The Needs That Drive Us All

William Glasser

Presented by Li Qiaohui

Outline

About the author About the text

Background information Main idea Words and expressions Sentence paraphrase

Discussion Answer to the exercises After-class work

About the Author

William Glasser is a doctor and a therapist. He turned his attention to the schools when he began to believe that schools systematically deprive students of a chance to behave and learn in responsible ways. In walling the students from the world and imposing our authority on them, we prevent them from learning how to understand their own basic needs and how to meet them. To Glasser all of us have the same basic needs. If schools helped us understand how to meet those needs, we would have few disciplinary problems, and students would be actively engaged in satisfying their innate curiosity. They would also tend to graduate with healthy self-esteem and less self-doubt, breaking the neurotic cycle that passes self-limiting habits from one generation to the next.

About the Text

Background Information

Do you believe human actions are driven by human needs? Are there some needs or motivations that drive us all?

There are many theories about human needs and motivations. One of the most influential ones is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

In 1943, American psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) proposed the theory that behavior is determined by a various of needs. He organized these needs into five categories and then arranged the categories in a hierarchy.

Self-actualization

Esteem needsSocial needs

Safety needs

Physiological needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:1.Physiological needs (hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, etc)2.Safty needs (security, protection from physical and emotion

al harm)3.Social needs (affection, belonging, acceptance, friendship)4.Esteem needs (the internal ones are self-respect, autonomy,

achievement, and the external ones are status, recognition, attention)

5.Self-actualization (doing things) In the pyramid-shaped chart, the most basic needs are at t

he bottom of this category, and the more advanced needs are toward the top. According to him, people try to satisfy the lower-order needs before they move on to the next level higher up.

Main Idea

In the text, he is concerned with human psychology rather than ethics. According to him, human beings are driven by five basic needs, some of which are shared by other animals, and others are uniquely human.

The article is obviously addressed to young students and its purpose is to increase their self-awareness of their humanness so as to better deal with their problems.

built-in adj. forming a part of something that cannot be separated from it

catalyst n. something that causes an important change to happen

clear-cut adj. definite and easy to understand

clout n. informal ） the power or authority to influence other people’s decisions

coerce v. to force sb to do sth conflict n. a situation in which you have to c

hoose between two or more opposite needs or influences

counter-force n. a contrary or opposing force

crumble v. to break apart into little pieces

downtrodden adj. treated badly and without respect by people who have power over them

frivolous adj. not serious or sensible, esp. in a way that is not suitable for a particular occasion

incentive n. something which encourages you to work harder, start new activities etc

manipulate v. to make someone think and behave exactly as you want them to

mores n. the customs, social behavior, and moral values of a particular group

payoff n. the good result of a series of actions

reproduce v. to produce young plants or animals

reword v. to say or write something again in different words in order to make it easier, clearer, or more suitable

spontaneous adj. happening or done without being planed or organized, but because you suddenly feel you would like to do it

tribute n. a clear sign; a recognition unbridled adj. not controlled and too extreme or

violent

to approach（ 1 ） to move towards or nearer e.g. As they approached their destination, they saw beautifu

l mountains.（ 2 ） to ask someone for something esp. when you are not

sure if he will be interested e.g. It involves a lot of money. Have you approached the sc

hool authority?（ 3 ） to deal with e.g. Using violence is not the right way to approach this situ

ation.► approach n.

to benefit v.（ 1 ） vt. to be helpful or advantageous e.g. This agreement will benefit both our countries. （ 2 ） vi. to improve or gain advantage; to profit e.g. Customers will be the first to benefit from our e

ntry to WTO.►benefit n. （ 1 ） to be of benefit（ 2 ） for somebody’s benefit（ 3 ） to have the benefit of

the difference between “humane” and “human”

humane ： showing human kindness, thoughtfulness, and sympathy for the suffering and misfortune of others etce.g. （ in ） humane treatment of POWs

humane method of killing animals

human ： showing the feelings, especially those of kindness, which people are supposed to havee.g. It’s human nature to want to love and be loved.

The tough policeman is really quite human at heart.

to build in/ into to cause to be part of sth which cannot be separated or removed from it; to make…inherit （ para 1 ）

e.g. We don’t want to build in too much furniture, just a bookcase and two wardrobes.

our biological destiny what we have to experience as humans: to go through childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age, to produce offspring and die （ para 1 ）

to attach to sb/ sth to be connected with sb/ sth; to connect sth to sth （ para 3 ）

to run into to begin to experience （ difficulty ） ; get into （ a difficult or unpleasant situation ）（ para 3 ）

e.g. The peace talks ran into a deadlock when both sides rejected any compromise.

strive for sth （ formal ） to struggle hard; to make a great effort, especially to gain sth （ para 3 ）

e.g. The young man is striving for recognition of his musical talent.

regardless of without worrying about or taking account of （ para 4 ）

e.g. The law says that all citizens have the right to education regardless of age, sex, race and religious belief.

to add to to increase （ para 5 ）

a tribute to sth/ sb something that shows the good effects or influence of sb/ sth （ para 6 ）

e.g. Our graduates’ performance is a tribute to the high-quality education of our university.

to get sth across/ get across （ to sb ） to succeed in communicating sth; to be com

municated or understood （ para 6 ） e.g. Our math teacher is knowledgeable, but

not good at getting his ideas across. lion’s share the largest part of something

（ para 7 ） to go over to examine or check sth carefully

（ para 7 ）

to get in the way of sb to prevent sb from doing sth （ para 7 ）

to seem like an eternity （ informal ） to be a period that seems to be very long or never end （ para 7 ）

e.g. After what seemed to be an eternity, a man came out to tell us that the interview had been canceled.

to branch out （ into ） to add to the range of one’s interests or activities （ para 10 ）

e.g. Xiao Li doesn’t want to concentrate on just one field, he wants to branch out more.

