In his 2006 movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith portrays impoverished single father Chris Gardner as he moves through the five levels of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This hierarchy theorizes basic needs that are required in order to reach happiness in life. The search for fulfillment is not a journey experienced by Gardner alone. Peace prize winner Hermann Hesse’s 1922 novel Siddhartha tells the story of a young man who experiences the various levels of Maslow’s hierarchy before reaching his goal of Nirvana. To better understand the journey that must be experienced before ever reaching self-actualization, one must look to the basic needs of the pyramid that were experienced by Siddhartha, before next looking to the psychological
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In Siddhartha, Siddhartha experiences both indulgence, and sacrifice of the physiological needs. Through his experience with the Samanas, Siddhartha learns how to survive without as much reliance on food and water. Once his need for these entities reduces, Siddhartha is better able to address the other needs of the pyramid. The second level of the pyramid, that is also considered a basic need, are the safety needs, which provide a sense of security and stability. Siddhartha’s safety needs are strengthened after his experience with the Samanas, when Govinda decides to stay with the Gotama instead of following Siddhartha like he is known to do. This instance emphasizes the security that Siddhartha feels in his decision to diverge from any other path, as he does not stay with Govinda, who has always been there for him. After overcoming these levels of the pyramid, Siddhartha is now no longer struggling with basic needs of survival and can begin focusing on the psychological …show more content…
Belongingness, the third level of the pyramid, is the need for people to experience intimacy through romantic relationships or friendships. Siddhartha has never experienced a romantically intimate relationship before setting out for Nirvana, and first learns about love from Kamala. The next level of psychological needs are esteem needs such as independence and feeling of accomplishment. Siddhartha experiences independence as he leaves Kamala to finish his goal of Nirvana. While this occurs, Kamala is, ironically, closer to self-actualization than Siddhartha is, as she discovers that she is pregnant with Siddhartha’s baby, but does not tell him before he departs. Kamala displays independence in doing so, as she knows that she Siddhartha needs to find Nirvana, and does not want their child to hinder or prevent him from finding self-actualization. In doing so, Kamala was able to effectively help Siddhartha reach the top tier of Maslow’s hierarchy of
In Siddhartha, Siddhartha experiences both indulgence, and sacrifice of the physiological needs. Through his experience with the Samanas, Siddhartha learns how to survive without as much reliance on food and water. Once his need for these entities reduces, Siddhartha is better able to address the other needs of the pyramid. The second level of the pyramid, that is also considered a basic need, are the safety needs, which provide a sense of security and stability. Siddhartha’s safety needs are strengthened after his experience with the Samanas, when Govinda decides to stay with the Gotama instead of following Siddhartha like he is known to do. This instance emphasizes the security that Siddhartha feels in his decision to diverge from any other path, as he does not stay with Govinda, who has always been there for him. After overcoming these levels of the pyramid, Siddhartha is now no longer struggling with basic needs of survival and can begin focusing on the psychological …show more content…
Belongingness, the third level of the pyramid, is the need for people to experience intimacy through romantic relationships or friendships. Siddhartha has never experienced a romantically intimate relationship before setting out for Nirvana, and first learns about love from Kamala. The next level of psychological needs are esteem needs such as independence and feeling of accomplishment. Siddhartha experiences independence as he leaves Kamala to finish his goal of Nirvana. While this occurs, Kamala is, ironically, closer to self-actualization than Siddhartha is, as she discovers that she is pregnant with Siddhartha’s baby, but does not tell him before he departs. Kamala displays independence in doing so, as she knows that she Siddhartha needs to find Nirvana, and does not want their child to hinder or prevent him from finding self-actualization. In doing so, Kamala was able to effectively help Siddhartha reach the top tier of Maslow’s hierarchy of