The first blog in this series talked about how characters have wants and needs, both of which are needed to forge an emotional connection and keep the reader turning pages. The problem is that wants and needs can appear annoyingly similar.
In the second blog in the series we discussed how to use wants and needs to drive plot and character development. We followed that with an exploration into Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for a more psychologically driven story. Now we’re ready to talk about THE Need vs. other smaller needs and wants.
Abraham Maslow identified human needs in his Hierarchy of Needs (as described in the last blog). But later in his career, he expanded his hierarchy to include Cognitive and Aesthetic Needs (both of which fall under Esteem Needs) and Transcendence Needs that served as the final level—the level to which we all aspire once our Deficiency Needs are met.
These changes were important because it allowed for more growth and personal development beyond the self.
Cognitive Needs are those that revolve around curiosity, knowledge, understanding, and meaning. They also cover predictability.
Aesthetic Needs are the need for beauty, appreciation, balance and form.
Transcendence Needs are those focused on values that transcend the individual. This includes religion, spirituality, mysticism, natural experiences that are transformative or transcendent. It can also include sexual experiences, service to others, pursuit of science or knowledge, and needs that go beyond the person to another or to society as a whole.
These new categories are labeled Growth Needs (which was a new label for the old Being Needs).
But how does all this translate to story? Why am I sharing all of this with you? Two words: character development.
Most stories begin with a character wanting something. It may be for nothing to change, for the character to maintain the status quo—for high school to never end, a spouse to not die, the good times to keep going. In these stories, the characters are content and want to keep what they have.
In other stories, the character wants change. They want to get out of their neighborhood, or out of poverty, or out of a bad relationship. They want to be something more. It doesn’t really matter which of these two paths you choose, as long as there is an inciting incident early in the story that shakes up the status quo. The person who doesn’t want to change is forced into it. The character that does want change is faced with either the consequences of that change or the struggles related to making it happen.
The inciting incident is the beginning. The character can no longer stay where and how she is. Things must change, whether the character wants it to or not. Typically, even when a character does want change, it won’t happen the way they anticipate. If it did, you would have a boring and short story.
So what does your character want? That is the first question. In Twenty by Debra Landwehr Engle, Meg wants to be done. With life. With loss. With pain. In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Percy wants to be a normal kid who doesn’t have dyslexia or weird things happening around him all the time. In The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, the unicorn wants to find others of her kind because they have all disappeared. They all have a want—a reason to begin the journey, a place to start their story.
In the beginning of every story, the characters have a want that carries them through to the end. This is the through line. All plot points hang from that main want, which is conscious and forward in the story. The obstacles that pop up along the way, point to the character’s fatal flaw—the thing that gets in her way that is of her own making. It is that flaw that points to The Need. The main Need (not the transient human needs for lower on the Hierarchy of Needs) is the opposite of the fatal flaw. Selflessness to balance selfishness. Kindness to counter crabby. Generosity to atone for greed.
The Need is the one human need that is transcendent. It is the single need that has the power to raise a character up and change him or doom him if he doesn’t heed the call. It is the one overriding need that has the power to save and redeem, to elevate. Not all needs can do that.
Most of the wants and needs in a story fall somewhere in the first four levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy. They are transitory needs that, once met, are easily passed by. But there will always be one need that stands apart. The one thing the character can’t hold on to if they are to resolve the conflict in their story arc.
Think of it this way: If a character has been greedy through the entire story, he cannot hold onto his wealth in the end without sacrificing others and his own soul. This is the plot of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It is only by changing his miserly ways that Scrooge can redeem his soul. If he had chosen not to heed the ghosts’ warnings, he would have been as doomed as Marley. It is only with his choice at the end that he is saved. Learning how to be generous is his big need. Any other needs or wants in the story are transitory. They serve their purpose in showing why and how Scrooge changes. They set the stage for transformation, but are not The Need that must be met.
Knowing psychology helps. What drives humans to act and to change? What motivates them and demotivates them? As Maslow said, the Deficiency Needs contained motivation until those needs are met. Only the Being Needs or those focused on self-actualization increase in motivation as the need is fulfilled. This means the higher needs are the only ones that can result in true and lasting transformation.
The Being or Growth Needs are those we aspire to in order to reach our potential. It is how we become our best selves. These are the needs that are powerful enough to result in character development. Those big, overarching, universal needs we all understand and can relate to because they affect us all. They are the definitive needs that define the human condition.
That is the one Big NEED when people talk about wants vs. needs in story. It’s not needing to find a clue or that person. It’s not finding shelter from a storm or food for survival. Rather it’s those big human emotions that redeem us, those traits that define who we are.
No matter where someone comes from, it is not the food, shelter or wealth that defines them. It is who they are and how they react to the obstacles in their way that does. It is the same way with characters. They are defined by how they react to the obstacles in their way—the challenges in getting back home (Outlander by Diana Gabaldon); dealing with death (Book Thief by Markus Zusak); finding love (Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen); battling good vs. evil (The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien); coming of age (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott); the influence of power and corruption (MacBeth by William Shakespeare); survival (Lord of the Flies by William Golding); facing prejudice (The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas). These are the big themes, though not an exclusive list by any means.
The Need rises above the others. It runs beneath the story, silently and unrecognized by the character. It is the challenge the character faces without realizing it is the biggest obstacle of obstacles.
In Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series, Aang needs to restore balance to the four kingdoms by removing Fire Lord Ozai’s tyrannical rule. While everyone urges him to kill the Fire Lord, Aang resists. He knows he cannot be in balance if he uses his power to kill. It would go against his nature. He trains and meditates and struggles throughout the series. In the end, he finds a way to face his biggest need while honoring his beliefs. He finds his true nature by having it tested by others and standing firm in who he is all while fulfilling the need for peace and balance. He has a flat character arc, but a compelling one all the same.
In the film Castaway with Tom Hanks, we find a man who is driven by time and work. His life is taken off course when his plane crashes, landing him on a deserted island. His immediate wants and needs are to find water, shelter, food and make fire. But his big Need is to find his way home. That need for home highlights his priorities before the crash and all the time he wasted with the ones he loved. It teaches him the lessons of loneliness and friendship. He struggles to survive and does, despite the setbacks and monotony of it. When he does find a way to escape, he loses Wilson (his only companion–if you can call a volleyball a companion) along the way. Sadly when he returns, he is not greeted by his fiancé, who has married someone else and had a child. In the end, he remains a castaway in many ways. It is only when we see him deliver the final package—the one he never opened on the island—that we see him embrace life again. It is at that crossroad that we see him choose his path, both literally and figuratively. That is his theme. Choice. Connection. Life. They are all intertwined.
These are the types of themes you find in the higher levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It is how you can elevate your character beyond the mundane and transitory wants and needs your character will face. Recognizing the difference in wants vs. needs, and being able to identify the Big Need, will help you create stronger characters.
This concludes this series on Wants vs. Needs. If I left anything out, let me know and I will address it in the comments.