Intractable conflict

List the ten guidelines for addressing intractable conflict. Next, briefly explain each one using your own wo

List all 8 of the Freudian defense mechanisms in our text and then describe what each one means in your own words from the Psychodynamic Theory.

Explain in your own wo what is meant by "the layered personality" in Psychodynamic Theory from our textbook.

Full Answer Section

       
    • Health and Well-being: Feeling free from illness and having access to healthcare.
    • Order and Law: Living in a predictable and stable society with rules and protection. Without a sense of safety, a person remains in a state of anxiety, making it difficult to focus on social connections or personal growth.
  1. Love and Belonging Needs: After physiological and safety needs are addressed, humans crave connection, acceptance, and a sense of belonging. We are social creatures who need to feel loved and to love others. This level includes:

    • Friendship: Developing meaningful relationships with peers.
    • Family: Having a sense of connection and support from relatives.
    • Romantic Relationships: Forming intimate bonds with partners.
    • Group Affiliation: Feeling accepted and part of a community, team, or social group. When these needs are unmet, individuals may experience loneliness, isolation, and a sense of alienation.
  2. Esteem Needs: Once we feel loved and accepted, the next step is to develop a sense of self-worth, accomplishment, and respect. This level has two main components:

    • Self-Esteem: This refers to our own feelings of confidence, competence, mastery, and independence. It's about believing in our own abilities and value.
    • Esteem from Others: This involves gaining recognition, appreciation, respect, and status from those around us. It's about feeling valued and acknowledged for our contributions. Fulfilling these needs leads to feelings of strength, capability, and worth. A lack of esteem can lead to feelings of inferiority, helplessness, and low self-confidence.
  3. Self-Actualization Needs: This is the highest level of Maslow's hierarchy, representing the pinnacle of human potential and growth.

What is Required Before One Can Begin to Truly Work on Their Self-Actualization Needs?

According to Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs, one can only begin to truly work on their self-actualization needs after their lower-level "deficiency needs" have been substantially met.

Maslow categorized the first four levels (Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, and Esteem) as "deficiency needs" (or D-needs). This means that when we lack something at these levels, we are driven to obtain it to relieve the deficiency. The motivation decreases as these needs are satisfied.

In my own words, before an individual can genuinely embark on the journey of self-actualization, they need to have a solid and relatively stable foundation in their life. Imagine building a tall, intricate tower: you wouldn't start meticulously crafting the spire if the ground beneath it was crumbling, or if you didn't have enough sturdy bricks for the lower floors. Similarly, for Maslow, a person who is constantly worried about where their next meal will come from (physiological), or whether they are safe from harm (safety), or feels utterly alone and unloved (love/belonging), or lacks any sense of personal competence or respect (esteem), will have their energy and focus entirely consumed by these fundamental concerns. Their mind will be preoccupied with addressing these deficits, leaving little mental or emotional space to explore their true potential or pursue higher aspirations.

Only when these foundational needs are mostly, though not necessarily perfectly, satisfied, does a person's motivation naturally shift upwards. With a sense of security, belonging, and self-worth established, the individual is then liberated to look inward and ask: "What can I truly become? What are my unique talents, passions, and purpose?" This inner drive to fulfill one's unique potential, to become the best version of oneself, only truly emerges when the more pressing, survival-oriented needs are no longer dominating one's existence.

 

Sample Answer

       

Abraham Maslow, a renowned psychologist, proposed a theory of human motivation known as the Hierarchy of Needs. This theory suggests that human needs are arranged in a pyramid, with the most fundamental needs at the bottom and higher-level, growth-oriented needs at the top. Maslow believed that people are motivated to fulfill these needs in a hierarchical order, meaning that lower-level needs must be substantially satisfied before an individual can focus on higher-level ones.

Here are the five components (or levels) Maslow uncovered for his Hierarchy of Needs, explained in my own words:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: The Five Levels

  1. Physiological Needs: These are the most basic and fundamental needs for human survival. Think of them as the absolute necessities that our bodies require to function. This level includes things like:

    • Food and Water: Sustenance to keep the body alive and energized.
    • Air: Essential for respiration.
    • Shelter and Warmth: Protection from the elements and maintaining a stable body temperature.
    • Sleep/Rest: Necessary for physical and mental recovery.
    • Reproduction: The biological drive to perpetuate the species. If these needs are not met, an individual's entire focus will be consumed by acquiring them, and they won't be able to genuinely think about anything else.
  2. Safety Needs: Once our immediate survival needs are reasonably met, we then seek security and stability in our environment. This level is about feeling protected from harm, danger, and unpredictability. It encompasses:

    • Personal Security: Feeling safe from physical harm, violence, or crime.
    • Financial Security: Having a stable income and resources to meet future needs, reducing anxiety about the unknown.