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Psychological Needs

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Psychological Needs

Emotional needs include our needs for love, belonging/inclusion, and expression and a powerful need for Attachment.

Our Psychological Needs include our need for positive self-esteem and sense of self, our need to feel powerful and competent,[1] our need to feel good about and to have faith in ourselves,[2] and our need for autonomy and freedom,[3] We need to feel we are a good person that is worthy of love and acceptance. We also need to feel competent and powerful, like we can accomplish the things we want to accomplish in life.[4][5][6][7]

Concept Map

Key Terms

Lightning Path Human Development Framework > LP Psychological Framework >

Seven Essential Needs >

List of Essential Needs Categories

Seven Essential Needs > Cognitive Needs, Emotional Needs, Environmental Needs, Physiological Needs, Psychological Needs

Notes

Satisfaction of these needs has been linked to well-being,[8] competence, vitality,[9] and enhanced creativity. Satisfaction of these leads also support Alignment and Connection, which together allow for the full expression of the Spiritual Ego.

Sufficiently meeting psychological needs has been shown to promote well-being and overall life satisfaction across several dimensions:

  1. Physiological Outcomes: When psychological needs are met, it can lead to improved physiological health. Studies have shown that positive self-esteem and autonomy are associated with better physical health, likely due to healthier lifestyle choices and improved stress management. Enhanced well-being can also lead to improved immune function and slower aging[10]).
  2. Egoic Outcomes:
  3. Emotional Outcomes: Meeting psychological needs contributes significantly to emotional well-being. A positive self-concept, feelings of competence, and autonomy are all associated with lower levels of negative emotions and higher levels of positive emotions. People with high self-esteem and feelings of competence tend to be more resilient and better able to handle emotional setbacks.[11]
  4. Cognitive Outcomes: Satisfying psychological needs like autonomy and competence has been linked to enhanced cognitive performance, including improved problem-solving skills, creativity, and learning outcomes. It also encourages a growth mindset, promoting continuous learning and intellectual development[12].
  5. Spiritual Outcomes: A positive sense of self and feelings of competence can contribute to spiritual growth by fostering a sense of purpose and meaning in life. Individuals who have their psychological needs met may be better able to engage in self-reflection and spiritual exploration[13]

Chronic failure to meet psychological needs such as a positive sense of self, autonomy, competence, and feeling good about oneself can have severe consequences:

