Maslows Hierarchy of Needs
A student keeps falling asleep in class because he hasn’t eaten breakfast and barely slept.
What is physiological needs?
A child cries when mom leaves but calms quickly when she returns and seeks comfort from her.
What is secure attachment?
A parent says, “I love you, but these are the rules -let’s talk about why they matter.”
What is authoritative parenting?
A doctor tells expecting parents that the baby’s major organs and structures are forming, making this stage most vulnerable.
What is the embryonic stage?
A student’s heart races and hands get sweaty right before giving a presentation.
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
A teen refuses to leave home without her pepper spray and checks the locks three times before bed.
What is safety needs?
A teenager constantly texts their partner and panics if they don’t respond quickly.
What is anxious attachment?
A parent says, “Do it because I said so,” and gives punishments but rarely explains them.
What is authoritarian parenting?
A pregnant person drinks heavily during the first trimester, increasing risk for severe birth defects.
What are teratogens?
After the big exam, a student’s breathing slows and their body relaxes.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
A freshman joins three clubs because he wants to feel connected.
What is love and belonging?
A guy gets uncomfortable when someone tries to get too close.
What is avoidant attachment?
A parent works constantly, doesn’t check grades, and doesn’t notice their teen skipped school.
What is neglectful/uninvolved parenting?
A newborn shows small eye openings, a thin upper lip, and developmental delays.
What is fetal alcohol syndrome?
A person going through ongoing family conflict has consistently high stress hormones.
What is cortisol?
A successful engineer quits his job to travel and pursue personal growth, meaning, and creativity.
What is self-actualization?
A child runs toward their caregiver but suddenly freezes and hides when touched.
What is disorganized attachment?
A parent sets clear rules about homework and chores and expects them to be completed. But when the child asks why the rules exist or requests to negotiate bedtime, the parent shuts the conversation down. Later that same night, the parent sits with the child during a tough moment, offers warmth, and says, “I care about you, but you need to follow the rules.”
What is a combination of authoritarian and authoritative parenting?
During an ultrasound at 28 weeks, a fetus relaxes when she plays the same lullaby she has been playing every night for weeks. After birth, the newborn calms instantly when hearing that same lullaby for the first time.
What is prenatal auditory recognition?
A teenager has been under pressure at school for several weeks. Even when nothing stressful is happening, their heart rate remains slightly elevated, their digestion feels “off,” and they often experience sweaty palms and shallow breathing. Their body feels like it’s stuck in a low-level “alert” mode, refusing to fully return to calm even during relaxing activities.
What is prolonged sympathetic activation?
A high-achieving senior is trying to finish college applications and wants to “find his purpose” and “become the best version of himself.” But lately he’s been skipping meals, sleeping only a few hours a night, and constantly feels on edge because his home environment has become unpredictable and tense. His big goals keep getting pushed aside.
What are physiological needs and safety needs?
A woman in a new relationship constantly worries her partner is losing interest. She repeatedly checks their social media.
But when her partner tries to have a serious conversation, she suddenly shuts down, avoids eye contact, and says, “It’s fine, I don’t want to talk about it,” even though she’s upset.
What is a combination of anxious attachment and avoidant attachment?
A mother is supportive and buys her son everything he wants, often saying, “I just want you to be happy.” But during stressful weeks at work, she swings the other direction - she withdraws, doesn’t check in on schoolwork, and tells him, “Figure it out yourself. I’m too busy."
What is a combination of permissive and neglectful/uninvolved parenting?
A newborn becomes instantly soothed when placed skin-to-skin on the parent’s chest, stabilizing their heartbeat and breathing within minutes. The same baby startles when placed on a cold scale, relaxes when wrapped tightly in a warm blanket, and shows strong rooting and grasping when their cheek or palm is gently stroked. These reactions happen even though their vision is still blurry and they cannot track objects well.
What is the sense of touch, being the most developed at birth?
For months, a college student has been waking up with a clenched jaw, headaches, and stomach issues. Even on weekends, their heart rate stays slightly elevated, they feel on edge, and they get sick more often than usual. Their body never seems to fully settle into “rest and digest,” even during calm activities, and small stressors trigger intense irritability because their system already feels overloaded.
What is chronic stress?