Chapter 5: Basic Human Needs
Sasha Persaud
Home work
• Assignment due on Day 11 by 9:00 am
Learning Objectives #1
• Describe and discuss the hierarchy of needs, from the simple to the complex,
as developed by Maslow.
• Define the term regression and explain at least two examples of regression.
• List at least five physiologic needs of all people and animals.
• Compare Maslow’s hierarchy of needs with the more specific hierarchy of
needs related to healthcare clients and nursing care.
• List two examples of nursing activities that help an individual meet basic
physiologic human needs.
• List two examples of nursing activities that help an individual meet the needs
of security and safety.
Learning Objectives #2
• List two examples of nursing activities that help an individual
obtain the goal of self-esteem.
• List two examples of nursing activities that help an individual
obtain the goal of self-actualization.
• Address the deficiency or basic needs with the growth or
aesthetic needs of individuals who are homeless, who have a
terminal illness, or who have lost their jobs and source of income.
• Relate at least three community or societal needs to the hierarchy
of needs of an individual.
Introduction
• Every individual has certain needs ranging from simple basic needs to more
complex, higher level needs
• Needs are common to all regardless of age, sex, race, social class, state of
health
• Theory described by Abraham H. Maslow in 1943
• Nursing is a helping relationship
• Will help individuals satisfy these needs
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs #1
• Maslow defined the basic needs of all people as a progression from simple
physical needs, or survival needs, to more complex ones, called aesthetic
needs
• Progression from physical needs to aesthetic needs:
o Physiologic needs
o Safety needs
o Love needs
o Esteem needs
o Self-actualization needs
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs #2
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs #3
• In 1970, five steps expanded to eight steps
6. Cognitive: understands and explores life
7. Aesthetic: appreciates symmetry, order, and beauty
8. Transcendence: connects with ability to help others realize their
potential
• Meeting needs is a process, never static
• Needs are interrelated
• Some needs depend on others
Nursing’s Relationship to Basic Needs #1
Nursing’s Relationship to Basic Needs #2
• Individuals may experience regression
o Focusing on a lower level need that has already been fulfilled; common
in illness or injury
o Examples
§ Client recovering from an illness will focus physical and emotional
energies on recovery (physical needs) before returning to
employment (security)
§ Individuals in pain will revert to being concerned about personal
appearance or relationships with others only after the pain has been
relieved
Question #1
Is the following statement true or false?
Critically ill clients will continue to seek to fulfill needs in the order of Maslow’s
theory of hierarchy.
Answer to Question #1
False
Critically ill clients will usually regress, that is, they will focus on a lower level
need that has already been fulfilled before reverting to focusing on their higher
level needs.
Basic Physiologic Needs #1
• Oxygen
o Without oxygen a person will die in minutes
o Evaluate the oxygenation status of the client
• Water and fluids
o The body can only survive a few day without water
o Measure intake and output, weigh the client daily, and observe
intravenous infusion of fluids
• Food and nutrients
o Help feed the client, monitor calorie counts, or maintain
alternative methods of nutrition
Basic Physiologic Needs #2
• Elimination of waste products
o Elimination of water is essential for life and comfort: lungs eliminate CO2 and H2O,
skin eliminates H2O and Na+, kidney eliminates fluids and electrolytes, intestines
discharge solid wastes and fluids.
o Give an enema, catheterize the person, or assist with dialysis
• Sleep and rest
o Amount of sleep is influenced by age, pregnancy, and general health. Lack of sleep
can lead to various disorders.
o Provide safe, comfortable, and quiet surroundings
• Activity and exercise
o Activity stimulates both the mind and body. Exercise helps maintain the body’s
structural integrity and health by enhancing circulation and respiration.
o Encourage client to walk after surgery or teach to walk with crutches
Basic Physiologic Needs #3
• Sexual gratification
o Unlike other basic physiological needs sexual gratification may be
sublimated
o Be aware of sexuality issues when care is given
• Temperature regulation
o Assist the client to meet the need for temperature regulation. In cases
such as a high fever, monitor the client’s temperature
o Body mechanisms to regulate temperature: shivering, goose flesh, and
perspiration.
