Needs are the basic requirements or desires that humans have in order to survive, thrive, and lead a fulfilling life. If you start brainstorming, you can come up with as many as 50 different categories of needs, and numerous sub-categories. To make things easier to deal with, many people who study human relations "boil" down needs into a few categories for ease of discussion and fulfillment. You are probably familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and it is definitely better to use that than nothing. Marshall Rosenberg, however, ususally used [[Who was Manfred Max-Neef|Manfred Max-Neef]]'s 9 fundamental human needs. These usually sound somewhat like this: 1. Subsistence: the basic needs of nourishment, air, water, shelter, clothing. 2. Safety and security: The need to feel and be protected. 3. Autonomy/freedom: The ability to have agency and volition. 4. Affection and touch 5. Identity: Having a sense of one's place or "specialness" within the organizations one participates in. 6. Creativity, in all forms. 7. Rest and recreation: The need for leisure, enjoyment, and creative expression. 8. Connection: Having places to belong and participate with others. 9. Purpose/meaning: The need to have a sense of meaning in life, to have goals and aspirations, and to contribute to something larger than ourselves. (Adapted from [Fundamental Human Needs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Max-Neef%27s_Fundamental_human_needs) on Wikipedia) Continue: [[What are feelings (T1)]]