t this point. First, an individual may be working to fulfill more than one need at a time, as in the need for belongingness and self-esteem – therefore, an individual will not necessarily need to completely fulfill a lower need before attempting to fulfill a higher need. Second, some need requirements may be directed at one specific need (e.g., hunger) but may be unconsciously “fulfilled” by another need void (e.g., desire for belongingness or love). The distinction may be complex, however it is this “misinterpretation” of needs that requires a more complex view of human behavior, according to Maslow. Third, when an individual is dominated by a specific need, their whole philosophy of the present, and even of the past and the future, changes. For instance, if one is dominated by safety needs, as in the woman Elshtain eludes to who must hover inside her apartment with mattresses propped against the windows for fear of stray gunfire, it is likely that the desire for belongingness, within the community, family, or other organizations, is not a top priority, but that her need for safety will dominate her entire existence and thought processes. To this extent, all other needs will become dormant and unimportant.Fourth, it is instructive to note, “when a need has been satisfied for a long time, this need may be underevaluated” (Maslow, 1963: 26). For instance, once the woman in Elshtain’s recollection above surpasses her need for safety by moving to a safer neighborhood, in time her thoughts will focus on the next levels of need, and her ability to relate to others who are now experiencing the same safety needs she previously experienced will be difficult, if not impossible. Fifth, an exception to the view of individuals continually striving for new and higher need levels would be those who have experienced severe deprivations in one need level. For example, Maslow notes that an individ...
