As a student in Australia at any level, including high school, undergraduate, or postgraduate, you are dealing with more than just lectures, assignments, and exams. You are also managing everyday pressures, life changes, social connections, and pursuing personal growth. One helpful psychological framework for understanding your motivations and challenges is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which will be explained in detail through this blog.
What Is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory?
Influenced by human behaviour during various stages of life, Abraham Maslow coined this theory. In this, multiple human needs and wants are organised in a pyramid, displaying the basic needs at the bottom progressing to the very top. During the period of WWII, when the time of chaos and global upheaval was on the rise, Maslow framed this theory of the pyramid. In the critical thinking of Abraham, the population will be met by their basic needs before they progress to other higher domains.
Various Levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need
The structure of Maslow maslow’s hierarchy of needs is created in such a manner that it highlights every possible human need. These are aligned in a manner from bottom to top that fulfils human desires.
Physiological Needs
This is the basic need that every human being wants in order to survive. Not all have it, which is a fundamental risk in their distant future. It involves factors such as:
- Food
- Water
- Shelter
- Clothing
These are the basics that are required by humans to survive on a daily basis. In gruelling scenarios, clothing and shelter can be sacrificed but not water and food.
Challenges For Students In Australia
When you are part of the academic curriculum in Australia, various factors are at play. These factors include:
Cost of Living & Rent: In major Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and others), rent and the cost of living are skyrocketing. Hence, many foreign students are hurt by balancing bills, rent, and study.
Casual Work: Along with studying, many students take up part-time jobs just to make ends meet. Many of these casual jobs have irregular work hours, also creating a challenge for students to study and indulge in other academic work.
Health & Access To Medical Services: For international students, there is some level of health insurance. Yet, many of them don’t cover major medical issues, which can be a hazard.
Sleep Deprivation: Trying to strike a balance between exams, assignments, reports, essays, a part-time job, and personal obligations is leaving no room for rest.
Safety & Security Needs
Once the basic physiological needs are fulfilled, it is now time to take the next step in the pyramid. Safety and security needs are those that guarantee some sort of safety or a sense of security. Here, the human tendency is not to go back to the previous step (physiological needs) and try to protect oneself. This section of Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid of needs covers:
- Protection from elements and dangers
- Freedom from fear
- Achieving peace of mind
- Job security
Basic protection people want at this level is a safe environment they can live in, workplace safety, and some level of financial stability.
Challenges For Students In Australia
In Australia, students' safety and security needs are threatened due to the following reasons:
Uncertain Housing Environment: Maintenance issues, insecure locks, or below-average living standards are a concern.
Financial Volatility: This can be a stressful situation when work hours are cut or students have fluctuating income.
Visa, Immigration, or Regulatory Uncertainty: Issues regarding visa renewals, work limits, or changes in policy are stressful for international students.
Academic Pressures: Complex assignments, changes in course requirements, or approaching deadlines create serious academic oppression.
Social & Belongingness Needs
In the third level, it is stated that people are striving to be a part of a community or want to belong to someone, a sense of belongingness. A community they can communicate with or a sense of personal connection. You can also categorise this as love and belonging needs. Its aspects include:
- A need for friendship
- The feeling of being loved and accepted
- Sense of belonging to a group or community
- Need for family connection
When we look at a person in a general sense, isolation, anxiety, and depression are the unwanted aspects. This is why social needs are essential.
Challenges For Students In Australia
International students go through social and belongingness issues in Australia, which is caused by:
Moving Far From Home: Going away from your home country to a new nation like Australia introduces unfamiliarity, cultural shock, and uncertainty.
Cultural & Language Barriers: Making friends, understanding social dynamics, and trying to fit in can feel like a major task.
Loneliness & Social Anxiety: Studying in a nation that you don’t know about can be a bit of a hassle, and can develop loneliness and social anxiety.
Cooperation v/s Competition: Being in the academic scenario can inorganically cultivate rivalry, which hinders open connection.
Esteem Needs
Fulfilling social needs, the next level is all about clinching a sense of respect from peers, friends, and family. It shows the level of self-worth and the person’s ability to live up to the standards, whether they are met or not. These boost confidence, which is essential to make a mark in society. Esteem needs include:
- A need for self-esteem
- A feeling of competence or mastery of one’s environment
- One’s work being recognised at home, at the workplace, or in society
Challenges For Students In Australia
A certain sense of recognition and respect is sometimes difficult for students in Australia due to:
Academic Pressure & Comparison: Comparing your grades and achievements will only add unnecessary pressure and take you off the high horse.
Lack of Recognition: Some lecturers don’t provide enough feedback, which might lead to a lack of recognition.