Security and Safety #1
• Second level of Maslow’s hierarchy; both physical and psychological needs
• Freedom from harm
o People must feel safe and secure (both physically and emotionally, before being
comfortable enough to move on to other needs
o Remove threats to the client’s safety
o Take preventive measures
o Explain procedures, treatments, or medications
• Abuse
o Report any suspected abuse to proper authorities
o Spousal of partner battering, child abuse, rape, psychological abuse
Security and Safety #2
• Healthcare
o Higher level coping skills in relationship to planned versus unplanned
healthcare
• Shelter
o Conduct comprehensive evaluation when interviewing homeless clients
Question #2
Is the following statement true or false?
A nurse need not report signs of abuse if they believe that it is a matter that can
be solved within the client’s family.
Answer to Question #2
False
The nurse is legally bound to report any suspected abuse of a client. If a nurse
does not report suspected abuse, the nurse could be subject to arrest and civil
penalties.
Love, Affection, and Belonging
v Third level of Maslow’s hierarchy
• Societal needs
o The need for love, affection, and belonging
o All need to feel they have meaningful relationships and belong to a group
o Nurse can encourage interaction with family and friends
• Spiritual needs
o Belief in higher power
o Depends on religious background, ethnicity, life experiences
o Contact chaplain or client’s clergy
Self-Esteem Needs
v Fourth level of Maslow’s hierarchy
• Positive self-esteem (self-image, self-respect) is appreciation for one’s own
personal worth
• Can be affected by surgical procedures
• Client may experience regression, depression, over-dependency, or refusal to
cooperate
• Low self-esteem also seen in chemical dependency
• Reward and encourage individual’s progress
• Allow individual to perform as much self-care as possible
Self-Actualization Needs
• Fifth level of Maslow’s hierarchy
• The self-actualized person has “reached their full potential”
• People may reach this level many times throughout life
• The nurse can help clients obtain self-actualization by:
o Assisting in achieving lower level needs
o Acknowledging accomplishments of the individual
Individuals with Special Needs
• Individuals who are homeless, terminally ill, or have no source of income
present with special needs
o Must find food and shelter for all family members on daily basis
o More concerned with meeting primary versus secondary needs
o Seek healthcare after becoming ill
o Face daily dangers
o Unable to find a job adds to despair and hopelessness
• Community health and public agencies have nursing services that are reaching
out to this population
Family and Community Needs
• Family unit has special needs
o Developmental tasks and functions to meet needs of members
o Highly functioning family works toward common goals as group
• Community has basic needs, such as:
o Public health measures: immunization programs
o Access to healthcare: ACA
o Maintenance services: water, electricity, waste disposal
o Safety: safety belts, police, highways
o Emergency services: 911 services, ambulance
Question #3
A nurse can help a client in meeting self-esteem needs by:
a. Assisting the client to get enough sleep.
b. Explaining the procedures, treatments, or medications.
c. Rewarding the client’s progress.
d. Feeding the client.
e. Reporting signs of abuse.
Answer to Question #3
c. Rewarding the client’s progress.
A nurse can help clients to regain positive self-esteem by encouraging
independence and, consequently, rewarding progress.
Key Points #1
• Physiologic needs drive all human beings and animals.
• Human needs are thought of in progressive levels, known as a hierarchy.
• Psychological needs are at a higher level than physiologic needs.
• A person must satisfy lower level needs before they can address higher level
needs.
• Illness or injury can interfere with a person’s ability to meet basic needs.
Key Points #2
• Illness or injury can also cause a person to regress to a lower level of
functioning.
• Nursing can assist a person in meeting needs or in eliminating
potential threats to need satisfaction.
• Many factors, such as loss of income, illness, homelessness, and
personal crises, threaten basic human needs.
• Health is a continually fluctuating and fluid state of physiological and
psychological well-being.
• Relationships with others, including family and the community, are
higher level needs that can be addressed only after basic physiologic
needs are met.