Life of Pi - Maslows Hierarchy of Needs free essay sample

We must understand ourselves and the various types of motivation that induce specific behaviors. We must understand our desires, which will lead us on the course to self actualization. Pi Patel the protagonist touches upon each stage of Hierarchy of Needs using psychoanalytical thought process, ultimately leading to a successful survival. Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist whom first introduced his concept of the Hierarchy of Needs in his paper â€Å"A Theory of Human Motivation† in 1943 followed by his book â€Å"Motivation and personality†. It is understood that all humans have certain needs, Maslow’s concept suggest that when these needs are not being met it will motivate us and put us into action towards fulfilling those needs. His concept is most notably represented in a stage pyramid. Each of these levels displays different needs in which to be satisfied in order to be self-actualized, the highest most sought after level of satisfaction. We will write a custom essay sample on Life of Pi Maslows Hierarchy of Needs or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Maslow noted that roughly only one in one hundred people accomplish self actualization due to the many obstacles in life. The lower levels needs represent those that are more basic and easily able to satisfy, given the circumstances, while the higher more complex level needs are more challenging to satisfy. In order to satisfy these top needs one must accomplish the satisfaction of the lower level needs in order to move up the pyramid. In order to become self-actualized many obstacles had to be overcome. When Pi was stranded at sea, and food and safety were incredibly scarce, he was undoubtedly living in the lowest level of the hierarchy of needs; Pi sunk to extraordinary depths simply to survive. He even went as far to dismiss his religious principles as part of his decision making process. Pi was no longer a calm, innocent, vegetarian Hindu boy; he was a wild animal, who feasted on turtles and fish, beating their bodies to death with hatchets and drinking their warm blood. Pi progressively became more violent throughout the novel, as his id took over. Tears flowing down my cheeks, I egged myself on until I heard a cracking sound and I no longer felt any life fighting in my hands †¦ I was now a killer †¦ I was sixteen years old, a harmless boy, bookish and religious, and now I had blood in my hands. (p 150) This example challenges the most basic level of needs, being physiological. This level consists of the dependence on the fundamentals of life such as water, food, sleep, homeostasis and excretion. Being deprived Pi demonstrated what it was like to be at the bottom level of the hierarchy of needs as beauty and understanding mattered no longer to him. It was strict ly the will to survive by obtaining food and water â€Å"Lord, to think Im a strict vegetarian †¦ I descended to a level of savagery I never imagined possible. † (p 161) It is evident why one needs to satisfy lower levels needs in order to progress and survive. Without the completion of this fundamental need it is impossible to think of anything else let alone satisfy other lusts that he may have. The next level of needs consists of the safety needs, thus the need for shelter, to feel not in physical danger, safe surroundings, stability and freedom of fear. In the novel, Pi was presented with a situation that did not provide any sense of security or safety; Pi was a helpless castaway surrounded by harsh environment and a less than favorable living space shared with even less favored companions. This challenged his superego; at first he was focused mainly on his safety due to the fact he was stranded with a carnivorous wild animal, common knowledge tells him to be weary. However as the time went on he realized he had to take certain risks compromising his safety in order to survive while he knows that they could have negative outcome, favoring his id. Desperation challenged his integrity and thought process however it paid off Oh, the delight of the manufactured good, the man-made device, the created thing! That moment of material revelation brought an intensity of pleasure a heady mix of hope, urprise, disbelief, thrill gratitude, all crushed into one †¦ I was positively giddy with happiness. (p 205) Here Pi finds the much hoped for safety supply locker and obtains a spiritual uplifting and confidence boost. Although Pi had now satisfied the first level of needs and has created a certain amount of safety he was still stranded in the ocean. It is then that Pi came to terms with the fact that both humans and animals are territorial creatures so he established parameters within the boat which ultimately satisfied the need for safety to the best of his abilities. As the first two levels are completed Pi has a lot of time to reflect on other things, things less basic then the fundamentals of life. Alone, stranded in the middle of the ocean Pi began to think of his loved ones. Some people believe that the animals in the lifeboat embodied certain characteristics that represent their human counterparts which served Pi as a coping mechanism. This could be seen as entirely the id taking over the subconscious mind as it is a way for him to satisfy himself and cope with the loss of the most important people in his life. The need for friendship, family, sexual intimacy and the simple need to be social and interact with others consists of the third level in the Hierarchy, the love and belonging needs. When