or fabricated, to detract would-be supporters of certain candidates shows how politicians and their cronies take advantage of the grave misunderstanding of the public with regards the nature of mental illness. At the same time, such ill-advised strategies perpetuate the stigma associated with mental illnesses and people who may have them.

Much of the stigma surrounding mental illness stems from a lack of understanding of the facts. Stereotypes of people out of control and possessing unbridled violent tendencies often pervade in many people’s minds when they think of mental illness. The vernacular is rich with colorful words to describe such people, which include, but are certainly not limited to, the following: “sira ang ulo” (literally, “damaged head”); “abnoy” (abnormal); “may diperensya sa utak” (literally, “malfunctioning brain”); and so forth. The existence of these words in everyday language evidences this misunderstanding.

Some misconceptions about mental illness are as follows:

• Mental illness is very rare;
• Mental illness is permanent;
• Mental illness is incurable;
• Mentally ill people are potentially dangerous to the public, as they can be unreasonably violent; and
• Seeking the help of a psychologist or psychiatrist is bad and can cause one to be labeled as being mentally ill.

Current scientific understanding suggests the following:

• Mental illness is far more common than what many think. Some reasonable estimates even show that up to 20% of people can be diagnosed with a kind of mental illness at one point or another in their lives.
• Similar to diabetes, some lifelong mental illnesses do require long-term treatment. These people who have such disabilities often need to live with their situation and cope with it. Many of them are able to live relatively normal lives with little special assistance from others. Nevertheless, a bigger number of people actually suffer from transient mental illnesses, such as, clinical depression.
• Although there is no known treatment for a few mental illnesses listed in the diagnostic manuals, more than 90% of these illnesses are either curable or have some sort of treatment that manage the major symptoms. 
• Unknown to many, research has shown that people who suffer mental illnesses are more likely to hurt themselves or be hurt by others. The ones we often hear of and see in the news are exceptional cases, and that’s probably why they are in the news.
• If you suspect that you might be ill, isn’t it but natural to consult a doctor to see if you have an ailment so that you can get prompt and relevant treatment? This is precisely the case with mental illnesses. Seeking treatment does not make one mentally ill. It merely provides the help that one needs.

Of Basic Needs and Inner Harmony

In my observation, much of the misunderstanding and conflicts among people take root in the reality or the perception that one or more needs of those involved are not being fulfilled. On the surface level, the conflict might be simply understood from the judgment that one is at fault—that he is being too demanding or hurtful or that he wants more than his fair share. At the risk of sounding too simplistic, I think that most conflicts arise from the misunderstanding of each other’s needs. This may have been borne out of assuming that the other person (should) knows what we want (quite magically, sometimes even without us saying so to the other person) or just a preoccupation with fulfilling our own needs that we forget that other people have needs that we can also help fulfill. Interestingly, what I just described appears to be true for many people, both young and old.

Having said that, what are our basic needs? According to American Psychiatrist William Glasser, we only have 5 basic needs. These include the following:

1. Survival – This includes food and drink, shelter, comfort, safety, good health, and the need to reproduce. These are probably the most basic of our needs.

2. Love and Belong – Relationships, social connections, giving and receiving affection, and feeling part of a group are all part of this. This highlights the social nature of our existence. We need others and we need to feel connected and that we belong to a group we find meaning in joining.

3. Power – The need to achieve, to feel and be competent, to be skilled, to be recognized for one’s achievements, to be listened to, and to have a sense of self-worth are all included in this need for Power. Take note that this need, as it is defined by Dr. Glasser, is not exactly what we think about when we think about the word “power.” This need does not speak of being influential and controlling other people and being a leader. Instead, it speaks of the power we feel within ourselves.

4. Freedom – This need encompasses striving towards independence and autonomy, to know that one has choices and to have the ability to take control of the direction of one’s life.

5. Fun – This need helps us enjoy ourselves in finding pleasure, in playing and laughing, and learning important life skills from these activities.

Bob Hoglund explains Dr. William Glasser's "5 Basic Needs"


Having understood these basic needs, I would like to invite you to apply this knowledge on yourself. In fact, there are many ways that this can be done. For now, however, let me just introduce the strategy I call DUST, which represents the 4 steps in taking ownership of the responsibility to fulfill your own needs and to understand the needs of others. You can begin by thinking about a conflict you are in; it could be a small misunderstanding or a major, even long standing, altercation. Then, go through the following steps by asking yourself the questions below each step:

1. Dissect the situation
• What was the conflict all about?
• What did I want from the other person/situation?
• If I got what I wanted, would I feel better and end the conflict?

