Wants and Needs

[Natalie]

(10-28-2011 11:54 AM)Ricardo Wrote:  Needs are a sign of weakness. Wants are a sign of strength.

So wanting Godiva cheesecake even though I don't need it means I'm strong?

AWESOME! To The Cheesecake Factory!

[dthatcher]

Needy is understood in a bad sense when it eminates from a psychological condition that cannot be truly satisfied by giving the person what they want.
There is a healthy dependency that ought to develop in relationships that ought to be dependent by definition such as marriage.

[Shoes]

Ricardo Wrote:Needs are a sign of weakness. Wants are a sign of strength.

Very interesting. When I see the two listed, I see two distinct concepts.

A ‘need’ is an essential. A ‘need’ is necessary or a necessity. If you ‘need’ something, you cannot live/function without it.

A ‘want’ is beyond the essentials. A want fulfills a desire over and above a necessity.

These are in no way dictionary definitions or commonly held beliefs. This is just how I have always defined these terms in my mind.

[paul]

(10-28-2011 11:45 AM)Scorpio Wrote:  

(10-28-2011 11:32 AM)Natalie Wrote:  Shut up, Scorpio. ;op

Okay, now that I've said that, it's both for me.

I found this at Merriam-Webster:

needy (nee-dee) - See Natalie

OK, this is so wrong. But that was the hardest I laughed in a while. Or would have laughed if I weren't at work. Yeah, that was funny. (Sorry, Natalie, I still love you.)

[Tiarali]

Look up Maslow's hierarchy of needs. There's a pyramid, much like the food pyramid. On the bottom level are physiological needs, like food, water, air, and sex. The next level is the need for safety, which includes employment, safety of the body and family, and morality. The next level includes love and belonging, which includes friendship and family. The next level is esteem, and that involves self-esteem and accomplishments. The last level is self-actualization, which includes creativity, problem-solving, spontaneity.

Everybody achieves different levels on the pyramid of needs, because in order to achieve a level you must have the needs of the previous level met. A person who lives on the brink of starvation, for example, will spend their life trying to meet their physiological needs, and will not have the ability to spend their time painting an earth-shattering masterpiece. A person who is frightened of a criminal who is chasing them, or is considered unemployable, may well have their physiological needs easily met, but they are concerned primarily with their safety.

Needs are needed.

Wants are things we choose to desire. We may well want something that is not needful for us - it is detrimental to our wellbeing. We may choose to pursue a relationship that will make us unsafe and violate our need for love, for example.

Wants can also be more specific - we want to be loved, which is a need. But maybe I want to be loved by that guy over there - that's a want. If he does love me, it is providing for one of my needs, but somebody else could also fulfil that need.

[paul]

(10-28-2011 08:15 PM)tiarali Wrote:  Look up Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Ooo, good point, I had forgotten about that.