Introduction
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a widely recognized personality theory applied in various contexts, including business management and education. Maslow is the founder of humanistic psychology, and his framework consists of five levels of needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization (Kopsov, 2019). The theory posits that, before satisfying higher-level needs, individuals must first meet their lower-level needs. Given its wide use, assessing the extent to which this theory explains human behavior is crucial. This paper aims to analyze the personality of Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, as portrayed in Avengers: Age of Ultron from the perspective of the hierarchy of needs.
First, the literature on Maslow’s theory will be reviewed. Then, Natasha’s personality will be evaluated, and conclusions will be made about whether the chosen theory explains her behavior. Although Natasha is in the middle of a catastrophe, with her life being endangered, she operates on the social needs level by seeking a romantic relationship with Bruce Banner. Her behavior does not align with Maslow’s theory, which states that lower-level needs should be met before higher-level ones.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
The hierarchy of needs is a motivation theory according to which people first need to satisfy their physiological needs, such as hunger. After that, they can meet their safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. This theory has found much support among scholars. For example, using the hierarchy of needs, researchers have shown that money is insufficient for motivating IT employees, as compelling motivation should consider higher-level needs (Fallatah & Syed, 2018).
Bozyiğit (2021) used this theory to explain people’s behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, despite safety concerns, individuals continued to go out for food, demonstrating that lower-level physiological needs should be satisfied before higher-level safety needs (Bozyiğit, 2021). However, some scholars testing Maslow’s theory found no empirical support for it.
For example, researchers found no correlation between satisfying a lower-level need and increasing the importance of the next-level need (Fallatah & Syed, 2018). Additionally, Maslow’s framework is Western-oriented and may not be applicable to collectivistic Eastern cultures, where individuals may not view self-actualization as the ultimate goal (Kopsov, 2019). Thus, literature shows that, despite its popularity, Maslow’s theory is not universal.
Application of the Theory to the Character
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Natasha Romanoff operates on the social needs level. This level involves the need for love and belongingness, ranking third among the five levels of the hierarchy of needs. According to Maslow’s theory, people require love and belongingness because they are social beings; however, this need arises after physiological and safety needs are satisfied (Bozyiğit, 2021).
Natasha’s need for love is evident because, throughout the movie, she tries to start a romantic relationship with Bruce Banner. First, she approaches Bruce at a bar, hinting that she is in love with him, but she sees no response. Then, she talks to Bruce at Barton’s house, saying that if Bruce wants to leave, she is ready to follow him: “I’m running with it, with you. If running’s the plan, as far as you want” (Whedon, 2015, 01:06:58). At the end of the movie, Natasha tries to bring Bruce back as he flies away in the jet in stealth mode. Hence, most of Romanoff’s actions are explained by her wish to have a romantic relationship, suggesting that her most important need is love and belongingness.
Maslow’s theory posits that the need for love should be satisfied after the safety need is met. However, this does not seem to be the case for Natasha. She is in the middle of a catastrophe that threatens the life of the whole planet, yet her primary concern under these circumstances is love.
The most demonstrative example of how little importance Natasha attaches to her safety is a scene in the flying city. When Captain America says, “I’m not leaving this rock with one civilian on it,” Natasha responds, “I didn’t say we should leave,” suggesting that she is ready to die right there (Whedon, 2015, 01:50:44).
Instead of searching for ways to save herself and others, she prefers to perish as part of the team, demonstrating that her need for belongingness is much stronger than her need for safety. Critics of Maslow’s theory state that the hierarchy of needs can be affected by circumstances or the average order of needs can sometimes be reversed (Kopsov, 2019). Natasha’s behavior shows exactly that: instead of caring for her safety first, she prioritizes belongingness and love, which is inconsistent with Maslow’s theory.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the analysis of Natasha Romanoff’s behavior shows that she operates at the level of love and belonging needs. She desperately wants to begin a romantic relationship with Bruce Banner. At the same time, her safety needs do not seem to be met as she is in the middle of the apocalypse, which threatens her life. Under these circumstances, she does not seek security but is ready to die shoulder-to-shoulder with her teammates.
Natasha’s behavior is not explained by Maslow’s theory because, according to the hierarchy of needs, individuals should first ensure their safety, and only after this can they satisfy their need for love and belongingness. Thus, while the hierarchy of needs is a useful framework for clarifying human motivation, it is not universal since it does not apply to some particular cases.
References
Bozyiğit, S. (2021). Evaluation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory within the context of COVID-19 pandemic. In M. Gülmez (Ed.), Understanding the consumer behaviour during Covid–19 (pp. 51-68). Akademisyen Kitabevi.
Fallatah, R. H. M., & Syed, J. (2018). Employee motivation in Saudi Arabia: An investigation into the higher education sector. Palgrave Macmillan.
Kopsov, I. (2019). A new model of human needs. London Journal of Research in Science: Natural and Formal, 19(6), 17-28.
Whedon, J. (2015). Avengers: Age of Ultron [Film]. Marvel Studios.