Question

Vincent is a brilliant artist and is very satisfied with his achievements. however, he has little to eat, lives in poverty, and spends most of his time alone working on his art. why would vincents life be problematic in terms of maslows need hierarchy?

Answer 1

According to Maslow's need hierarchy, you have to satisfy the lowest tier of the hierarchy first before you are motivated to accomplish the higher tiers. These tiers, starting from the lowest, are physiological needs (food, shelter,etc.), safety needs, belongingness and love needs (relationships, friends and family), esteem needs (accomplishments) and self-actualization (reaching full potential). This is problematic for Vincent because he hasn't satisfied the lower 2 tiers yet.