Randy Inman
Kim K.
Basic Needs During the Current Recession
June 10th 2009 13:35
Our economic model is obsolete. A recession, or even a depression, is no longer the same things they once were. During the Great Depression people did not have their basic needs met: food, water, and shelter. Now, during a self-fulfilling recession, people are not getting their higher needs met: Peak experiences, job security, and self-actualization.
Yes, I’m using Maslow here. The definition of a recession has changed but our economic model has not. The U.S. has so many stop-gaps in place; unemployment benefits, welfare, and Medicaid, that a depression like the one seen eighty years ago is unlikely.
So during the current recession some people may lose their homes and jobs which take them down to the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid. However, the ability to recover, to find a new, more economical place to live is more easily achieved. This automatically puts us up to the second level: Safety and security.
This is perfectly normal as a society develops. People make money, buy a house, buy stuff to put in their houses, make friends, go on vacations, and save for the future. A society begins to strive in order to achieve their desires as opposed to just making money and surviving. During the current recession, this society’s desires are what is being cut back, not the basic needs of survival.
Yes, I’m using Maslow here. The definition of a recession has changed but our economic model has not. The U.S. has so many stop-gaps in place; unemployment benefits, welfare, and Medicaid, that a depression like the one seen eighty years ago is unlikely.
So during the current recession some people may lose their homes and jobs which take them down to the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid. However, the ability to recover, to find a new, more economical place to live is more easily achieved. This automatically puts us up to the second level: Safety and security.
This is perfectly normal as a society develops. People make money, buy a house, buy stuff to put in their houses, make friends, go on vacations, and save for the future. A society begins to strive in order to achieve their desires as opposed to just making money and surviving. During the current recession, this society’s desires are what is being cut back, not the basic needs of survival.
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