deprived of these needs people feel isolated, depressed and also introverted. This may be considered as another basic need however in order to overcome and satisfy this stage of the hierarchy one must individualize themselves. Pi overcame these needs early on by eliminating the desire to please others, more specifically his family. Practicing three different religions, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism proved that Pi was an independent, free willed individual. Ultimately Pi needed not to please anyone but himself, aside from Richard Parker whom some speculate is actually Pi’s other half (the wild animal in every human that is often subdued). His independence leads to the somewhat easy satisfaction of the need to be loved and feel belonged. Once again due to Pi’s religious diversity he has managed to satisfy the fourth layer of the hierarchy of needs, esteem. Within this level consists self esteem, confidence, achievement, respect for others and the need to be respected by others. Esteem suggests the typical human desires to be accepted and valued by others. People often engage in profession or hobby to gain recognition or a sense of contribution and value. People with low self esteem may sense the need to seek fame or glory however it will not help the person build the esteem they desire until they accept who they are internally. Pi proves his satisfaction of this need early on in the novel as he is very independent and doesn’t engage in his hobby/life style (religion) to satisfy others or to feel valued. He stays true to his beliefs of the diverse religions as he can appreciate every one of them. He just wants to love God. He tries to understand God through the lens of each religion and comes to recognize benefits in each one. However his parents along with others do not feel the same. They disapproved the prayer rug, the worshiping of other Gods from numerous religions, and the quoting of Bapu Gandhi but Pi stayed true to what he believed in. He seems to be attracting religions the way a dog attracts fleas †¦ A Muslim! A devout Hindu, all right, I can understand. A Christian in addition, its getting to be a bit strange, but I can stretch my mind †¦ But Muslim? Its totally foreign to our tradition. Theyre outsiders.    (p 134) Despite Pis parents opinions, he continued to be an outsider. He did not choose to convert to three different religions because he did not respect his family but because his personal ethics and beliefs were in a more predominant place. This proves just how independent he is. He has a strong self esteem, level of confidence, sense of achievement through the worship of the diverse religions as well as a healthy respect for others. That being said he did not seek the respect of others, concentrating on the part of the thought process that is the id. As for the rest of his journey throughout the novel, he continues to achieve. Throughout his time on the lifeboat he progressed as a human being overcoming numerous obstacles and doing things he never thought he would ever try. This act of self service and fulfilling potential became a continuation of his growth, and therefore, Pi accomplished the satisfaction of the final level of the pyramid: self actualization. As previously mentioned, to understand this level of need, the person must not only achieve the previous needs, but master them. Pi has mastered every level of the Hierarchy of Needs culminating to reaching his full potential as an individual, thus leading to his survival. There are many components to a self-actualized character such as acceptance of facts, problem solving skills, spontaneity, creativity and morality. Pi hones every one of these abilities and characteristics. He is able to accept facts, for example he came to terms with the fact that a positive outcome to the situation he was in was unlikely. He had to make certain decisions based on facts and things he already knew. As for problem solving, the entire journey consisted of Pi overcoming obstacles and finding ways to survive using spontaneity and creativity. An example would be when he created the life raft. Last but not least is morality. Morality plays a major role in self-actualization especially for Pi. Pi was a vegetarian so when faced with a situation where food was scarce he resulted in the killing and feasting upon sea animals. This was morally incorrect for him as it went against what he supported but in the end he knew it had to be done to ensure a chance of surviving. We are all violent, wild killers who operate out of fear. We are all passionate, strong, self-serving beings. We all struggle to be aware of our moral and ethical selves. Most of all, we are all animals trapped inside a civilized mind and body, trapped inside a conventional world. We tame the tiger inside of us to domesticate our id, to prevent us from doing what may be considered unethical. We are capable of anything as humans. We are far less innocent than we realize, however modern society and conventions tend to make us believe otherwise. Richard Parker symbolizes the other half, the animal half that each and every human possess, yet more often than not subdues. Works cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Orlando: Harcourt Books, 2001. Print. McLeod, S. A. (2007). â€Å"Maslows Hierarchy of Needs†. Last accessed December 3rd 2012. http://www. simplypsychology. org/maslow. html. Web. Kendra Cherry â€Å"Hierarchy of Needs†. Last accessed December 3rd 2012. http://psychology. about. com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds. htm. Web.