Maslows Hierarchy of Needs within Lord of the Flies Essay...

Abraham Maslow formulated a theory of a hierarchy of needs, stating that he believed that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied or incomplete needs. In his theory there are five levels of certain needs in which lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be achieved. The five needs are physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs applies to many of the characters in Lord of the Flies, such as Piggy, Ralph, and Jack, and shows how they are affected when their needs are unsatisfied. The lowest and basic need of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is physiological needs, which are the necessity of air, water, food, sleep, and shelter. Throughout the novel, the majority of the boys acquired†¦show more content†¦If they did not want to belong, they would have stayed off by themselves or not have joined in on the meeting. All of the main characters achieved this need, although Jack was unhappy with his role in the group and was trying to find ways of gaining more respect throughout the novel. The fourth need of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is esteem, which is the mastery of a task and also receiving attention and recognition from others, or the need for power. A prime example of this need being fulfilled is when Jack forms his own tribe and made him self the leader not only because he was power hungry, but because he could not stand the fact the Ralph was chosen chief and was getting all the attention. Jack also found something that he was skilled at. His skill was hunting. Jack used his skill and found it valuable to win over the other kids on the island to assemble a new group and make him the leader of it. After some time and much conflict Jack had every person on the island under his command or killed them. The only exception to this was Ralph who scarcely evaded a similar fate. Piggy never achieves the goal of esteem because he is not appreciated for his intellect and wisdom which he offers the boys in times of need. Since Piggy never exceeded this need, his personalit y suffered and he has a very weak personality, and was easily bullied and pushed around. Simon, another main character, never achieved the need