This past week, I had a psychology midterm, and as I was studying for it, I was struck by the parallels between certain psychological theories and Vivekananda’s philosophy. An especially interesting example is the similarity between the conclusions reached by Swami Vivekananda and Abraham Maslow regarding priorities in life.
According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we prioritize in the following way:
Physiological Needs > Safety and Security Needs > Belongingness and Love Needs > Esteem Needs > Need for Self-Actualization.
As long as the lower levels of this hierarchy (which is typically represented as a pyramid with physiological needs at the bottom and the need for self-actualization at the top) remain unmet, Maslow claimed, we cannot focus on and meet the higher level needs.
Interestingly, Swamiji seemed to espouse the same idea in a speech he gave in Lahore:
“What we want is not so much spirituality as a little of the bringing down of the Advaita into the material world. We stuff them too much with religion, when the poor fellows have been starving. No dogmas will satisfy the cravings of hunger.”
In my interpretation, Swamiji seems to be saying that religion (or, as psychology would put it, self-actualization) is of no use to those who are hungry — fill their stomachs first, and then only will they be able to fulfill other needs.
While I agree with this idea that the topmost parts of the pyramid cannot be reached until the lower levels are met first, I am not sure I agree with the divisions Maslow made. According to Maslow, our self-esteem needs, and our belongingness and love needs must be met before we can pursue our goals for self-actualization. In my experience, this is not necessarily true — for me, it seems to be the case that by pursuing goals for self-actualization (i.e. introspection, prayer, constantly analyzing my actions), I have been able to fill my needs for belongingness and self-esteem. In that way, it seems like there was a trickle-down effect, in which pursuing higher levels of the pyramid helped my fulfill the lower levels.
What do you think?
Related posts:
Post a Comment