Human Needs

Henry Murray developed a needs theory in the 1930s and 1940s that he called the Manifest Needs Theory. He felt that people should be classified according to the strengths of various needs and believed people possessed a number of divergent and conflicting needs. Murray believed that needs are learned, not inherited, and are activated by cues from the external environment.

You may find these list of needs useful when creating your characters and determining what their motivations are your fiction. Another great resource, although this list is bit more detailed and complicated is at http://bricolage.bel-epa.com/etc/drawer/needs.html

LIST OF HUMAN NEEDS

Need/Brief Description

Abasement: To surrender. To comply and accept punishment. To apologize, confess, atone. Self-deprecation. Masochism.

Achievement: To overcome obstacles and challenges. To aspire to accomplish difficult tasks; to maintain high standards. To work hard to achieve goals. To respond positively to competition. To put forth extra effort to achieve and maintain excellence.

Affiliation: To form friendships and associations. To enjoy being with friends and people in general, and to accept people readily. To cooperate. To enjoy joining and being with groups.

Aggression: To belittle, harm, blame, ridicule, or accuse another. To start arguments. To be willing to hurt others to get one's way. To have a tendency to "get even." To be overly competitive. Sadism.

Autonomy: To resist influence or coercion. To break away from restraint, confinement, or restrictions of any kind. To enjoy being free, unattached, and not tied to people, places, or obligations. To defy authority. To seek independence.

Cautiousness: To be exceedingly careful. To refrain from attempting to do something that is beyond one's powers or abilities. To avoid activities that might entail danger. To play it safe.

Conservativeness: To hold on to what one has. To refrain from losing what has been gained. To avoid change because it is change. To stick with tradition and past values, beliefs, opinions, and practices.

Control: To have control over as many things that affect one's life as possible. To avoid delegating responsibility or tasks to others. To keep work, information, and decision-making under one's control. To control all possible variables in an attempt to make life predictable and free of surprises.

Contrariness: To act differently from others. To hold unconventional views. To be contrary. To take a stand opposite from others merely for the sake of being different. To argue just for the sake of arguing.

Counteraction: To refuse admission of defeat proudly by trying harder and retaliating. To select the most difficult tasks because they are the most difficult. To defend one's honor or previously stated positions.

Defensiveness: To defend oneself against blame or real or imagined belittlement. To justify one's actions. To offer excuses and explanations. To resist probing.

Deference: To admire and willingly follow a superior or another person. To cooperate with a leader. To serve gladly.

Dominance: To seek power. To attempt to influence and control others. To persuade, prohibit, or dictate. To lead or direct. To express opinions forcefully. To try to organize and lead groups.

Entrepreneurism: To take risks. To start something new. To build from the ground up.

Endurance: To work long hours. Not to give up easily on problems, even in the face of great difficulty. To be patient and unrelenting in one's work habits.

Exhibition: To attract attention to one's self. To excite, amuse, shock, or thrill others. To be dramatic or funny.

Impulsiveness: To act on the spur of the moment and without deliberation. To give vent readily to feelings and desires. To speak freely--may be volatile in expressing emotions.

Novelty: To seek new experiences. To change for the sake of change. To seek variety and excitement. To love action. To prefer things because they are different.

Nurturance: To nourish, aid, or protect someone else. To give sympathy and comfort. To assist whenever possible. To give a helping hand readily and to perform favors for others.

Order: To arrange, organize, and put away objects. To be tidy and clean. To be scrupulously precise. To be interested in developing methods to keep materials and effects methodically organized.

Play: To relax, to amuse oneself. To seek diversion and entertainment. To have fun and to play games. To laugh and joke.

Recognition: To receive praise and commendation. To receive attention. To gain approval. To earn praise. To seek and display symbols of status.

Rejection: To snub, ignore, or exclude others. To remain aloof and indifferent.

Risk avoidance: To avoid failure, shame, or any possibility of loss. To take precautionary measures. To cover up anything that looks like a failure.

Sentience: To seek and enjoy sensuous impressions and experiences. To enjoy seeing, feeling, touching, and other sensory experiences. To enjoy music, dance, or art.

Sex: To pursue and form erotic relationships.

Succorance: To seek aid, protection, or sympathy. To seek advice, affection, and reassurance. To be dependent and to feel insecure or helpless. To confide difficulties to a receptive person.

Understanding: To analyze and understand many areas of knowledge. To be intellectually curious. To be fascinated with ideas.