DISTINGUISHING THE D & B MOTIVATIONAL LEVELS

Abraham Maslow introduced the two dimensions or levels of human motivation in 1941, the D- Motivation level and the B-Motivation level. He developed this distinction to answer the long debated question in psychology at that time, “What is the most important or deepest motivational drive in human beings?” At that time they called that drive “instinct.” Freud suggested sex, then later death, the life. Adler said the social instinct, and also the inferiority instinct. Jung had other ideas as did every other psychologist of the time.

What Maslow discovered in his many studies—he studied chimpanzees with Harry Harlow (he began as a Behaviorist), then the Blackfoot Indians as an anthropological study as guided by Ruth Benedict, then female sexuality. From his studies he recognized that some needs operate by deficiency. When you lack what you need, you feel a driving motivation to obtain the gratification. And when you satisfy the need, the motivational drive goes away. It dissipates. Other needs operate from an entirely different principle, that of abundance, and a different dynamic, that of being-ness. When you lack a being-need, you also feel a driving need to gratify it. But unlike the D-needs, when you satisfy the B-need, the need and its capacity expand. Not only does the need grow, but so does its very capacity.

This means that D-needs and D-values operate from the principle of “the more, the less.” The more you gratify the need, the less it drives you. Conversely, the B-needs and B-values operates from the opposite pattern of “the more, the more.” The more you gratify the need, the more you want, the more you are capable of experiencing the being need and value.

For humans, Maslow identified four levels of D-needs and D-values: Survival (food, water, air, shelter, sex, etc.), Safety (structure, order, security), Social (love and affection, bonding and attachment), and Self (competence in doing and value as a member of the group). These things motivate; yet they are time-limited motivations. Eventually you get enough. Eventually, the more gratifications, the less motivation. Now for animals, that’s just fine. They can be healthy and happy with their D-needs met.

But not humans. No way! This is where Maslow, although an atheist, discovered that “man has a higher nature.” There are needs, drives, values, cognitions, etc. that are being-values and needs and that operate from “the more, the more” principle. These are also non-instrumental needs—that is, they work best when they are indulged for their own sake and not as a means for something else. Another contrast. The D-needs are instrumental which is why we humans cannot live in them. There’s something in us that keeps pulling us upward—upward to meaning, knowledge, justice, fairness, equality, beauty, order, giving love, contribution, excellence, making a difference,

collaboration, etc. D-motivation and B-motivation—what a distinction!

If you don’t distinguish between the D and the B-needs and values, you are very likely to substitute the D-values for the B-values. Do that and you live the life of an animal! You might come to think that “the purpose of life” is consumption. Or you might think it is sex ... or money ... or safety ... or self-esteem. And what’s wrong with that way of thinking? Lots! It is low of a bar for humans. You were made for so much more. You are missing out on all of the B-values which make life truly human, truly meaningful.

Yet there is more danger. Fail to distinguish the D and B-realms and then if you fail to gratify your B-needs, you are in danger of suffering from a whole range of meta-pathologies. When you lack a rich sense of purpose and meaning— you are susceptible to depression, finding life futile, feeling hopeless, joyless, etc. You may experience an existential angst, “Is this all there is?” And with that, your very spirit will sicken, you will lose heart, and you will have no persistence or resilience when things get tough.

Conversely, making the distinction between these two realms with the needs and values in each and you will be able to find your passion or passions in life. That’s because passion occurs in the B- values. That is the secret to becoming fully human/fully alive.