The basis of the human being is, according to Abraham Maslow, love. However, only self-realized people are capable of offering the most enriching love, one based on empathy, healthy affection and respect.
Last update: June 06, 2022
The Beatles weren't wrong when they said “all you need is love” in a song launched in the late 60's. This is what the humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow argued in the 40s. One of the most basic, perhaps the most decisive, needs of human beings is to feel loved.
If we have not known this experience early on, it is very difficult to develop healthy self-esteem. Feeling appreciated, respected, cared for and valued makes it easier for us to climb that pyramid of needs that Maslow himself has developed, a milestone in the field of human motivation.
Only when we feel surrounded by genuine love do we feel fulfilled. Only realized people are able to offer a satisfying and healthy affection. We refer to that love based on empathy, respect and support.
Love is a transforming force that every human being needs to receive from family, friends, partner, etc. Receiving it and knowing it gives will make you feel fulfilled.
Remember: all we need is love
Abraham Maslow's pyramid or hierarchy of human needs consists of 5 steps. These needs range from the most basic, such as physical, safety, and protection needs, to those related to belonging, self-esteem and self-fulfillment. The element that we may have overlooked on more than one occasion is love.
Well, most take it for granted that this dimension resides in the third level, that relating to social needs. However, according to Abraham Maslow, love is a fundamental need that would guide the development of the person.
The child needs it and is fed, protected and cared for. We need the affection of our loved ones to also enjoy good physical and psychological health.
As he explained to us in his work Towards a Psychology of Being (1962), love is a fundamental psychological need in order to develop other skills, such as self-esteem and self-realization.
Feeling loved and knowing how to love prevents neurotic feelings, reduces fears and makes people safer.
People are good by nature. Give them love, affection and security, and they will give you love and be confident in their feelings and behavior.
Feeling loved is essential for growth
All you need is to feel loved and if you have not received love from the family, it is possible to get it from other figures. Friends are another great support, as are partners. An unhappy childhood without solid attachments does not have to determine one's life.
We can still achieve self-realization if we are motivated and love will always act as a great inner force. It doesn't matter where it comes from. It is a deep and fulfilling emotional state based on selfless care. This experience, of course, can be obtained from many figures around him.
Likewise, another aspect is worth considering. Part of our evolution as human beings also requires healthy, meaningful and happy relationships. When we find friends and partners who make us truly happy, many of our needs will be met.
Self-realized people are adept at emotional matters
Abraham Maslow's description and analysis of love represented a breakthrough in psychology and positive relationships. He pointed out that self-realized men and women are free from selfish needs. Nor do they try to flatter or dominate the other.
The person who knows himself and who works every day to be better knows what healthy love is all about. The enrichment of affection is based on empathy and respect, and you have to know how to receive it, take care of it and, above all, offer it.
This point is very important to Abraham Maslow. Because, as he explains himself, whoever knows how to give and receive love avoids the pain of loneliness.
"We must understand love, we must be able to teach it, to create it, to foresee it, otherwise the world gets lost in hostility and suspicion".
-Abraham Maslow-
Look for love in all its forms and feel loved
All we need is love, the one that doesn't hurt and allows you to be yourself. To do this, you need to surround yourself with people who push you to be better every day. No matter past experiences, disappointments, it will always be worth feeling loved and loving.
However, you shouldn't focus all your resources on finding a soul mate that makes you happy. On the contrary, love must be sought in all its possible forms and do not hesitate to thank the people who are already part of one's life. Friends, children, family members, and even pets are also inexhaustible sources of nourishing and glowing affection.
Love, take care of, let yourself be loved and may the most sincere affection be a source of inspiration. This and no other is the true meaning of life.