  1. Physiological Impairments: Chronic psychological distress can have significant impacts on physiological health. Prolonged experiences of low self-esteem, feelings of incompetence, and lack of autonomy can lead to stress, which in turn can affect the immune system, cardiovascular health, and sleep patterns.[14] Chronic stress has also been linked to accelerated cellular aging[15]
  2. Egoic/Personality Impairments.
    1. Personality Disorders: Particularly, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) may arise from an inflated sense of self-worth and a desperate need for validation, while borderline personality disorder (BPD) might occur when an individual feels chronically invalidated and struggles with self-image and fear of abandonment.[16][17]
    2. Eating Disorders: Unmet needs for self-esteem and competence can contribute to the development of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. These disorders often stem from a distorted body image and an extreme desire for control.[18]
    3. Substance Use Disorders: These disorders may occur when individuals use substances as a coping mechanism to deal with feelings of low self-esteem, powerlessness, or lack of freedom. Substance use disorders are closely linked to poor mental health and unmet psychological needs.[19]
  3. Emotional Impairments: A lack of fulfillment in psychological needs can lead to various emotional disorders, including depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Poor self-esteem and feelings of incompetence can lead to heightened sensitivity to negative feedback and rejection, increasing vulnerability to depressive symptoms.[20][21]
  4. Cognitive Impairments: Unmet psychological needs can negatively impact cognitive functioning. A lack of autonomy and feelings of incompetence can impair problem-solving abilities and diminish creativity. It can also result in a fixed mindset, impeding learning and intellectual growth.[22] It can undermine motivation for learning and intellectual development.[23]
  5. Spiritual Impairments: Chronic failure to meet psychological needs can also hinder spiritual growth. Low self-esteem, lack of autonomy, and feelings of incompetence can impede a person's search for meaning and purpose in life, potentially leading to existential crises and a lack of spiritual fulfillment.[24]
  1. ↑ Ryan, R. M., and E. L. Deci. “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.” American Psychologist, 2000.
  2. ↑ Akhilananda, Swami. Hindu Psychology: Its Meaning in the West. Routledge, 1948. p. 80
  3. ↑ Edward L Deci and Richard M Ryan, Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behaviour (New York: Springer Science, 1985).
  4. ↑ A Bandura, “Human Agency in Social-Cognition Theory,” American Psychologist 44 (1989): 1175–84
  5. ↑ A. H. Maslow, Towards a Psychology of Being (2nd Edition) (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1968)
  6. ↑ Carl Rogers, Freedom to Learn (Columbus, Ohio: Merrill, 1969)
  7. ↑ C. Rogers, A Way of Being. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1980); R White, Ego and Reality in Psychoanalytic Theory, vol. Psychological Issues Series, Monograph No. 11. (New York: International Universities Press, 1963).
  8. ↑ Sheldon, K. M., Ryan, R., & Reis, H. T. (1996, January 1). What Makes for a Good Day? Competence and Autonomy in the Day and in the Person. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN, 22(12), 1270–1279. British Library Document Supply Centre Inside Serials & Conference Proceedings
  9. ↑ Sheldon, K. M., Ryan, R., & Reis, H. T. (1996, January 1). What Makes for a Good Day? Competence and Autonomy in the Day and in the Person. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN, 22(12), 1270–1279. British Library Document Supply Centre Inside Serials & Conference Proceedings
  10. ↑ Ryff, Carol D., and Burton H. Singer. "Know Thyself and Become What You Are: A Eudaimonic Approach to Psychological Well-being." Journal of Happiness Studies 9, no. 1 (2008): 13–39.
  11. ↑ Deci, Edward L., and Richard M. Ryan, "The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-determination of Behavior," Psychological Inquiry, 2000, Vol. 11, No. 4
  12. ↑ Niemiec, Christopher P., and Richard M. Ryan. "Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness in the Classroom: Applying Self-determination Theory to Educational Practice." Theory and Research in Education 7, no. 2 (2009): 133–144.
  13. ↑ Emmons, Robert A. "Is Spirituality an Intelligence? Motivation, Cognition, and the Psychology of Ultimate Concern." The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion 10, no. 1 (2000): 3–26.
  14. ↑ Kiecolt-Glaser, Janice K., and Ronald Glaser, "Psychoneuroimmunology and Health Consequences: Data and Shared Mechanisms," Psychosomatic Medicine, 1995, Vol. 57, No. 3
  15. ↑ Epel, Elissa S., et al. "Cell Aging in Relation to Stress Arousal and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors." Psychoneuroendocrinology 31, no. 3 (2006): 277–287.
  16. ↑ Elsa Ronningstam, "Narcissistic Personality Disorder: A Clinical Perspective," Journal of Psychiatric Practice 17, no. 2 (2011): 89-99. 10.1097/01.pra.0000396066.52803.aa
  17. ↑ Marsha M. Linehan, Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (New York: Guilford Press, 1993).
  18. ↑ Christopher G. Fairburn, Zafra Cooper, and Roz Shafran, "Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Eating Disorders: A 'Transdiagnostic' Theory and Treatment," Behaviour Research and Therapy 41, no. 5 (2003): 509-528. 10.1016/s0005-7967(02)00088
  19. ↑ Edward J. Khantzian, "The Self-Medication Hypothesis of Substance Use Disorders: A Reconsideration and Recent Applications," Harvard Review of Psychiatry 4, no. 5 (1997): 231-244. 10.3109/10673229709030550
  20. ↑ Orth, Ulrich, et al., "Low Self-esteem Is a Risk Factor for Depressive Symptoms from Young Adulthood to Old Age," Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2008, Vol. 117, No. 3.
  21. ↑ Baumeister, Roy F., "Self-Esteem, Self-Concept, and Self-Worth," In Handbook of Self and Identity, Second Edition, 2012
  22. ↑ Dweck, Carol S., "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success," Ballantine Books, 2006
  23. ↑ Ryan, Richard M., and Edward L. Deci, "Self-determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-being," American Psychologist, 2000, Vol. 55, No. 1.
  24. ↑ Frankl, Viktor E., "Man's Search for Meaning," Beacon Press, 2006
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