Deprivation Of Maya

It is found on keen observation that the major reasons of the psychic turmoil in the life of Maya, the main protagonist of Cry, the Peacock could be directly assigned to the frustration of certain needs which are crucial for maintaining psychological and emotional equilibrium. Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of basic needs emphasizes on man’s fundamental needs. According to him all human beings have a set of survival needs which include physiological needs, need for safety, for love, for belonging, for self esteem and finally for self actualization, arranged in an order of hierarchy. Once the fundamental need is fulfilled, (lowest in the hierarchy) other needs go on arising till the human being reaches the need for self actualization. This paper aims to study the deprivation Maya faces at this level …show more content…
One such classic example is Maya who turns neurotic, kills her husband retrogresses to the state of her childhood and tries to ends her life, as she experiences a great deprivation of needs and gets gripped by neurotic anxiety as a result of combating the stress generated due to the frustration of needs in the hierarchy. But one cannot overlook the fact that Maya’s exaggerated reactions to difficult situations in her life, in a major way could be assigned to the deprived ‘sense of belongingness and love’ in her life both before and after her marriage. In fact, her neurosis gets aggravated for the want of love and sense of belongingness. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs this need for Love and Belongingness is on the third level. People have different approaches to cope with anxiety based on their childhood trainings and personality traits. Some cope with objectivity where as some incapable of doing so develop neurotic anxiety. Individuals experiencing loneliness and isolation feel a strong urge to affiliate. They feel motivated to belong and associate with other people and also to feel