The Role of Abraham Maslow in Life of Pi by Yann Martel

â€Å"Maslow noted only one in a hundred people become fully self-actualized because our society rewards motivation primarily based on esteem, love and other social needs†(McLeod). Pi, the novel’s protagonist, moves through the very same motivational levels that Abraham Maslow identifies in his landmark psychological studies. Understanding the different stages helps show why certain behaviors are occurring and eventually after all stages are fulfilled is when a person becomes self-actualized. Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who introduced the concept of the motivational needs in his paper â€Å"A Theory of Human Motivation† written in 1943. He explains that humans have certain needs that need to be fulfilled and when†¦show more content†¦Desperation forced him to try and move towards the safety box that was near Richard Parker who has the ability to easily attack him. Once Pi is near the safety box he illustrates the feeling of satisfaction b y saying, â€Å"oh, the delight of the manufactured good, the man-made device, the created thing! That moment of material revelation brought an intensity of pleasure -- a heady mix of hope, surprise, disbelief, thrill gratitude, all crushed into one †¦ I was positively giddy with happiness. (Martel 141). He finds water in the box as he hoped for and this has brought him a confidence boost. Even though Pi completed the first of many stages in the hierarchy, he is still stranded in the ocean. He acknowledges the fact that animals or very territorial and in turn marks his own territory within the boat. Pi insists that, â€Å"I had to fix in his mind that the top of the tarpaulin and the bow of the boat, bordered by the neutral territory of the middle bench, was my territory and utterly forbidden to him† (Martel 168). He urinated on the parts of the boat that he claims as his part of the boat and does it in a way that Richard Parker who is an animal would understand. While having managed to complete the first two levels, Pi begins to think about the loved ones he has lost and others he cannot see anymore. The end of the book helps describe the animals in the boat as representations of human emotions that Pi has detached from himself. ThisShow MoreRelatedLife of Pi - Maslows Hierarchy of Needs1979 Words   |  8 PagesPi On Top of the Pyramid The meaning of life is a topic questioned by many. One might think of our job on earth as a journey to reach our individual full potential. Abraham Maslow was one of those people. Knowing that motivation is driven by the existence of unsatisfied needs he created a concept called the Hierarchy of Needs. This concept was expressed as one of the many themes throughout the novel, Life of Pi, Yann Martel asks the reader to reflect on life itself; we are forced to become