Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

People's Needs

I found this list of "Universal Human Needs."  Certainly they're natural and common, but not universal.  Some people, for instance, want to be seen while others very much prefer to pass unnoticed.  Conversely, I think that many of these are general to most sapient beings, not just humans.  There's species variation, of course; any group-oriented species will tend to care about belonging whereas a solitary race usually will not.  

What really fascinated me about this was how differently people feel about these things, particularly the priorities.  Even the most basic survival needs vary; one person may care a great deal about sleep, but not worry much about food; another may scant sleep but fixate on food.  The whole thing came up when I was studying Calliope and Vagary.  The real reason they keep butting heads?  It's not just that they're a superhera and a supervillain, or stuck in an awkward relationship.  It's that their needs have very little overlap.  When their goals for survival, sanity, and comfort are opposed then they keep getting in each other's way.

It's a very illuminating character exercise to go through and mark what people's different needs are.
Tags: life lessons, networking, reading, writing
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  • 2 comments
cat_sanctuary

cat_sanctuary

July 26 2016, 14:41:05 UTC 4 years ago

Thanks for sharing! Where is solitude on this list? The authors probably thought of it under "Space." I think it comes right at the top, under "Health"!
ysabetwordsmith

You're welcome!

ysabetwordsmith

July 27 2016, 17:47:08 UTC 4 years ago

>> Thanks for sharing! <<

I'm glad you like it.

>> Where is solitude on this list? The authors probably thought of it under "Space." I think it comes right at the top, under "Health"! <<

Extroverts would probably put it under "Space." Introverts would probably put it under "Health" or "Survival."