Human Basic Needs — Requirements Diagram

A SysML-style requirements decomposition of the fundamental needs of a human being, synthesized across eight bodies of literature. Each requirement box carries an ID, the requirement text, and colored trace tags to the theories that identify it. Scroll to explore; use the zoom controls at top right.

M — Maslow, Hierarchy of Needs (1943)
N — Max-Neef, Fundamental Human Needs (1991)
D — Doyal & Gough, Theory of Human Need (1991)
S — Deci & Ryan, Self-Determination Theory (1985/2000)
A — Alderfer, ERG Theory (1969)
C — Sen, Capability Approach (1999)
W — WHO Constitution, definition of health (1948)
U — Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
  • «requirement» REQ-0 Human Basic Needs A human being requires a coherent set of physiological, psychological, social, and existential conditions in order to survive, function safely, belong, and flourish.
    • «requirement» REQ-1.1 Physiological / Subsistence Biological inputs required to keep the body alive and functioning.
      M N D W U
      • REQ-1.1.1 Air, water & nutrition Breathable air, potable water, adequate food and micronutrients.
        MNU
      • REQ-1.1.2 Sleep & rest Recurring restorative sleep and recovery from exertion.
        MD
      • REQ-1.1.3 Shelter & clothing Thermoregulation and protection from the elements.
        MNU
      • REQ-1.1.4 Physical health Freedom from disease and access to bodily wellbeing.
        DW
    • «requirement» REQ-1.2 Safety & Security Protection from harm and stable conditions to plan a future.
      M N D U
      • REQ-1.2.1 Personal & bodily safety Freedom from violence, injury, and threat.
        MU
      • REQ-1.2.2 Economic security Stable income, employment, and resources.
        ND
      • REQ-1.2.3 Health security Access to care and protection when ill or injured.
        DW
      • REQ-1.2.4 Stable order / rule of law A predictable environment governed by fair rules.
        MU
    • «requirement» REQ-1.3 Love, Belonging & Connection Bonds of affection and membership in a social fabric.
      M N S U
      • REQ-1.3.1 Family & intimacy Close bonds of care, affection, and attachment.
        MNU
      • REQ-1.3.2 Friendship & community Voluntary bonds and a sense of belonging to a group.
        MS
      • REQ-1.3.3 Social participation Being included, heard, and able to take part in shared life.
        NS
    • «requirement» REQ-1.4 Esteem & Recognition A sense of worth, competence, and respect from others.
      M N S
      • REQ-1.4.1 Self-respect An internal sense of dignity and self-worth.
        M
      • REQ-1.4.2 Respect from others Recognition, status, and being taken seriously.
        MN
      • REQ-1.4.3 Competence & mastery Feeling effective and capable in one's activities.
        S
    • «requirement» REQ-1.5 Autonomy & Freedom The capacity to choose and act on one's own judgment.
      S N D C U
      • REQ-1.5.1 Self-determination Freedom to set and pursue one's own goals.
        SD
      • REQ-1.5.2 Freedom from coercion Absence of domination or forced dependency.
        NU
      • REQ-1.5.3 Civil & political liberty Real capability to participate in public and political life.
        CU
    • «requirement» REQ-1.6 Understanding & Cognitive Growth Access to knowledge and the freedom to reason and create.
      N C U
      • REQ-1.6.1 Education & knowledge Access to learning and information.
        CU
      • REQ-1.6.2 Curiosity & exploration Room to question, investigate, and understand the world.
        N
      • REQ-1.6.3 Creation & expression Outlets to make, build, and express oneself.
        N
    • «requirement» REQ-1.7 Self-Actualization & Growth Realizing one's potential through purposeful activity.
      M A S
      • REQ-1.7.1 Realizing potential Becoming what one is capable of becoming.
        M
      • REQ-1.7.2 Meaningful work / purpose Activity that feels worthwhile and self-chosen.
        SA
      • REQ-1.7.3 Continuous growth Ongoing development rather than a fixed end state.
        A
    • «requirement» REQ-1.8 Meaning, Transcendence & Leisure Existential purpose, rest, and connection beyond the self.
      M N
      • REQ-1.8.1 Leisure & play Unstructured time for rest, recreation, and enjoyment.
        N
      • REQ-1.8.2 Spiritual / existential meaning A sense of purpose beyond immediate survival (Frankl, 1946).
        M
      • REQ-1.8.3 Connection beyond self Ties to community, nature, or something larger than oneself.
        N

Reading the diagram

This follows SysML requirements-diagram conventions: each box is a «requirement» with a stable ID and requirement text; a solid tree edge is a containment relationship (the parent requirement decomposes into its children); the colored badges are trace links to the literature that independently identifies that need. A requirement carrying badges from several unrelated traditions (for example REQ-1.1 Physiological, traced by Maslow, Max-Neef, Doyal & Gough, the WHO, and the UDHR) indicates especially strong convergence across the literature.

Sources synthesized

  1. Maslow, A. H. (1943). "A Theory of Human Motivation." Psychological Review — the five-tier hierarchy (physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization), later extended by Maslow himself to include cognitive, aesthetic, and self-transcendence needs.
  2. Max-Neef, M., Elizalde, A., & Hopenhayn, M. (1991). Human Scale Development — nine non-hierarchical, universal needs (subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, creation, identity, freedom), each satisfiable in culturally specific ways.
  3. Doyal, L., & Gough, I. (1991). A Theory of Human Need — argues for two basic needs, physical health and autonomy, as universal preconditions for participating in any form of life.
  4. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985, 2000). Self-Determination Theory — three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness, required for wellbeing and motivation.
  5. Alderfer, C. P. (1969). ERG Theory — a condensation of Maslow's hierarchy into Existence, Relatedness, and Growth needs, without a strict sequential order.
  6. Sen, A. (1999). Development as Freedom — the capability approach, which frames wellbeing in terms of the real freedoms (capabilities) people have to live lives they value.
  7. World Health Organization (1948). Constitution — defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being," widely cited as a baseline for physiological and health-related needs.
  8. United Nations (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Articles 3 (life, liberty, security), 16 (family), 23–25 (work, an adequate standard of living, food, housing, medical care) ground several needs in international human-rights law.
  9. Frankl, V. (1946). Man's Search for Meaning — informs the existential/meaning branch, arguing that a sense of purpose is itself a basic requirement for psychological survival.

Methodology note

The eight top-level categories are a synthesis, not any single author's exact taxonomy: they were chosen to be the smallest set of buckets that every listed framework's terms map into cleanly, so that convergence and divergence across theories are both visible at a glance. Where frameworks disagree — Maslow's need for strict sequential priority versus Max-Neef's insistence that all nine needs are simultaneous and non-hierarchical — the diagram keeps the hierarchical shape for navigability but the badges on shared leaves show that the underlying needs largely converge even when the theories disagree on structure.