Psychology Exam: Chapter 10
! The difference in statements arises from the varying perspectives of the speaker. This varying perspective is engendered by their belief regarding the supremacy of biological requirements. Maslow believes that biological necessities supersede all. Dostoyevski believes that biological necessities are supreme only if the organism desires to live, therefore, that the organismʼs sense of purpose is supreme. As long as the desire to satisfy biological requirements is primarily genetic, then because the organismʼs survival is essential to the continuity of their genes, and the satisfaction of the biological requirements is essential to their survival, Maslowʼs statement is supported for these two reasons. A more existential approach will yield a different result. If the organismʼs desire to live is defined as a function of their sense of purpose and self-identity, and their desire to eat (the bread engulfing them) is defined by their desire to live, and their purpose and self-identity is negligible, it stands that their desire to live will be negligible and therefore their desire to eat will be too.
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