Social Needs are the basic needs of humans that prove that they are social beings. The need for love, companionship, friendship and belonging are among the major social needs. These needs inspire people to interact with each other and create community and comradery.
These basic needs are to be fulfilled for a healthy mind and peaceful life. Otherwise, unsatisfaction and despair settle in to make life miserable.
American Psychologist, Abraham Maslow had theorized the psychological Hierarchy of Needs, and the social needs or the need for love and belonging is on the third tier of the hierarchy. According to Maslow, it expands to friendship, family and sexual intimacy.
Bases Covered by Social Needs
The social needs in community settings cover at least one of the four bases and they are -
- Communicate
- Connect
- Contribute
- Create
For example, by covering one or more of the above 4 C’s, the social needs are met. Friendship covers “communicate” and “connect” where romantic love covers “communicate,” “connect” and “(pro)create”.
Use of the Term in Sentences
- Social needs are among the most important basic needs of humans after psychological and biological needs.
- Governments should invest heavily in meeting the social needs of humans while taking care of public policymaking.
- Social needs often prove to be more critical to meet than other needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.