The American psychologist Abraham Maslow was most well-known for his theory, the "Hierarchy of Needs." His thesis argued that individuals' happiness depended on fulfilling the innate physiological and psychological needs that humans possess, ultimately culminating in one's self-actualization. Maslow assumed an organic and natural development of reaching ultimate self-actualization. However, the path to reaching the top of the pyramid may need to be more concise to many. 

In this article, Maslow's theory was highly optimistic and failed to grasp the complexity of self-actualization. In this sense, his theory is difficult to be applied to modern society. 

According to the theory of the "Hierarchy of Needs," the most basic physiological needs are crucial to reaching the following higher-level requirements. For example, people should fulfill the desire for food and sleep before achieving safety, intimacy, and self-actualization. However, despite the rapid economic development in the modern world, there are still obstacles to satisfying those needs. In developed countries such as the US or UK, many have escaped impoverished conditions of poverty. Nevertheless, most affluent individuals continue to compare themselves with others, suffering from the fear of relative poverty. Modern society continues to struggle with unhappiness and deficiency. 

Even if the most basic needs are met, modern society struggles to fulfill the psychological needs for self-actualization. The advent of technology has presented a more comprehensive range of resources that have allowed individuals to expand their horizons and deepen connections. However, these developments have coincided with the growing rates of depression, isolation, and a sense of void in people's lives. According to WHO, more than 278 million people globally suffer from depression in modern society. This indicates that people's pathway toward self-actualization requires more than a mere provision of need-based resources.

The fact that Maslow is a significant and remarkable psychologist cannot be denied. However, there remain limitations to his theory, which oversimplified the complexity of psychological satisfaction and actualization. Then, the question is, what are modern society's deficiencies that block us from achieving true satisfaction?

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