Self-love does not just cater to just loving yourself but also healing and growing every day. Today it is a concept that is word of mouth and known to every eye. A true sense of validation is what you give yourself and not the one you get from others. Phrases like You do you give credit for the things you do well, which are linked to your self-esteem but what is esteem needs? Why do you need it in life? Give an example of esteem needs. What is Maslow esteem level of need? Let’s explore and go through them all!
1. What is Esteem Needs?
According to a dictionary, esteem means respect, admiration, and value. Okay, then what is esteem needs? Esteem needs are regarded as the respect, confidence, strength, and beliefs you get from others. These are the requirements of human beings as we want to be valued by others. Humans strive for a sense of belongingness and esteem caters to this. You may have had the urge to get seen and accepted by others and would have done many things too, all these come under esteem. Esteem need represent that sense of validation that we all long for at some point in our life. (See How do I learn to love myself?)
2. What Type of Need is Esteem Needs?
After learning about what is esteem needs, let us look at what is its type of need. Abraham Maslow, a well-known pioneer in psychology came up with what is now called Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which consists of levels, among which esteem forms the fourth out of five layers. It comes right after the layer of love and belonging. A person in this layer yearns for appreciation from others and if unable to get this can become really bothered and can also question their personal worth.
There is a time in life when you want to be valued by others, be it in any manner like education, athletics, or just competition. Esteem needs are the basis of human desires, seeking a sense of validation from the society. (See What are 10 Examples of Wants?)
3. What is Example of Esteem Needs?
There are many examples of esteem needs, a few are written below to help you understand them better:
- If you are with a group of people and they give you the responsibility to play songs there might be a time when you question your song choice and instead of playing songs you like, you might end up playing popular songs or the ones that the others listen to so that you don’t get judged for your music preferences.
- Many believe that branded and luxury products give them a push in their esteem and try to deliberately look for branded things, be it their clothes or accessories. If you see someone wearing branded and costly stuff you may regard them as being highly and respect them, which is ultimately a result of what they want.
4. Why is Esteem Needed?
We have understood the definition of esteem needs through the example of esteem needs, however, why is it needed in the first place? Esteem is something that affects a person emotionally and mentally. If you have high esteem, that is a strong and positive sense of your respect, value, and beliefs. Even a small compliment from another person may be worth so much but at the same time, criticism could shatter you within seconds. According to the American Psychological Association, esteem is needed to develop your coping skills, handle adversity, and put the negative into a perspective. It helps in boosting your overall mental health and well-being. (See How to practice self-love?)
5. What are Two Types of Esteem Needs?
Maslow segregates the esteem needs into two types:
- Deficiency needs: These can be considered as the basic need which arises when we are deprived of something. This caters to the mental, psychological, and emotional aspects which constitute the fulfillment of the need for belongingness.
- Growth needs: Greed and satisfaction are a cycle we are all stuck in, no human being can ever be fully satisfied. Once a level of satisfaction is reached, we yearn for more and more. It arises from an individual’s need to grow, self-actualization, and greed.
6. What is the Difference between Esteem Needs from Social Needs?
After understanding what is esteem needs, we need to discuss the difference between esteem needs and social needs. Social needs are defined as the relationships one needs to have with others to fulfill psychological and safety needs. The social stage is considered a very important level wherein a relationship with other people makes way for psychological development.
Humans are considered social beings who need social interaction and a need for friendship, companionship, love, and belonging. On the other hand, esteem needs are regarded as the respect, confidence, strength, and beliefs you get from others. While social needs are related to interaction with others, esteem needs are the validation you get from the social interactions you have with others. Both needs go hand in hand in a way. (See How to Stay in the Present?)
7. What is Maslow Esteem Level of Need?
In the model of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, he incorporated esteem needs at the 4th layer. Even for external validation to have been signed one should have internal acceptance. One reaches this level after the basic needs, safety needs, and sense of belongingness. Even if one of the lower layers is not fulfilled, going to the next level becomes difficult. The ones who have high esteem are more confident and have self-respect whereas the ones with low esteem often feel inferior and start to doubt themselves. (See What are Some Values and Norms Examples?)
8. What is Self-Esteem?
Learning about what is Maslow esteem level of needs, you might be curious about what is self-esteem and how it affects you. The sense of confidence and value you put in your opinions and beliefs make up your self-esteem. The personal worth you give to yourself and the subjective sense of one’s overall thoughts is regarded as a part of your esteem. Having high self-esteem is when you consider and value your thoughts, and opinions whereas low self-esteem make you put little or no worth in the things you do and the thoughts you feel, making you feel inferior to others.
One can have good self-esteem when there is confidence, a sense of belongingness, and a feeling of security that is fulfilled oneself. This is about self-respect and self-regard, to grow as a person. (See What to Do When You Feel Like a Failure?)
9. How can you improve Self-Esteem?
After going through what is esteem needs, there are ways one can improve self-esteem and some are as follows:
- One should know that the people around you affect your self-esteem. If your friends motivate you and help you become a better person, this gives a boost to your self-esteem but if they keep demeaning you and not listening to your opinions and ideas, it is going to hamper your self-esteem.
- Words do affect you, one should practice positive self-talk. Start small like complimenting yourself for a tiny task you did such as making your hair look pretty or choosing a really good outfit for the day.
Moreover, practicing positive affirmations can bring about a lot of changes such as confidence and self-worth. Must See What is ideal self and real self?
10. What are the Benefits of Self-Esteem?
Some of the benefits of self-esteem are as follows:
- Confidence in the tasks you know and can do well, and knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help identify your opportunities and threats.
- Knowing your self-worth and putting yourself in situations that you know will help you.
- Learning how to say no to others will help a lot in gaining self-respect.
- Self-esteem, if it is a healthy one, can help make good and healthy relationships with people which will, in turn, help make a realistic, healthy, and secure environment and a net of safety around you.
- You will learn to respect and value yourself if you have high self-esteem and know if you are treated in the correct manner. This will also help in getting through stressful situations better and boost your ability to bounce back in life.
11. Is Self-Esteem a Value?
You are now aware of what is esteem needs, but are they a value? Yes, one can consider self-esteem as a value because it makes you feel secure and safe. This is a fundamental value that not all can get or achieve, you have to be positive and know to do the right things at the right time. This helps you be true to yourself and live with satisfaction and happiness in doing things that you like rather than things that are told to you.
Self-esteem is a privilege and one should make the most of it. We looked into what is esteem needs, a few examples of esteem needs, and the two types of esteem needs. Hopefully, you understood your true sense of validation. (Also read 10 Golden Rules of Life)
