Do you believe that there is a thin line between needs and wants? Show concrete examples to prove your claim?

Answer 1

If Maslow's approach is taken then everything is a need, but before a person can move up the hierarchy they must fulfilled. As they needs are met the next level becomes the wants.

For example if a person is always hungry he or she would "want" food. Once the basic needs that all humans require, such as food, water, shelter, waste evacuation etc., are met the person starts to "want" the safety and security level.

I think that because in western industrial societies most people have their basic needs met so they concentrate salient level the desire to have friends, partners etc.

It is a simplistic view of things but I think it makes sense.

Answer 2

The most blatantly obvious example is when male and female collide. There's an extremely thin line between need and want, if you ask me.

Answer 3

One thing is want which is desire to have and may be or may not be coordinated closely with the needs. A person may want something but not need it. And a person may need something but not want it. Bulimic people want to be skinny at the cost of their need to nutritional food. You may want to go to another city but you need to have a way to get there. You may want to be a psychologist but you need to study many years in college to do so.