Psychology seeks to examine the human mind and behaviors to better explain and understand what many of us go through daily. While psychology is explicitly for the human mind, it can be applied in a variety of areas and in a variety of methods. One incredibly well-known concept from psychology is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – a pyramid structure labeling and detailing the perceived importance of different motivations of human behavior.

(Image sourced from Wikipedia)

Each layer represents a different aspect of human behavior and motivations, many of which have been revolutionized with time to both increase and decrease the scope of each layer. The base of the pyramid defined for physical requirements to survive – but that base could also include physical requirements of wellbeing, while what I will discuss next is highly theoretical, but consider withdrawals. In essence they form with an addiction, be it of nicotine, alcohol, or some other drug, but this can also form with activities and namely with modern technology such as and IPhone or a tablet.

In essence, using technology could be a sort of self-soothing technique, much like how someone in the past would use a cigarette or alcohol. In fact, I believe I have experienced this sort of thing first hand, as when I was around the age of twelve I would often be nervous to go somewhere – so nervous that I would get stomach aches and nauseous, but by distracting myself with my phone, I was able to calm myself down before powering through what I was nervous about.

This is not the only instance where technology could prevalent in the pyramid, if anything the base is the one least effected by technology. The safety layer of the pyramid is largely based around physical and financial assets, but so much of that is being controlled virtually today, making technology essential to the second layer. Love and belonging is even more effected, as today many people use technology to find people to connect with, be it on dating apps or in virtual communities to share and explore their shared interests and passions – especially when said interest or passion is particularly niche with the people around them (just look at reddit!).

The esteem layer of the hierarchy is best characterized by social media, as many people will track their lives on it to not just connect with others, but receive positive or negative feedback on whatever they posted – say, for example, a person is tracking their weight loss or their gym improvement – in this instance they could be cheered on or given tips by others, thus boosting their self-esteem and confidence. Creativity and problem solving are intrinsic to the human condition, and technology is advanced because of it, thus it only stands to reason that technology would give back to the creativity it was created with – the first thing that pops into my mind related to this, and it may be my own bias, is digital art, which allows people, like myself, to express their creativity in numerous ways through the use of technology.

While Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was crafted before much of the technology we are familiar with today, the basics behind the motivation pyramid hold up with our advancements today.