Maslow's Psychological Needs In Castaway

In the award winning film, Cast Away, Tom Hanks plays the main character, Chuck, who becomes stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. Chuck uses his instincts to survive for over four years on the island. He satisfies his human needs as he is faced with the harsh reality that he may never be rescued from the island. Evaluating Chuck’s behavior on the island is evidence that humans follow Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s hierarchy is divided into five ‘needs’ or categories including, physiological needs such as food, water, shelter, etc.; safety needs such as safety from attack; love and belonging needs like affection and control; esteem needs like respect from others; and self-actualization. Before Chuck could reach self-actualization

During his time on the island Chuck was restrained by the island’s harsh environment. He had very little choice over his food source, health, or the weather. Chuck did everything he needed to do in order to survive. Chuck first focused on his physiological needs like food, shelter, and water. When he was faced with hunger, he had to develop skills in order to meet that need. Next on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Chuck needed not only physical protection but the security of feeling safe. He wanted resources, health, family, and answers. Chuck was struggling physically but most of all Chuck was struggling with loneliness. Love and belonging falls right in the center of Maslow’s hierarchy. Chuck begins to lose all hope that he will ever see his family again as thoughts of people moving on and thinking he was dead. He feels as if he has no one so in order to fulfill this desire he creates a personality named Wilson, who became his best friend in the form of volleyball. Wilson become Chuck’s emotional source, he has conversation with him and cares for Wilson as if he were real. The fourth level on the hierarchy is esteem. Chuck’s esteem is pretty low considering the circumstances he has been through. He lost his family, is all alone on a deserted island, and has a best friend named Wilson in the form of a volleyball. He finds confidence from his newly found friend and from all the things he was able to achieve by

When the doors to the port-a-potty washed up on the shore and Chuck began organizing his escape one would argue that this was Chuck’s self-actualization moment. He eventually finishes the raft and sets off into the ocean. One morning a storm hits, sending Wilson off the raft. With the majority of his raft destroyed, his food gone along with Wilson gone, Chuck falls back down the hierarchy. Luckily he was found and nursed back to health. The movie leaves off with Chuck standing in the middle of a crossroad deciding what he wants to do with his new found freedom and having yet to reach self-actualization again. Personally, I don’t believe that me as a person has reached self-actualization. I think I’m somewhere around the esteem needs. I have fulfilled the physiological needs by having food, water, shelter, etc. The safety needs are met by safety from attacks and disease. The third hierarchy is fulfilled by affection from family and friends. The esteem need is half way met but not completely. Maslow hierarchy is a great explanation of human behavior and human needs. The hierarchy is a great explanation on why human behavior is motivated by a desire to satisfy certain needs. It explains how