Maslow’s Hierarchy and Live on the Sex Offender Registry
(Weekly Update #175)
Dear Members and Advocates,
Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Basic Needs? It is a theory by Abraham Maslow, which puts forward that people are motivated by five basic categories of needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization.
Survival and successes are difficult enough when our basic human needs are being met. But as many have experienced, the ever growing Timeline of Registry Requirements, year after year, serve only to further restrict basic human needs from being met.
It’s important to understand the basic human needs, as well as what can happen when these needs are unmet. To summarize the five basic needs, they are:
Physiological – This refers to basic physical needs like drinking when thirsty, eating when hungry, or getting adequate sleep. As human beings, it is difficult to focus on anything else until our basic physiological needs are met.
Safety– This refers to the need for safe and predictable environments. Typically, we react with fear or anxiety when our need for safety is not met. It explains why we tend to “prefer the familiar” and why we are “on guard” whenever we are in unfamiliar environments.
Love and Belonging –This refers to feeling loved and accepted, and extending that feeling of love towards others. It includes both romantic relationships as well as ties to friends and family members, and our need to feel that we belong to a social group. Having social connections is related to better physical health and, conversely, feeling isolated (i.e., having unmet belonging needs) has negative consequences for health and well-being.
Esteem – Our esteem needs involve the desire to feel good about ourselves, feel confident, and feel valued by others. It is a need to feel that our achievements and contributions have been recognized by other people. When our esteem needs are met, we feel confident and see our contributions and achievements as valuable and important. However, when our esteem needs are not met, we may experience what psychologist Alfred Adler called “feelings of inferiority.”
Self-Actualization– This is our need to feel that we are doing what we believe we are meant to do. This is uniquely different for everyone. For one person, self-actualization might involve helping others; for another person, it might involve achievements in an artistic or creative field.
If you look at the Basic Needs as a hierarchy, then “self-actualization” is rarely met without first meeting our physiological, safety, love and esteem needs. However, it is also possible that all needs are being addressed simultaneously, and conversely can be removed, denied, or diminished simultaneously.
Maslow’s theory has had a strong influence on other researchers who have sought to build on his theory. For researchers Danielle Arlanda Harris and Jill Levenson, the five basic needs were used to begin the analysis of data collected from interviews with over 70 men “living on the list” in which common themes emerged. They first organized the emergent themes according to the five human needs, and then by the established symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and finally in terms of resilient coping versus traumatic coping when basic human needs were unmet.
Their work was documented in the article “Life on “the List” is a Life Lived in Fear: Post-Conviction Traumatic Stress in Men Convicted of Sexual Offenses” which directed attention to the often ignored but undeniable emotional impact of life on “the list”. This line of research is vital because the evidence is clear: transience, homelessness, lifestyle instability, civic disengagement, social disorganization, and unemployment are criminogenic; that is, these are situations that increase the risk of re-offending and they are barriers to successful reintegration into the community. The 2020 article laid the groundwork for further study of what they described as Post-Conviction Traumatic Stress (PCTS).
In early 2021, a new study was conducted and data was gathered from over 700 registered citizens and their family members nationwide. This new study explores the prevalence and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder as well as perceptions of how SORNA interferes with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Levenson, Harris, & Kavanagh, 2021).
On Thursday Nov 4, Dr Jill Levenson will be the guest speaker on the FAC Monthly Membership call. She will be presenting results of the recent study and discussing the impact of traumatic instability on risk for recidivism. Dr Levenson will also present recommendations for trauma-informed policies and practices with individuals required to comply with the FL Registry.
Thursday Nov 4 at 8pm ET via ZOOM (may phone-in without internet access)
Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82935492331
Meeting ID: 829 3549 2331
Phone-in number: 646-558-8656
Presentation Slides: PCTS RSO FAM 2021
Supporting Documents: Post-Conviction Traumatic Stress (PCTS) and Trauma-Informed Support Groups for Family Members
Ask yourself, if Legislators are focused on reducing recidivism, then why do they continue to add requirements to registered citizens that only serve to restrict or remove basic human needs with no empirical evidence of benefit to public safety? Then ask your Legislator the same question.
Please share the study on Post-Conviction Traumatic Stress (PCTS) and recommendations for trauma-informed policies and practices with your Legislator.
“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” Abraham Maslow
Sincerely,
The Florida Action Committee
Reminders:
Housing and Employment Opportunity for the Right Person – Male, Female, or Couple. If you enjoy water life, you are comfortable in modest housing, and you are willing to work hard, then you may be the right person for this opportunity. An FAC advocate and owner of a Koi Fish farm in Northwest FL is looking for help. The job provides a 28-ft mobile home with utilities and base pay, located on their 3-acre family farm . It involves raising Koi fish and pond plants, shipping them to various locations, and occasional diving expeditions in the Gulf area (when qualified). There is a 90-day trial period. If you have an interest in applying, please call 833-REPEAL, Option 1 or email membership@floridaactionactioncommittee.org . We will forward your information to the local County Coordinator to set up an interview with the business owner.
Housing is Needed – We receive calls daily from members looking for housing. If you have housing to rent or purchase, please contact email membership@floridaactioncommittee.org or call 833-273-7325, option 1. We will only share the information with the FAC Outreach team and the County Coordinator in your area.
November 4 Thursday at 8:00pm ET – Special Monthly Membership Call via Zoom. Topic: PTSD – Analysis of Research Study. Guest Speaker: Dr Jill Levenson. Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82935492331 , Meeting ID: 829 3549 2331, Phone-in number: 646-558-8656.
November 8 Monday at 7:00pm ET – Fearless Group Meeting. Peer-led Support group – You are Not Alone. Call. Dial (727) 731-2927. Join in the discussion with peer leaders Daphne and Don. Contact daphne.fac@gmail.com or call 321-754-0446. For more information see Fearless Group Post.
November 11 Thursday at 8:00pm ET – New Member Orientation Call – phone 319-527-3487. Ask questions about the organization, share resources, discuss local issues and learn about volunteer opportunities. If unable to connect, text “CALL ME” to same number to receive call back and be joined to the meeting.
November and December Family Support sessions – Therapist-led group session via Zoom, for family member or loved ones of registered citizens only, not the for the registered person. Must be FAC member to participate. Contact membership@floridaactioncommittee.org or call 833-273-7325, Option 1.
Need to Talk? FAC has peer volunteers that are here to talk one-on-one, call 904-452-8322. Volunteers are not available 24/7 but you will receive a call as soon as possible. If you have an emergency, call 911, or helpline at 1-800-273-8255 or a crisis center (Listing of Crisis Centers and Hotlines)
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