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Chapter 1 The Human Need for Housing
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Meeting Needs Through
Housing
All aspects of environment impact human
well-being. The near environment, in the form of
housing, helps people meet their needs. Needs are
the basic requirements that people must fill to live. fi
All people have physical, psychological, and other
needs—sharing the need for shelter in which to eat,
sleep, and carry on activities of daily living.
Consider the following observation by the
director of a shelter for homeless people. When
people came to the shelter for help, their basic needs
had not yet been satisfi were hungry and fied—they
could think only of food. Once they had eaten, their
next concern was to be comfortable—having a
place to sleep and feel safe. Only after meeting their
most basic physical needs can people think of their
psychological needs.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow identified fi
priorities for human needs (Figure 1.2). According to
Maslow, as an individual meets each type of need, he
or she progresses up the hierarchy (a classification fi
or ranking in order) to the next level of need. At the
foundation of the hierarchy are the basic physical
needs which are important to meet first. When fi
these are satisfi only then can people think about fied,
such other needs as security, love, esteem, and
self-actualization.
Physical Needs
Physical needs are the most basic human needs.
Because they are essential for survival, physical needs
have priority over other needs. Physical needs include
shelter, food, water, and rest. Basic or primary needs
are other words for physical needs.
Shelter
The need for shelter and protection from the
weather has always been met by a dwelling of some
type. The fi ndings of archaeologists show this is fi
true. Archaeologists are social scientists who study
ancient cultures by unearthing dwelling places of
past civilizations. Their fi ndings reveal how ancient fi
structures were made and used, and how they met the
human need for shelter.
Such natural settings as caves and overhanging
cliffs are examples of the earliest dwellings
(Figure 1.3A and Figure 1.3B). Later, people built
crude dwellings from readily available materials.
The Pueblo Native Americans used adobe, which
is a building material consisting of sun-dried earth
and straw. They also used rafters made from native
materials. The thick walls and fl at roofs (Figure 1.3C) fl
provided shelter from the hot climate. Apache
Native Americans built houses from tree branches
(Figure 1.3D). Cooling breezes circulating through the
branches and protection from the scorching sun are
key features of Apache homes.
1. Physical needs include shelter, food, water, and rest. An individual’s need for
them must be at least partially satisfied before thinking about anything else.
2. Security protects an individual from physical harm and economic y
disaster. Feeling safe in his or her surroundings helps a person know
what to expect.
3. Love and acceptance is the middle level of need. Praise,
support, assurance, and affection from others are ways to
satisfy this need. Personal warmth is another need.
4. Esteem is linked to a person’s need
for respect. By acquiring esteem, an individual
gains confidence and feels needed in the world.
5. Self-actualization is the ultimate level of
fulfillment and satisfaction. To reach this
level, all other needs must be fulfilled
to some degree. This need drives
individuals to develop to their full potential.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs
5. Self-
actualization
4. Esteem
3. Love & acceptance
2. Security
1. Physical needs
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 1.2 Physical needs are the most basic needs and, therefore, the first step in Maslow’s Hierarchy.
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