Courtesy of Unsplash.

Using Maslow’s Hierarchy as a Framework to our War on COVID-19

Understanding what’s happened, what will happen, and how you’re a part of it.

A crisis is the mass migration of people to lower tiers on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

To remind, here’s the Hierarchy:

• First, Physical. Air, Water, Food, and Rest.
• After that, you need Security. Safety, Shelter, and Stability.
• Then, Social. Feeling Loved, Belonging, and Connecting.
• Fourth is Ego. The need for Self Esteem.
• And finally is Self-Actualization. The Development of Creativity and Pursuit of “The Good Life.”

Notice what the virus does. It universally brings us to the bottom two tiers. First, if we have it, then it threatens our physiological by threatening our health. Even if we don’t have it, the pandemic removes a sense of safety and stability, debilitating high tier activity.

For the best example of this lessened stability, just look at the stock market.

The SP500 as of Friday, March 20, 2020. Courtesy of Yahoo Finance.