fei75766_ch09_271-308.indd 280  02/06/20 12:09 PM
Part III    Humanistic/Existential Theories280
Insocieties notatwar,most healthy adults satisfy theirsafety needs most of
thetime, thusmaking these needs relatively unimportant. Children, however, are
more often motivated bysafety needs because theylivewithsuchthreats asdarkness, 
animals, strangers, andpunishments from parents. Also, some adults feelrelatively 
unsafe because theyretain irrational fears from childhood thatcause them toact
asiftheywereafraid ofparental punishment. They spend farmore energy thando
healthy people trying tosatisfy safety needs, andwhen theyarenotsuccessful intheir
attempts, theysuffer from what Maslow (1970) called basic anxiety.
Love and Belongingness Needs
After people partially satisfy theirphysiological andsafety needs, theybecome moti-
vated bylove and belongingness needs, suchasthedesire forfriendship; thewishfor
amate andchildren; andtheneed tobelong toafamily, aclub, aneighborhood, ora
nation. Love andbelongingness alsoinclude some aspects ofsexandhuman contact 
aswellastheneed tobothgiveandreceive love(Maslow, 1970).
People whohavehadtheirloveandbelongingness needs adequately satisfied 
from early years donotpanic when denied love.These people haveconfidence that
theyareaccepted bythose whoareimportant tothem, sowhen other people reject 
them, theydonotfeeldevastated. 
Asecond group ofpeople consists ofthose whohavenever experienced love
andbelongingness, and,therefore, areincapable ofgiving love.They haveseldom 
ornever beenhugged orcuddled norexperienced anyform ofverbal love.Maslow 
believed thatthese people willeventually learn todevalue loveandtotakeitsabsence 
forgranted. 
Asolid sense ofbeing loved isimportant infostering confidence andpsychological growth.
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