“Loving Your Job Is a Capitalist Trap” and Its Connection with Maslow’s Pyramid
Maslow’s pyramid is known to every marketer, psychologist, sociologist, and economist today. It is challenging to overestimate the influence of the human needs pyramid on progress in the four areas listed above. With its help, people can set life goals and correctly prioritize their needs.
Maslow’s theory has advanced modern psychology, laying the groundwork for the development of new theories in human behavior and motivation. Despite its considerable age, it remains applicable in numerous fields. Nevertheless, it is the first systematic study of needs and motivation, with many controversial positions that do not detract from its value.
A career is one of those concepts that can be viewed through the prism of a hierarchy, both confirming and problematizing the pyramid theory. Career issues and Maslow’s pyramid concept are inextricably linked. Erin A. Cech, in his article Loving your job is a capitalist trap notes that a genuine desire underlies the pursuit of a career change (Cech, 2021).
Decent work is only a small part of the pyramid, and its traditional application is impossible. However, the hierarchy of needs is one of the most influential concepts in the job selection process. Understanding the needs means individuals can determine their steps (Cech, 2021).
It helps to avoid crises, stress, and professional burnout. For example, the need for achievement can be satisfied only where there are prospects for career growth, and the need for creativity can be satisfied only in creative professions. Therefore, Maslow’s pyramid facilitates development planning; with its help, one can prescribe the stages of growth and monitor the current state.
Thus, Maslow’s pyramid is one way to comprehend authentic desires and priorities. Erin A. Cech emphasizes the role of the growing number of individuals changing their careers, but this is primarily because individuals do not understand their desires when choosing a career. At the same time, proper structuring contributes to a change of direction and increased life satisfaction. Although the traditional pyramid model cannot be applied to a specific case, its primary idea remains the most significant value.
“Growing Share of Childless Adults” and Maslow’s Pyramid
The family is the central and fundamental component of the environment. However, the traditional family formula today does not suit either women or men, at least not a significant part of them. People are marrying less often, but this issue worries society far less than the fact that an increasing number of people are consciously choosing a life without children.
A growing share of childless adults in the U.S. do not expect to have children, according to a study by Anne Brown, which reveals the reasons behind the falling birth rate. However, it is correspondingly feasible to explain the phenomenon of childlessness through Maslow’s hierarchy, as this article supports and problematizes the idea. Maslow’s pyramid is a system of hierarchical values. Placing parenthood at the highest level is a logical explanation for the increasing number of people who do not want children.
For a long time, the realization of the inner self headed the pyramid, while today, the trends have changed considerably. Notably, the version that emphasizes reproductive goals focuses on maintaining relationships, finding a suitable partner, and raising children. One can assume that parenthood at the top of the pyramid may simultaneously cause a rise in unwillingness to have children. At first glance, the seemingly contradictory idea has a logical explanation. The self is now coming to the forefront, and the decision of that self to take responsibility for the other self is becoming the maximum program.
As with the previous version of the pyramid, not everyone reaches the top. Anna Brown notes that the reasons for chairing are different, and given that parenthood is the highest need, many individuals need to satisfy the previous levels first (Brown, 2021). Moreover, it is rational that many people are content with life on a certain level without any desire to reach the pinnacle of success. Parenthood and rejection of it are everyone’s personal choice (Brown, 2021). It is at the top because it is increasingly a decision one tends to make only after all other points have been checked.
Therefore, an increasing number of childless adults in the U.S. do not plan to have children, simultaneously challenging and reinforcing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The primary problem is that the original hierarchy has lost its relevance. Parenthood has gradually carved out a realization, taking first place in the pyramid. In this case, Maslow’s idea may explain why many people want to become childfree, as Anna Brown describes in her article. If parenthood is indeed the highest level of the hierarchy, it is clear that to reach it, one must satisfy all previous needs.
The Idea of Free Will and Maslow’s Pyramid
In his article “Are you living authentically?”, Jayme Holley discusses the possibility of people having freedom of choice. At first glance, it may seem that each person has direct control over their own life and can determine their own fate. At the same time, the article presents a case for why some people voluntarily relinquish their freedom. Sometimes, free will is a heavy burden, and not everyone agrees to carry it. At the same time, living in the mass of other individuals and being guided solely by public opinion is much easier to realize. Maslow’s theory, in turn, contradicts the idea of freedom; simultaneously, it confirms the author’s idea that people act according to their values and priorities.
To understand the relationship between Maslow’s pyramid and the concept of free will, it is necessary to first consider the features of the hierarchy itself. Maslow’s hierarchy model consistently represents all human needs, from the basic to the complex. At the lower levels, people focus primarily on satisfying basic needs: food, shelter, and security. Most people stay at this level, and free will is an achievable or undesirable goal for them. Jayme Holley notes that some individuals feel happy and comfortable acting in accordance with social attitudes (Holley, 2020). The theory confirms this because, despite a certain platitude, some needs are vital, and not fulfilling them means an individual cannot achieve other goals.
At the same time, in the process of achieving their goals, they have the opportunity to spend more time and effort on constructing social relations and developing their creative potential. Maslow’s pyramid, in itself, radically contradicts the idea of free will. If there is a pyramid of needs, then it is the pyramid that governs human life. A need is a goal that requires compulsory fulfillment. Failure to achieve it is punished immediately, with pain or delay, with neurosis and depression (Holley, 2020). Thus, it turns out that a person cannot choose what to do.
Therefore, “Are You Living Authentically?” problematizes Maslow’s assertion that the pyramid of needs significantly determines life. At the same time, Jayme Holley emphasizes the individual’s ability to determine their own destiny and its subsequent development. Both the article and the pyramid theory share a common statement. People are directed to satisfy different needs; some remain happy at a certain level of development, while others constantly strive to improve.
References
Brown, A. (2021). Growing share of childless adults in U.S. don’t expect to ever have children. Pew Research Center. Web.
Cech, E. (2021). Loving your job is a capitalist trap. The Atlantic. Web.
Holley, J. (2020). Are you living authentically?Medium. Web.