2. Understand my need(s)
• What does this thing that you want represent to you? Why is it so important?
• What is it I really want for myself?
• In other words, what needs would be fulfilled if you got it?

3. Satisfy my need(s)
• What can I do that is realistic to fulfill my need without relying on another person?
• Remember that this step will only work if you stick to fulfilling the innermost need, rather than just getting what you want on the surface level.

4. Try if it works
• Be honest with yourself and see to what extent you can fulfill your own needs.
• This might mean letting go of wanting that something you expected from the other person. Forgiving that person who cannot/will not give what you wanted might be an important step as well.
• A word of caution: if you expect to be satisfied in the same way as getting exactly what you wanted from the beginning, you might be disappointed. What I can only guarantee is that you will feel happy after honestly going through these steps.

In the end, if you feel that this has worked for you, teach it to other people. You might even want to teach it to that person with whom you had a conflict. If you are able to communicate honestly with each other about your innermost needs, then your relationship would have already grown.

The Professionalization of Psychology in the Philippines

Since the late 1970’s, the pervading legislative bodies in the Philippines have been debating the professionalization of the practice of psychology in the Philippines. It has been a long and arduous journey because on March 16, 2010, Republic Act No. 10029 was signed into law by the president of the Philippines. Known as the Philippine Psychology Act of 2009, this law recognizes the practice of psychology in the republic, legalizing both Psychologists and Psychometricians as professions. (To view the law in its entirety, see http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2010/ra_10029_2010.html)


The law defines what it refers to as the “practice of psychology” as the “delivery of psychological services that involve the application of psychological principles and procedures for the purpose of describing, understanding, predicting and influencing the behavior of individuals or groups, in order to assist in the attainment of optimal human growth and functioning (Article III, Section 3 (b)).” These services include a range of work that covers assessment procedures, interventions, and program development and evaluation. These services can be administered to individuals, couples, or groups of people.


So, in what ways does this law make any difference in the practice of psychology in the Philippines? For me, there are essentially four areas that are clearly addressed by professionalizing the practice of psychology, and they are as follows:
1. Legitimizing the practice of psychology. The law legitimizes the practice of psychology in the Philippines. It acknowledges the profession of psychologists and psychometricians.
2. Establishing minimum competencies. A minimum standard in the practice of the profession is established. Apart from academic achievement, licensure also requires passing qualifying national examinations. After receiving licensure, continuing education will also be required, which will ensure that those practicing continue to grow and develop professionally.
3. Defined ethical professional behavior. The profession will be regulated, and a code of ethics common to everyone will be followed. This ensures that people who practice psychology are legally bound to follow the same rules that guide ethical and professional conduct.
4. Guaranteed privacy for clients. Legal rights to privileged communication with psychologists and psychometricians are guaranteed. This protects the privacy of clients seeking the services of psychologists and psychometricians. Simply put, what a client shares to his/her psychologist or psychometrician is private and is inadmissible in court proceedings unless there is informed consent to release such information.

In order to qualify in taking the licensure examinations as a Psychologist, the applicant must have at least a Master’s degree in the field of psychology and 200 hours of supervised clinical experience. And for Psychometricians, the requirement is a bachelor’s degree in psychology. By definition, a Psychometrician can only work under the direct supervision of a licensed psychologist.

The law stipulates that the professional regulatory board will be convened 60 days from the signing of the law. This board comprises a chairperson and 2 members, who will be appointed by the President of the Philippines from a list of nominees proposed by the national organization of psychologists, which is presumably the Psychological Association of the Philippines (also known as the PAP, see http://www.pap.org.ph/).

What is Autism?

This week, I wanted to share 2 videos that I found on You Tube.  The first one outlines the basic features in identifying Autism, and the other one highlights some treatment modalities for children with Autism.  Although both are generally good videos, I must warn you that they express the opinion of the makers of the video, and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion on all their points.

What is autism?  This question can be better understood in the context of the basic understanding that each person has five (5) aspects within him/herself.  These five aspects are the:  physical, intellectual/cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects.  As all these aspects overlap with each other and often intertwine, we started developing in each of the different aspects form the time we were conceived, and we continue to do so for the rest of our lives. 

Particularly in the first few years of life, development in these areas is crucial because many basic building blocks for later learning and being happen at this time.  And development in these basic areas is often sequential and fairly predictable.  Autism is one of the conditions where significant developmental delays in these aspects are observed. 

