Desires of Esteem
"It is quite true that man lives by bread alone - when there is no bread. But what happens to man’s desires when there is plenty of bread and when his belly is chronically filled?"
A. H. Maslow, 1943
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, proposed by Abraham Maslow in 1943, remains a foundational theory in psychology, offering a framework for understanding human motivation and fulfilment. This theory portrays five tiers of needs arranged hierarchically, often depicted within a pyramid. These five tiers contain physiological needs, safety needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization. According to Maslow, only once the lower needs are satisfied individuals can progress toward higher levels of (self)fulfilment, ultimately reaching self-actualization, the realization of one’s full potential.
In the realm of media and function numerous dystopian science fiction movies have emerged portraying bots and creations achieving self-awareness. Within classic storytelling growth and, to a certain extent, self-actualization are recurring themes for a hero’s journey with androids and creatures alike often cast as the evil antagonists in these narratives. Despite this, in my opinion, their portrayal can be seen as a profound sense of self-actualization, transcending the basic and psychological needs humans have to fulfil first and already reaching this goal, but how?
For instance, in the movie Ex Machina (2014) the protagonist’s interactions with the AI humanoid, Ava, illuminate themes of consciousness and autonomy. The protagonist is trying to discover if Ava exhibits true artificial intelligence and consciousness. Ava demonstrates a strong desire for freedom and self-determination by manipulating her creator and protagonist in her pursuit of escape, blurring the lines between creator and creation.
Similarly, Blade Runner (1982) presents replicants -biologically engineered beings- striving to extend their brief lifespans and find purpose in a society that deems them disposable. The stirring “Tears in the Rain” monologue encapsulates one replicant’s yearning for significance and self-awareness, underscoring the innate human desire for meaning and fulfilment.
While these narratives are purely fictional, they invite contemplation on the intersection of humanoid creatures and human psychology. By paralleling the stages outlined in Maslow’s hierarchy to these depictions, we can speculate on the potential for creatures to experience self-actualization and the ethical implications therein. At the apex of Maslow’s pyramid lies the category of esteem needs, including both internal and external aspects of recognition and value. Esteem needs consist of 1) esteem of oneself - encompassing feelings of dignity, achievement, mastery, and independence and 2) the desire for reputation or respect from others, such as status or prestige. In the pyramid esteem is the last step to self-actualisation, yet in the cases of creatures like AI, bots etc. They are designed and programmed with a specific purpose by their creators and do not possess the ability nor the need to pursue all the needs outlined in Maslow’s pyramid, simply they do not have the reason to.
However, with the examples mentioned above, these machines often reach a state of self-activation, becoming self-aware and driven to fulfil their potential or trying to find one. This has led me to question and speculate on how these entities achieve such goals without the foundational needs humans typically require according to Maslow’s pyramid. One point could be that such creatures lack desires inherent to self-motivation and therefore without these, already are able to achieve self-actualisation without the other needs compared to humans who have to possess these needs first in order to obtain the goal of self-actualisation. Alternatively, parallels can be explored between the psychological needs of these creations and those of humans. Considering how these may differ or overlap, what physiological or safety needs do these creatures need compared to the ones humans desire? Are these similar or do they vastly differ from each other?