Fear of Failure: Humans are filled with doubts such as “Am I good enough?” or “Will I be exposed as incompetent?” All these questions can erode self-esteem.
Limited Leadership: Getting a leadership position or recognition is a competition for some students.
Self-Actualisation Needs
Here, one ascends to the level of living the life one actually desires. The innate feeling of doing whatever one wants to do happens at this stage. It highlights the human desire to reach full potential and also achieve personal goals. This segment of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes:
- Fulfilling personal desires and achieving personal goals
- The desire to achieve full potential
- Taking creative ventures
Another factor of self-actualisation is becoming aware of your own faults and improving them.
Challenges For Students In Australia
Reaching the pinnacle of self-actualisation can be difficult for students in Australia due to the following reasons:
Time Constraints & Burnout: Loaded with responsibilities and tasks, taking time out for growth can be difficult.
Fear of Taking Risks: Growth often involves taking risks and stepping into discomfort, which is not a cup of tea for many students.
Constraints of Resources: Limited funding or mentorship can restrict ambitious projects.
How Does The Model Help You As A Student In Australia?
Various aspects of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs align with the life of a student in Australia. Hence, the model helps them in many ways, which include:
Clear Priorities
Maslow's framework enables you to identify which needs are unmet, which can in turn help with priorities. When you have difficulty focusing on your studies because you're constantly anxious about housing or financial concerns. With the help of the model, you come to the realisation that you need to fulfil these basic needs. These do come above any academic or personal growth.
Holistic Self Care
Numerous students in Australia are educated to place a majority of value on their academic achievement, often neglecting their physical health, social life, or mental well-being. Remember that Maslow’s hierarchy informs us that success is not just about grades, it is also about being well-rested, safe and connected to other people. When you appreciate that not all needs are independent of others, you are more likely to engage in holistic self-care. This is one of the aspects on which Mental Health Nursing Assignment Help works.
Stress Diagnostics
The model is a helpful road map for understanding the sources of each person's stress. If you're feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, or generally feeling low, you can use the hierarchy to think about which level of need might be falling short for you. If you are not getting enough sleep (physiological), or maybe you're not feeling connected to people at work (belonging).
Goal Structuring
As a student, you likely have big dreams that include achieving high grades, starting a business, or getting hired after graduation. But if you don’t organise those wishes, they can put a lot of load on you. Maslow's model allows you to deconstruct your wishes and make them realistic, which should be the general way for students.
Enhanced Empathy & Collaboration
Engaging with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory helps with your own well-being and encourages a sense of empathy for others beyond yourself. This is especially true if you notice a fellow student feels distant. Maslow's hierarchy encourages the reconsideration of that student as someone who may be experiencing the more foundational and physiological needs of housing, mental health, and loneliness.
Tips For Best Practices For You As A Student
When we take the lives of students and look at them through the mirror of Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid of needs, you will witness many parallels. Therefore, students in Australia can follow these tips as a form of best practice:
Set Periodic Check-Ins
Consistently evaluate your general well-being by reviewing the hierarchy of needs described by Maslow. Once every few weeks or once per month, take 10-15 minutes to appraise your wellbeing in terms of physical health, safety, relationships, self-esteem, and self-actualisation.
Don’t Neglect The “Non-Academic”
Your academic performance is only one aspect of your overall success. If you do not take care of your physical health, emotional well-being, or social life, your academic performance might suffer quickly. Eating healthy, sleeping enough, exercising, and making friends are no longer guilty distractions; they are necessities to help you succeed at university or TAFE.
Use University Support Services
Most Australian universities provide an array of student support services available to you. This includes the likes of mental health services, financial support, careers services, learning workshops, accommodation, and the list goes on. If you feel like you're struggling in your studies, mental health or your social life, it is best to delegate your tasks to Assignment Writers.
Build Cross-Domain Synergy
Try to find ways to combine your needs across levels of the hierarchy. Volunteering in a related field can help you develop personally and add to your resume. Cross-domain activities like this can help you get more accomplished or pursue more than one need at a time without being inconsistent. Thus, this helps in bringing together different needs in an integrated way.
Be Patient With Progress
Advancing in the hierarchy is not a competition. It is the norm to advance, move "backward", and switch attempts and attention to needs as circumstances present themselves. If you are not feeling "inspired" or "in your groove," that does not mean you are failing. It likely means a return to determining foundational needs is in order.
Final Thoughts
Taking a look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, you will get to know a lot about human perspective, desires, and wants. Why are they compelled to take a certain action? This question can be easily answered just by glancing at the pyramid. From the basic needs to more societal, and then innate fulfilling needs, it covers each shade of human wants. Hence, applying them in your life can be an unfair advantage that you must gladly consider.
