Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory that I generally agree with.
It can be used to help understand situations, people, and society. But, it shouldn’t be considered concrete and substantive. People are people and can have, on occasion, amazing jumps in logic and luck, positive and negative.

So, this will always remain a theory.

If you’re not sure what Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is, here’s a quick rundown.
— For a human to grow and progress, certain needs must be met. If the need isn’t met, it can be very difficult to achieve higher goals and self-awareness.

For example, a person can only read only when they understand letters. If a person doesn’t know what letters are and the meaning behind them (need), they will be unable to progress to the higher need of knowing how to read.

Essentially, to build towards bigger goals, smaller goals must be met.

For Maslow, these levels are, from the most basic going up:

* Physiological
(Food, sleep, water, breathing)

* Safety
(Not feeling threatened or harmed)

* Love/Belonging
(Relationships, family)

* Esteem
(Confidence, achievement)

* Self-Actualization
(This is at the very top. It is the fulfillment of talent and potential.)

So, for example, if a person is starving (Physiological), she or he isn’t going to feel safe (Safety). If the person doesn’t feel safe, it is difficult to achieve healthy relationships (Love). If the person doesn’t have relationships, feeling confident and a feeling of achievement (Esteem) is difficult. If a person doesn’t have confidence in their abilities, they won’t feel like they are achieving their full potential (Self-Actualization).

Again………… This is a — theory. —
It can’t be proven in a double-blind study or examined under a microscope. This is a logical observation of a pattern that appears in society.

While I was at the gym, I was struck with a brilliant notion of how the Ukraine conflict fits in with Maslow’s Hierarchy and why it feels like Putin is failing. Or, at the very least, making a fool of himself on the global stage.

Starting at the bottom:

* Physiological
(Food, sleep, water, breathing)
———> This would largely apply to the invading armed forces.
While I think that this was fulfilled at the beginning of the invasion, this need will increasingly become jeopardized.

Just like the rest of the world, I’m sure that Russia doesn’t produce everything it needs in sufficient quantity to survive. The Ukraine undertaking is expensive and, eventually, the basics will begin to dwindle.

If this isn’t meant, it will be difficult to feel safe.

* Safety
(Not feeling threatened or harmed)

History has repeatedly reminded invaders about the harshness of the unforgiving Russian winter. But, Spring can be fickle as well.

On firm and frozen ground, the Russian tanks and other artillery are going to start having difficulty trudging through the mud. This could cause the foot soldiers to lose morale and not feel safe. They won’t feel like there is any support.

I think it’s also important to mention that a lot of the Russian armed forces are conscripts. These are young men who are pressed to join the military for a period of years as a national requirement. They don’t have the experience and, probably, the interest to actually fight.

They won’t feel safe or prepared on the battlefield. Facing a potential lack of food and basic resources, they probably won’t be able to meet the next level of belonging. If they can’t, they are useless as a fighting force.


* Love/Belonging
(Relationships, family)
—> I think that this is being threatened on several levels.
The relationships Russia had/have with its trading partners are breaking down primarily through sanctions. This is placing stress on the Russian population.

The older generations probably support Putin and his efforts. After all, he’s been in power for a long time and, with the way Russia is structured, any dissent would be seen as disloyal. Those who are vocal in their resistance tend to “disappear.” For normal citizens, their peers probably keep them in line to uphold the status quo. These people probably get their news through legacy media which Putin controls.

** But, the younger generation probably receives their news through outside sources. They may be a bit more globally informed and aware. The news and, to an extent, their personally held beliefs are shaped by (probably) biased media. We have to keep in mind that Russia has been a global ‘bad guy’ for a couple of generations.

I could easily see the younger Russian citizens rejecting Putin, Communism. and the war.

Putin, who has a deep need to feel like he belongs, may feel threatened enough by this generation to destabilize this level of the Hierchary. (Don’t believe me? Then why does he have a shirtless calendar and is an “expert” in nearly every violent type of sport? Putin has a deep-seated need for attention and to feel like he belongs. I also think that he wants to feel like he is the aggressor and dominates.)

Additionally, just about every nation on this planet has turned against him ** despite ** the harm that it causes the country. Germany, England, the U.S., and others would rather upset, harm, and drain their citizens rather than trade with Russia.

Russia’s only real relationship is with China but that’s even unstable.
While they continue to trade, China has yet to fully support Russia’s invasion. If they did, China would probably be hit with the same sanctions as Russia.

This would cripple China’s economy (back to the Physiological level). China doesn’t want to jeopardize that as they are building their own pyramid of needs on their way to (possibly) attacking Taiwan.

Also times two, Putin probably thought that certain parts of Ukraine would welcome him. After all, Ukraine was part of the U.S.S.R. for a long time. Some parts of Ukraine vote for a Communist government and there are a lot of Russian immigrants, especially in the east. Maybe Putin thought that these areas would join the effort in taking the rest of the nation. Or, at the very least, provide support for the invading forces. If this happened, it wasn’t enough to really make a difference.

Without the feeling of belonging and supporting relationships, Putin and Russia will have a difficult time achieving the next level.

* Esteem
(Confidence, achievement)
—> This is simply winning the war.
Since the basic needs are not being met Putin’s confidence in quickly winning this conflict has to be waning.

I think an outward sign of this is how his generals are disappearing, dying, or just being replaced. He isn’t happy with their performance — blame has to go somewhere — and he is switching command. He isn’t confident with what he has now.

* Self-Actualization
(This is at the very top. It is the fulfillment of talent and potential.)

—> I think these are the needs that drove Putin to attack.
Perhaps Putin feels that his life work is to restore the U.S.S.R. and protect the Russian Communist legacy from the ever Capitalism. If Capitalism continued to ingress into the traditionally Russian-friendly countries, Putin would feel that this full potential isn’t being realized. He is a failure as the ‘them’ gain power over the ‘us.’

His ‘self’ is under attack which makes him feel weak and, if he’s patriotic, that he is betraying the Russian people.


So… I’m not an expert… but I’d say that Putin and Russia’s needs aren’t being met on any level. If these needs aren’t met, the likelihood of them achieving the self-actualization step becomes less every day.

Unless something changes soon, Russia is damaging itself and its reputation.

Further, if non-NATO countries like Finland and Sweden are accepted into NATO, the further self-actualization level becomes threatened. After the invasion of Ukraine, I think that they would * want * to join NATO to be protected against Russia. This is the exact opposite of Putin’s initial reason for doing all this.

At that point, Putin would just give up on reaching self-actualization * or * pull out the chemical and nuclear weapons. ….. Provided he doesn’t hit that extreme level beforehand. The longer the invasion continues and the needs are under threat, the more likely he is to become more forceful and drastic.