Maslow's Human Needs

Psychologist Abraham Maslow was a pioneer in positive psychology, envisioning what was right with his clients, rather than what was wrong. TED speakers explore that spectrum of need, from primal to profound.

Brandeis Psychology professor Margie Lachman works in the same office where Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs. She describes his lasting influence on psychology. Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience and the Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, considers why we sleep. Computer security expert Bruce Schneier says there's a big difference between feeling secure and actually being secure. He explains why we worry about unlikely dangers while ignoring more probable risks. Journalist Sebastian Junger, who was embedded with soldiers in the Korengal Valley during the war in Afghanistan, discusses why veterans miss war. Caroline Casey, who was 17 years old when she first learned she was visually impaired, says embracing her disability helped nourish her need for self-esteem. She encourages looking beyond limits. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says we can achieve one of the most elusive needs — self-actualization — by finding a state of "flow" in our work or our hobbies.

Learn more or listen again to this weeks' episode.

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