don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was one of this country's most influential psychologists. He worked in industry as well as in academic circles. His "Hierarchy of Needs Theory" was first presented in 1943 in the " US Psychological Review" and was later made famous in his book, Motivation and Personality, published in 1954. The hierarchy and other concepts of Maslow made significant contributions to workplace motivation theory and have influenced all health educators and later, wellness advocates and promoters, myself included. His work is still influential for those who seek to understand, predict and influence employees to make better choices for themselves and to be higher performers for organizations.

The "hierarchy of needs" model suggests, among its other explanatory functions, that people will not have much interest in "higher level" activities such as pursuing meaning and purpose, optimal functioning and DBRU equivalents if they are poorly fed, poorly housed and basically poor, period. People must feel secure, safe and able to manage the basics of life before they can get very excited about transforming. Wellness, or the pursuit of a fulfilling lifestyle ("self-actualization," Maslow called it) must wait until the basics are attended.

I thought about Maslow's hierarchy the other day when I saw two new studies, one from Harvard and one from Berkeley, that detailed the incredible disparity between average employee salaries and those of top corporate executives. Income inequalities are becoming more dramatic than ever -- and the extent of the gaps seem hard to justify. While I am an unapologetic capitalist like most Americans, I wonder if this kind of employee/shareholder exploitation does not worsen the plight of those at the bottom levels of Maslow's hierarchy. What do you think -- have you ever wondered if many of the social problems that confound us (including crime, hazardous lifestyles and poor health status, minimal educational levels, child abuse and so on) might be modified to some degree if the most extreme of executive excesses were better controlled in some equitable, acceptable-to-Republicans fashion?

Even the Libertarians seem sympathetic to this perspective. Mary Ruwart, a popular spokesperson regularly cited in the " Libertarian Advocates Newsletter", stated that the evidence shows "free societies have a more even distribution of wealth than less free ones."

Here is the problem that really vexes me. The wealthiest ten percent of Americans own 90 percent of all America's assets. In 1960 America's CEOs averaged $190,000 a year -- about 40 times what the average worker on the factory floor made. Today's CEOs average $20 million -- 531 times a factory worker's pay! And they live like royalty -- just after IBM chief Lew Gerster fired 200,000 employees, he laid out $118,000 a year to hire a gourmet chef for his executive dining room." (Source: Public Intelligence Inc, a self-described "subversive not-for-profit corporation run by Jim Hightower, who publishes a newsletter called "Lowdown.")

Personally, I don't care a twit about Gerster and other corporate heads making a few million a year, and having executive dining rooms and all of that sort of thing, but, I do care about grotesque excesses by greedy super-rich CEOs that otherwise would go into the pockets of employees and shareholders. I also wonder if more could be done to help citizens earn a decent wage and rise above the bottom rungs of Maslow's hierarchy.

What do you think? Does this connect in any way, in your opinion, with the wellness concept? Or, should wellness advocates and enthusiasts stick with issues of fitness, critical thinking, relationships and the other lifestyle skill areas associated with the physical, mental and meaning/purpose domains of self-management?

In any event, do what you can to cover the lower levels Maslow's hierarchy in your own life as much and often as you can, stay well and look on the bright side of life. If the latter seems a little difficult, given the behaviors of avaricious, exploitative executives, terrorists and varied religious zealots who want a jihad against this, a crusade against that while claiming to know the will of the deity (s), well, consider this: Eventually the galaxies will fly apart, their glow will fade and the cosmos will become dark and cold. Another possibility is that the expansion begun 15 billion years ago (the Big Bang) will come to a halt, reverse direction and send Carl Sagan's billions and billions of stars crashing together in a final and apocalyptic cosmic curtain call (the Big Crunch)! Either way, it will be the end for those despicable $20 million dollar-a-year corporate fat cats and their executive chefs. Now THAT ought to make it a little easier for the rest of us to look on the bright -- and the light side, don't you think? All the best -- ALOTBSOL!

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of adaptations and challenges. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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