Characters, like the characters who write them (i.e.: writers) are driven by needs or motivating drives to attain something of value. Drama itself is an exploration of a motivating drive as it is manifested in the actions of a character and his quest (the story). The psychologist, Abraham Maslow, grouped these drives into a hierarchy of categories. Maslow's hierarchy holds that drives form a kind of Great Chain of Becoming, so that one must first fulfill the needs of one category before moving on to the next. From the most basic to the most complex these can be expressed as follows:
Physiological needs - oxygen, food, water, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
Security needs - order, law, limits, stability, etc.
The need to Belong or be Loved - family, affection, marriage, etc.
Esteem needs - achievement leading to self-esteem, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, etc.
Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.
Self-Actualisation needs - self-fulfillment and peak experiences.
Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self-actualisation.
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