In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a Theory of Human Motivation which came to be called Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow’s list of human needs is often depicted as a pyramid, since you must fulfill the lower, most basic needs first and only then proceed to higher needs. You will note that, after the first two physical needs of food, drink, sleep, and shelter, needs # 3, 4, and 5 all deal with feeling good about yourself. With #3, you want to be accepted into a group. In #4, you want to feel that you are recognized by your peers and in #5, you want to feel you have self-actualized, or made a difference in the world. That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself by the way. We live in a world of over 8 billion people. We live in a day when mental discipline is in short supply. As individuals, we need to examine how Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs affects our lives. We need to realize that our vanities, feeling victimized, or refusing to apologize due to pride are the natural tendencies of our minds. Your brain never wants to admit it was wrong. Like the prodigal’s son, we must frequently “come to ourselves” to realize where we went wrong, recognize our true friends, and try to make amends.