Delia Farrell Hierarchy Of Human Needs - The hierarchy of human needs is a Abraham Maslow's theory saying that people are motivated by their needs. It originally had four tiers, but near the end of his life, Maslow created a fifth. The necessities are at the bottom of the hierarchy, and the luxuries are at the top. During a person's life, they go up and down through the hierarchy. The levels from bottom to top are: Gaia (feeling connected with the world), Earlier Animal (relying on animal instincts), Deficit (experiencing basic needs such as water, food, shelter, air, etc.), Being (fulfilling potential in one's life and making relationships with others), and the fifth level with Maslow created shortly before his death, Transpersonal (recognizing that one is linked with other life). If the hierarchy is put into a circle, one will notice that the Gaia and Transpersonal levels are very similar and share some of the same ideas.