💧 NAME THAT NEED
A person has supportive friends and a safe apartment but hasn't eaten since yesterday. Which level needs attention?
What are physiological needs?
Someone hasn't slept in two days but wants to spend the night completing recovery assignments. What need should take priority?
Physiological — sleep.
Why can regular meals and sleep be considered recovery activities?
They stabilize physiological needs, creating a foundation for other recovery work.
Job interview OR eating after not having food all day?
Eating — physiological.
True or False: You must completely satisfy one level before experiencing needs from another level.
The hierarchy isn't necessarily rigid.
Name the five levels from bottom to top without help.
Physiological → Safety → Love/Belonging → Esteem → Self-Actualization.
Being accepted by a recovery community primarily meets which need?
What is love and belonging?
A client avoids sober activities because they are terrified everyone will judge them. Which unmet need may be contributing?
Love/belonging, although esteem may also be involved.
Why might sober housing support more than one level of Maslow's hierarchy?
It can provide shelter, safety, stability, and social connection.
Impressing new friends OR finding somewhere physically safe to sleep?
Safe shelter — safety.
Two people have identical housing and income. One feels safe and the other doesn't. Does Maslow automatically place them at the same level?
No. Needs involve an individual's experience and circumstances, not simply possessions.
Name four physiological needs in 10 seconds.
Examples: food, water, sleep, air, shelter, warmth.
A person wants others to recognize how much progress they've made in recovery. Which level is involved?
What is esteem?
Someone has sober housing but doesn't feel physically safe around another resident. What level is threatened?
Safety.
Which level is strengthened when someone begins setting boundaries and developing healthier relationships?
Primarily love/belonging and esteem.
Working on career goals OR addressing severe sleep deprivation?
Sleep — physiological.
Why could someone with money, housing, and career success still have significant unmet needs?
Material stability doesn't automatically satisfy belonging, esteem, or self-actualization.
You're feeling isolated but keep telling yourself, "I don't need anybody." Which level might you actually be neglecting?
Love and belonging
A person has food, housing, supportive relationships, and confidence but feels their life lacks meaning. Which level may need attention?
What is self-actualization?
A person receives a promotion but says, "I still feel like I'm worthless." Which need hasn't necessarily been met by the promotion?
Esteem.
Someone has 90 days sober but hasn't addressed unstable housing, employment, or medical needs. Why could their recovery foundation remain vulnerable?
Several basic and safety needs remain unstable despite abstinence.
Seeking approval from peers OR leaving an environment that threatens sobriety and safety?
Leaving the unsafe environment — safety.
Someone has hundreds of social-media followers but feels completely alone. Which level illustrates the difference between contact and connection?
Love and belonging.
Name one recovery action that could address three different levels and explain each connection.
Answers vary; the team must reasonably connect the action to three levels.
Someone has housing but constantly fears being evicted and has no reliable income. Which level remains unstable?
What are safety needs?
Someone has food, shelter, employment, and friends but feels completely disconnected from their values and purpose. Which level deserves attention?
Self-actualization.
Why might rebuilding self-respect be important after achieving physical stability?
Esteem needs can support confidence, independence, motivation, and belief in one's ability to maintain change.
Finding your "life purpose" OR establishing reliable food, housing, and medical care?
Basic physiological/safety stability first.
Can one activity meet several levels simultaneously? Give an example.
Yes. Example: attending a recovery meeting can provide safety/support, belonging, confidence, and personal growth.
ODD ONE OUT: Food, sleep, water, employment stability, breathing. Which doesn't belong?
Employment stability — generally safety; the others are physiological.
A person says, "I don't just want to stay sober. I want to figure out who I am and what I want my life to stand for."
What is self-actualization?
A person says, "Everyone keeps telling me to work on my goals, but I'm worried about where I'm sleeping tonight." Explain this using Maslow.
Safety/basic needs are taking priority over higher-level growth needs.
A person says, "Getting sober isn't my final goal anymore. I want a life that makes sobriety worth protecting." Which level does this best represent?
Self-actualization — developing meaning, purpose, growth, and fulfillment.
: A person has food but no safe housing, supportive relationships, or confidence. They want to immediately pursue their "dream life." According to Maslow, what THREE levels likely require attention first?
Safety → Love/Belonging → Esteem.
Challenge Maslow: Give one realistic example of someone pursuing a higher-level need while a lower-level need remains unmet.
Examples vary. A person experiencing homelessness might still create art, practice spirituality, help others, pursue education, or search for purpose despite unstable safety needs.
ULTIMATE CHALLENGE: Your teammate has 30 seconds to create a realistic early-recovery situation involving all five levels of Maslow's hierarchy.
Award points if they correctly demonstrate Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization.