 Maslow's Pyramid is one of the most famous motivational theories in psychology. This theory was developed in 1943 by Habra Maslow who was attempting to understand what can make life purposeful and meaningful for each and every one of us. According to Maslow, there are five levels of human needs that motivate our behaviors and decisions in life. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often depicted as a pyramid within which there are a number of hierarchical levels. The lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs. Psychological needs are in the middle and self-fulfillment needs are at the top of the pyramid. For Maslow, the most important needs are physiological. These most basic needs of human survival include food, water, sleep, clothing and shelter. Our motivation at this level derives from our instinct to survive. Once our physiological needs are relatively satisfied, we can move on to the second level of needs which relate to safety and security. At this stage, we need protection, comfort and financial security. We try to earn money and build up resources that protect us from unpredictable and dangerous conditions. Once we feel safe and secure, the third level of the pyramid is the need for belonging and love. We need friends, lovers and acceptance. At this level, the need for emotional relationships drives human behavior such as family, friendship and romantic attachment and bonding with other social groups. In order to avoid problems such as loneliness and depression, it is important for us to feel loved and accepted by other people. The fourth level of the pyramid is our need for esteem. For example, we need self-confidence and self-respect so that we feel that we are valuable and deserving of dignity. In addition, it becomes increasingly important to gain the respect and appreciation of others. Finally, if the four levels have been sufficiently satisfied, we can reach the fifth level, self-actualization. According to Maslow, this stage allows us to become who we really are. Self-expression describes the fulfillment of our full potential as human beings. At this level, we strive to become the best that we can possibly be. Some of us may want to be an ideal parent, a famous athlete or a millionaire. Others may pursue other kinds of personal growth and have goals such as learning a new language and developing talents and abilities. These are the five levels of human needs. When Maslow's theory has become widely popular, it has a number of limitations. The theory assumes that we all experience these needs in the same order, failing to recognize cultural and individual differences. Indeed, it is possible that the need for belonging may overcome physiological and security needs, depending on the strength of peer pressure. In the same vein, when we're passionate about something or someone, our need for fulfillment may ignore our most basic needs. Believing at our own personal pyramid can be useful whenever we are trying to assess the direction of our lives. We may realize that we may have given too much importance to specific needs while leading aside other vital needs. Ultimately, because there are as many different pyramids as there are human beings, it is our responsibility to rearrange our needs as wisely and meaningfully as possible.