Autism is a condition where children do not develop in ways that are expected.  Essentially, there are three major areas of development that impact on the five (5) aspects of a person mentioned earlier.  These include the following: 

• Communication – Youngsters with Autism do not learn language at the time children are expected to learn it.  Because of this, many are suspected to have hearing impairments when they are young, but this suspicion is promptly disproved by appropriate hearing tests.  When they start speaking, their use of language is often unusual, even nonsensical.  For instance, they often repeat phrases incoherently, have a monotone when they are speaking, and say made-up words that do not exist. 
• Social interaction – Children with Autism have difficulty understanding and engaging in many everyday social interactions that many of us take for granted.  For starters, they often have difficulty establishing and maintaining eye contact.  As such, they have difficulty deciphering social cues and reacting appropriately to the situation. 
• Stereotypic interests and behaviors – Before age 3, children are expected to be able to play with objects in the way they are intended to be used.  They are also able to use their imagination to pretend-play (e.g., using a play telephone to simulate a conversation with another person; using a toy car to run a race with another toy car).  Children with autism often do not use things in ways that the things were intended to be used.  Instead, they typically enjoy watching spinning things and lining up objects repeatedly.  They also tend to be focused on a specific area of interest and hardly veer away from this (e.g., memorizing road maps or flags of countries).  They are rather inflexible, even rigid, in their area of interest and ways of conducting themselves. 

 

Currently, Autism is understood to be: 

• Biologically-based – It appears to have a genetic and neurologic (in the brain) component, although these are not yet fully understood.   
• Lifelong – As it is not a disease but a condition, it cannot be cured.  It is something a person has for the rest of his/her life. 
• A developmental disability – Signs of patterns of delay in development can be observed in the first few years of life, and these delays impact on later development of the person.    
• A spectrum disorder – Autism can be seen across any intellectual level (from the intellectually challenged to the very gifted), and the severity of impairment in language and social interaction is vast.  The development of different children as they get older also varies greatly from one individual to another. 

When Autism is diagnosed by a qualified professional (including, but not limited to any of the following:  Neurologist, Psychiatrist, Developmental Pediatrician, Neuropsychologist or a Clinical Psychologist), parents are often recommended to bring the child for various interventions.  It is important to note the goals of these intervention centers on minimizing the problems of autism and maximizing independence and quality of life.  The child and his/her family are also often helped to cope with the condition in more effective ways. 

Despite progress in the various modalities of treatment, many services in the Philippines are available only in the urbanized areas.  Many of the services required by children with Autism are also private with very limited government funding.  As such, a majority of our countrymen who have this condition are unable to access services they need.

The most effective interventions for children with Autism have been found to have three basic features.  First, they emphasize early intervention (the earlier, the better) and involve the parents and main caregiver.  Many exercises done in intervention sessions need to be reinforced at home, where the child spends most of his/her time.  Second, they are oriented to the particular developmental stage where the child is currently functioning.  Interventions need to have a clear underlying comprehension of developmental stages so that mastery of current skills is reinforced and subsequent incremental development is prompted and rehearsed.  Third, these methods are echoed in the educational techniques used for special needs populations.   

On the part of many parents, the diagnosis of Autism can be both a confirmation of a gut instinct and a devastating blow to their dreams and aspirations for their child.  They have to go through a long process of understanding their child and their role as parents of these children. 

In the years I have been working with such parents and their children, I noticed that the children who make very good progress in the goals of treatment over the years have parents with certain characteristics and habits.  I believe these practices often boil down to the following: 

• Openness – They are open to the reality of the situation, and wholeheartedly deal with their own reactions. 
• Motivation – They are motivated to learn about their child and his/her condition.  They read up, engage various professionals, join support groups, and ask relevant questions.  They apply what they have learned in understanding the specifics of their child and become a true expert when it comes to their child’s special needs.  This brings about a clear understanding of the goals they have for their child, and they engage professionals with this in mind. 
• Delay of Gratification – They realize that their child’s development will be gradual and incremental, and there are no quick fixes.  So, they learn to be happy with the small progress their child is making.  They persist in fostering the hope of achieving the goals of treatment, at least to some extent. 
• Administrative Skills – They manage the needs of the family within the context of the special needs of their child with Autism.  Similarly, they also facilitate the healthy collaboration among the various professionals working with their child. 

Having a child with Autism is both challenging and rewarding.  It is also a gift that we have to learn to appreciate over time, and I know many parents who, after many difficult years of taking care of their child with Autism, tell me that this is an experience they will never ever regret having gone through.