Meeting Emotional Needs

 by Bob Stahn

Unmet needs drive our actions.  We eat because we are hungry. We drink because we are thirsty.  We sleep because we are tired.  We do what we do in order to meet unmet needs.  Can you think of anything we do that is not in an effort to meet a need?  I cannot.

We all have needs: physical, social, intellectual, personal, emotional, etc.  Even though unmet needs drive our actions, many of us are unaware of those needs doing so.  

In the 1950s Abraham Maslow developed his famous Hierarchy of Needs.  It is interesting to note that with the exception of the most basic level of physical survival, all of the needs are emotional in nature.  Unmet emotional needs drive most of what we do.

Some common unmet emotional needs are: acceptance, appreciation, comfort, nurture, love, validation.  We are happier when these needs are met.  We are motivated to meet our unmet needs, though many of us do not know how to do it.

In our next blog, we will further investigate how to meet unmet emotional needs.
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