What are Psychological Needs?

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Contents

Psychological Needs

Psychological needs are the inner “must-haves” of the mind and heart that help a person feel stable, motivated, and well. They sit alongside physical needs (like food and sleep) but focus on what people need emotionally and mentally to feel that life is worth living and that they can grow.

Basic survival and safety needs

Even though they are partly physical, survival and safety have a strong psychological side. People need to feel reasonably safe from harm, not constantly on edge, and to have some predictability about where food, shelter, and income will come from. When this is shaky, worry and fear tend to dominate attention.

Humans need to feel they belong somewhere and are not completely alone. This includes:

Being accepted and cared about by at least a few people.
Having relationships where they can give and receive affection, support, and trust. People also need esteem: a sense of being competent and having worth, and some recognition and respect from others. Without belonging and esteem, people often feel lonely, ashamed, or “less than,” even if their physical life looks fine from the outside.

Growth and meaning needs

Beyond comfort and approval, people have needs for growth: to learn, create, explore, and become more of who they can be. This is where ideas like self‑actualisation live: developing and using one’s abilities, living in line with one’s values, and feeling that life has personal meaning, not just routine.

Many thinkers now also emphasise self‑transcendence as a higher psychological need: the need to connect with something bigger than oneself (other people, nature, justice, spirituality, or a deep purpose), and to contribute rather than only consume. Maslow’s later writings make it clear he intended this “beyond the self” layer to sit above self‑actualisation in his hierarchy of needs.

How psychological needs guide behaviour

When an important psychological need is not met, it tends to pull attention and behaviour.

If safety feels threatened, a person may become very anxious or risk‑avoidant.
If belonging is lacking, they may seek connection, even in unhealthy ways.
If esteem and growth are blocked, they may feel stuck, bored, or empty.

Psychological needs are the inner requirements for feeling safe enough, connected enough, good enough, and meaningful enough to function and grow. When these needs are noticed and cared for, by oneself and by the surrounding environment, then people tend to be more stable, kinder, and more able to develop over time.