The Hierarchy of Goals by Abraham Maslow - Essay Example

Introduction In 1943, Abraham Maslow established a hierarchy of goals that is now one of the basic fundamentals in social or community health care. Maslow claimed that needs of man is arranged in a hierarchy based on prepotency, and that the emergence of a need lies on the prior satisfaction of another, more important need (Maslow, 1943). Primal to the needs of man is his physiological needs. These are man's biological needs, such as oxygen, food, water, sleep, and a relatively constant body temperature (Simmons, Irwin, & Drinnien, 1987). Next to this hierarchy would be the need for security and safety. The third need wold be the need for love and belongingness, followed by that of self-esteem and ego (Simmons, Irwin, & Drinnien, 1987). Last in this hierarchy described by Maslow would be self-actualization, which is only achieved after all the previous needs have been met. The need for security and safety hence comes around when the physiological needs are met to a certain degree. At this point, Maslow describes man as a safety-seeking mechanism, whose outlook in life and the world, both for the present and the future, is greatly influenced by this prominent need (Maslow, 1943, p.375). Given that the physiological needs have been met, the need for safety and security of a person in his own community is vital for an individual to then fulfill his love and belonging needs. Thus, when there is violence in a community, and a person is not confident of his own safety, then the actualization of the higher needs is hindered. Violence in a community especially that among youths can be lessened by implementing community health interventions that aims to reduce the prevalence of its causes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, the availability of guns, poverty, lack of proper education, and the list goes on. If these interventions are successful in their goals, an individual can then focus on achieving needs of love and belonging, as other needs tend to become non-existent as long as a prevailing need is not met (Maslow, 1943). Violence in the Community Violence has been prevalent since probably the beginning of time and has presented a big part in the history of the world. Every year, more than a million people die violence-related deaths, and a lot more endure physical, emotional, sexual, and psychological injuries from self-inflicted, interpersonal, and collective violence (Krug et al., 2002). Violence is "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation" as defined by the World Health Organization (Krug et al., 2002). The term intentional suggests that a person committing the act of violence is knowingly carries out this act and is conscious of the results of the act. There are many forms of violence. The World Health Organization has subdivided violence into three typologies: self-directed violence, interpersonal violence, and collective violence (Krug et al., 2002). However, for the purpose of this paper, focus will be given to the typology of interpersonal violence, which is defined by WHO as "violence between individuals, that is subdivided into family and intimate partner violence and community violence. The former category includes child maltreatment; intimate partner violence; and elder abuse, while the latter is broken down into acquaintance and stranger violence and includes youth violence; assault by strangers; violence related to property crimes; and violence in workplaces and other institutions." (Krug et al., 2002) Although the crime rate in America has already decreased over the past decades, the rates remain significantly high (Berman, Silverman, & Kurtines, 2000). In a study conducted by Berman, Silverman, and Kurtines, it has been revealed that in the children between first and second grade have already either been victims of violence (21%) or have been witnesses to it (84%). Higher rates were even found among children of the older age group of fifth and sixth graders. (Berman, Silverman, & Kurtines, 2000) In his book entitled Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America, Geoffrey Canada recounts how many children ha has counseled who claimed that it was their parents who ordered them to fight back whenever somebody tried to hurt them in any way (1995, p. 6). He also added that many children at the age of six or seven would bring weapons to school, or use anything that comes at hand. As a parent himself, Canada claimed that the parents are just trying to prevent their children from being victims of violence, hence they taught their children to fight back whenever necessary (1995). This is a natural survival instinct of man, and at this day and age, this survival instinct tells a person to choose between being the one who kills, and being the one who is killed. Whenever a person's sense of safety is destroyed, the primal urge for violence kicks in as a result of this survival instinct, in an attempt for self-defense or at times, it is even because the individual would prefer to become the offender instead of the defending victim. A destroyed or unfulfilled sense of safety and security is even one of the main reasons why families keep handguns in their houses, and how many teenagers and young children get access to guns - this being a contributing factor to many deaths in America for the past decade. There are many contributing factors to the prevalence of violence. Some are very obvious, yet some are deeply ingrained in the culture, society, and economic fabric of life (Krug, et. al., 2002). Research even suggests that biological factors also play a significant role in a person's aggressiveness and general temperament (Krug, et. al., 2002). Every year, around 450,000 youths are sent to detention camps and about 300,000 are sentenced to an adult prison (Tobin & Sprague, 2000). The involvement and perpetration of the youth in violent acts does not bode well for America's future. Something has to be done. Many are skeptical if the prevention of violence and its decrease in rates can be done. Canada for one said that he knew that the codes of conduct has deteriorated when he heard a young boy say that "I'd rather be judged by twelve, than carried by six" (Canada, 1995). But it can be done. This statement is not based from hope but from facts. The World Health Organization has in truth documented examples of success of communities both small and large from around the world (Krug et. al., 2002). In 1996, Boston did not have any gun-related deaths for over a year (Prothrow-Stith & Spivak, 2004). This, in itself, is proof that violence can be prevented. The cause of the success is the coming together of committed people from all over the city - people from the criminal justice system, from the health and mental health professions, from religious sectors, from the families of the victims, residents, teachers and educators, and the youth themselves (Prothrow-Stith & Sivak, 2004). It may be argued that a lot of social interventions have been attempted before to almost no avail. However, it may be recommended that interventions start from the very core of the community. The smaller the target population is, the greater the chance for success. Interventions may be directed to families, as it is the core unit of each community. Families may be encouraged to better educate their children regarding violence and how it is prevented. Community leaders may need to reinforce to parents to educate their children regarding alcoholism and drug abuse, and how this can affect a person's general outlook in life, hence resulting to acts of violence. Conclusion As the core of violence reaches deep into the nation's history and branches out to many facets of culture and society, serious time, effort, and attention from the government, communities, associations both public and private, families, and individuals must be committed in order to bring about change and reduce its prevalence. Young people who live in anxiety and fear of violence, witness acts of violence, and especially those who have been victims of violence before, may suffer from unbearable anxiety and injuries of both the physical and emotional kind that may hinder his development, hence limiting individual options and academic and professional growth (Juvenile Justice, 1998) The example that Boston has set in 1996 is what every city, every country has to follow. To be able to decrease the rates of violence in any community, the people has to work together, hand in hand in fulfilling man's need for personal and public safety. References Berman, S.L., Silverman, W.K., & Kurtines, W.M. (2000). Children's and adolescents' exposure to violence: Post-traumatic stress reactions and treatment implications. Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies, 2000(1). Retrieved April 14, 2008, from http://www.massey.ac.nz/trauma/issues/2000-1/berman.htm Canada, G. (1995). Fist, stick, knife, gun: a personal history of violence in America. Beacon Press: Boston. Juvenile Justice Bulletin. (1998). Violence in the community. Retrieved April 14, 2008, from http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/jjbulletin/9804/community.html Krug, E.G., Dahlberg, L.L., Mercy, J.A., Zwi, A.B. & Lozano, R. (eds.). (2002). World report on violence and health. World Health Organization: Geneva. Maslow, A.H. (1943). Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-396. Prothrow-Stith, D. & Spivak, H.R. (2004). Murder is no accident: Understanding and preventing youth violence in America. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco. Simmons, J.A., Irwin, D.B., & Drinnien, B.A. (1987). From psychology: the search for understanding. West Publishing Company: New York. Tobin, T. & Sprague, J. (2000). Alternative Education Strategies: Reducing Violence in Schools and the Community. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 8(3), 177. Read More