Need Flashcards
Defintion
Is highly contested- how do we distinguish between a need and a want?
- *Deprivation of a need will cause harm
- Satisfying needs is required for basic human flourishing
Thin Needs: a basic definition of need- if needs are not satisfied then harm will be caused
Thick Needs: A more detailed definition of need-they are needed for human flourishing
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need
First attempt at classifying basic needs. Works off the basis that to meet psychological needs, physiological ones must be met first.
Relative Needs: Postmodernist Veiw
Relative needs are determined by the time and space of individuals
Postmodern View: Needs can only be understood in terms of how they are defined by specific groups. Modern society is individualised and identities can be of vast variety, therefore needs are also individualised
Relative Needs: Marxist Veiw
The number and extent of necessary requirements is a product of history and is therefore dependent on the level of civilisation acquired in a society.
Benjamin Barber argues that the distortion of distinguishes between a need and a want is a result of capitalism. The success of capitalism is dependent on consumers investing in the ‘false needs’ that they create. The capital provides ‘false needs’ for the rich who already have their needs satisfied in order to make profit. This means the true wants of the poor are ignored and they are not an audience worth investing in.
Universal Needs
Universal needs are irrespective of time and space but Doyal & Gough argue that need satisfiers are relative
Doyal & Gough
Identified 11 intermediate needs that are required to satisfy 2 core basic needs; Autonomy of agency & good physical health
eg. basic education, appropriate health care, physical security
Relevance of Need to Social Policy
Helps to allocate welfare resources and defining/ tackling social disadvantages such as poverty and inequality
However some scholars believe the management of individual risks is more relevant to modern socities
