What happens when you are hungry, thirsty, or tired? Can you focus whole-heartedly on the task in front of you? Are you patient and understanding when a colleague asks a seemingly stupid question? Are you caring when you get a call from your kid telling you they backed up into the neighbor’s car – again? Unless you’re the Dalai Lama, you might be answering no. There is an evolutionary reason for this: to help you survive. Here at Men’s Second Chance Living, we use Maslow’s hierarchy to address the basic needs of our residents in a bottom-up fashion, helping them regain control of their actions and reconnect with themselves and others. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a psychological theory first described by Abraham Maslow in 1943 in his paper “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Maslow breaks down human needs into five categories: physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow stated that if individuals aren’t able to meet their base needs (e.g., air, water, food, shelter, sleep, clothing, and sex), they will struggle to achieve the more complex human behaviors associated with health and well-being.

In the article, Maslow states, ‘If all other needs are unsatisfied, and the [individual] is then dominated by the physiological needs, all other needs may become simply non-existent or be pushed into the background.” With the help of the community and donors like you, MSCL House provides a safe, warm home for residents, along with nutrition assistance and resources for clothing and medical/dental care. As residents find their basic needs met, they can focus on things like higher education, processing the past, and looking forward to the future. As they move through this process, they can more clearly see a new life ahead of them. Only then can a resident, or any human, self-actualize. That is truly our goal: to help men realize their abilities, made possible by recovery.

The next time you see someone struggling with addiction, it may be helpful to think of Maslow’s hierarchy and consider that their basic needs may not be met. Know that you can help resolve that issue by giving to Men’s Second Chance Living and other human service organizations.

Thank you.