Instruction: The extended application essay has to be at least 700 words in leng
ID: 3454808 • Letter: I
Question
Instruction: The extended application essay has to be at least 700 words in length with at least 2 books/journals used (in-text citation needed and no plagiarism allowed). You may look for other information from sources that you have.
Question:
Consider Jourard's (1963) eight-factor conceptualization of universal basic human needs. To what extent do you feel this model accurately captures the crucial elements required for a fulfilled and rewarding life? Would your hierarchy alter the order of the needs? Would you add to or delete any of the needs in Jourard's model?
Explanation / Answer
Sidney Jourard, an American psychologist in his book titled “Personal Adjustment: An approach through the study of healthy personality” in 1963, gave the model of eight universal basic needs. The eight needs described by Jourard are as follows:
There also is a ninth need mentioned later. This ninth need is the need for varied experiences. This comes from the need for personal stimulation moving forward in life and feel full-functioning (Austin, L.A., 2013, pp.129).
I believe this model is pretty comprehensive in terms of capturing the basic human needs that shape a healthy personality. The model covers almost all the needs an individual may have in his entire lifespan and if fulfilled may help and individual become fully functioning. The physical needs and survival needs capture the basic requirement for a living or to bare minimum requirements for survival. Then come the need for love and sex. We do realise that sex is a biological requirement and man being a social animal needs love and care. Here I would also add the factor of acceptance. This becomes valid because in all our relationships with family and friends love and care would mean nothing without the acceptance for who we are. This is even more true for people who are different or have special needs. They need acceptance even more than love and care may be. Status, success and self-esteem needs are again the need to prove better and create a unique identity for oneself in the society. Freedom needs are relevant specially with all the crime against women and children happening world-wide. Challenge needs could be everyday challenges or some big ones. Both are needed for one to grow in life. Lastly cognitive clarity and varied experiences needs are need to explore whatever life offers with the clarity of the possible consequences of every decision made.
As far as the model goes, I would like to remove the need for varied experiences for a reason that one doesn’t need for that. Whether we want it or not, these experiences come to us as we cross different stages in our life span. And we all learn through those. Also the need for cognitive clarity I feel is the most essential. I believe all of us seek that all the time. It wouldn’t be right to say we get it in the right ways always. Sometimes we reach to absolutely wrong conclusions about events or people in our attempt of making sense of the world. That’s where perceptions come in the picture. Therefore, I would like to add the need for acceptance in this model. For general societal well being too, this need has relevance. Families where parental acceptance is more, children develop healthy personalities (Khaleque & Rohner, 2004).
With regard to the reordering of the needs, I think challenge needs can be put right after need for achievement as they go together. Physical and mental health needs need to third in the order.
References
Austin L.A. (2013). Couseling Primer, Taylor & Francis,pp 129-130.
Khaleque, A & Rohner, R (2004). Perceived Parental Acceptance?Rejection and Psychological Adjustment: A Meta?Analysis of Cross?Cultural and Intracultural Studies, Journal of Marriage and Family, 64(1), 54-64.