Sentence Paragraph

All five needs are built into our genetic structure as instructions for how we must attempt to live our lives. (para 1)

Humans are born with the five needs./ All fiv

e needs are inborn as part of our nature and direct us as we go through our lives.

…in many cultures the mores of the culture condemn those who openly strive for in. (para 3)

…in many cultures openly trying to gain po

wer is regarded as running counter to the code of conduct of the culture, and those who do so are strongly disapproved of.

Even politicians try to appear humble, emphasizing how much they wish to serve and how little they want to tell us what to do. (para 3)

Even politicians try to cover up their desire for pow

er by saying that they are running for an office because they want to do things for their community and that they really hate to govern people.

That their teachings have been largely accepted when what they advocated is so obviously self-serving is a tribute to how effective they have been in getting their message across. (para 6)

It is surprising that what they propagate should be

accepted by many, for obviously their propaganda serves their own interests, helping to maintain their power. This clearly shows how effective their propaganda machine is. （ Note the sarcastic tone of the author. ）

Most of us cannot get through a day without complaint ： To be satisfied with how others have treated us for a week would seem like an eternity. (para 7)

Most of us can find something to complain a

bout daily. Any feeling of satisfaction with how we are treated won’t last as long as a week.

The same could also be said for teachers. (para 9)

The same is true of teachers.

Among us, even the humble compete for who can be the humblest of all. (para 8)

Competition is a characteristic of human society, i

nvolving all walks of life. Even those who have a low opinion of themselves strive to be the humblest of all. （ The sentence concludes the discussion of how human need for power is demonstrated. The remark seems to be ironical, mocking at those politicians who try to appear humble. ）

If students do not feel that they have any power in their academic classes, they will not work in class. (para 9)

If students don’t strive for academic success

/ don’t have any urge to compete in their classes, they won’t succeed in school/ they have no business being in school.

…she also wants the freedom to branch out on her own. (para 10)

…she also wants her parents to let her deve

lop the way she wants.

It’s the part of job that you don’t have to do, but doing it may be the best part of the job. (para 11)

It’s not something you have to do absolutely

in your life, but doing it may make life far more interesting.

Lower animals, whose behavior is essentially built-in and who do not have much ability to learn, are not involved with fun. (para 12)

Because their behavior is basically predetermined

by their genes, lower animals do not have to make choices, do not have much ability to learn, and therefore they do not have the need for fun.

And as we do, we also find ourselves learning along the way. (para 14)

And as we tackle one task after another with

interest, we keep learning and progressing all our lives. （ So these needs are motive forces that drive us to strive for survival and for success. That is how human progress has been and is being made. ）

Discussion

Lord Acton once said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Do you agree? What should we do about it if it is true? Can we kill the desire for power? Can we give people all the power they want? What is your solution?

The author here seems to be justifying human obsession with power, fun, etc. How do you understand the author’s real purpose for writing this article?

Answer to the exercises

Vocabulary

1.Translate.1) From Chinese into English.（ 1 ） to survive the flood （ 9 ） to preach universal brotherho

od（ 2 ） to gain more power （ 10 ） to preserve their previleges（ 3 ） to satisfy one’s desires （ 11 ） to advocate the use of bicycle

s（ 4 ） to fulfill one’s plan （ 12 ） to wrong innocent people（ 5 ） to share our worries and pains （ 13 ） to manipulate people （ 6 ） to condemn their total indifference （ 14 ） to question one’s abilit

y（ 7 ） to serve the customers （ 15 ） to stifle people’s thinki

ng（ 8 ） to record many such cases （ 16 ） to seek revenge

2) From English into Chinese.（ 1 ）长期计划 （ 10 ）原有的（天生的）行为（模式）（ 2 ）单调的工作 （ 11 ）社会地位（ 3 ）使人感到压抑的气氛 （ 12 ）卑微的出身（ 4 ）基因结构 （ 13 ）最低生活必需品（ 5 ）以权力形式提供的回报 （ 14 ）被踩在脚下的人们（ 6 ）一种归属感 （ 15 ）这种艺术的大师（ 7 ）自然的反应 （ 16 ）谦逊的美德（ 8 ）不受控制约束的权力 （ 17 ）文化习俗和传统（ 9 ）工作动力 （ 18 ）普遍存在的绝望感

4. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.

1 ） C 3 ） C 5 ） B 7 ） C 9 ） B 11 ） D 13 ） B

2 ） A 4 ） D 6 ） A 8 ） A 10 ） D 12 ） A 14 ） A

6. Choose the right words in their proper forms.1 ）（ 1 ） related （ 2 ） relevant （ 3 ） related （ 4 ） irrelevant2 ）（ 1 ） possible （ 2 ） possible/ likely （ 3 ） likely3 ）（ 1 ） reserve （ 2 ） conserve （ 3 ） preserved （ 4 ） reserved （ 5 ） preserve （ 6 ） preserve （ 7 ） reserve （ 8 ） reserve 4 ）（ 1 ） except （ 2 ） except for （ 3 ） Except for （ 4 ） except for （ 5 ） except5 ）（ 1 ） human, Human （ 2 ） humanly （ 3 ） humanely （ 4 ） humane （ 5 ） human

8. Choose the word or phrase for each of the blanks from the four supplied in brackets.

（ 1 ） reward （ 2 ） horrified （ 3 ） to be paid （ 4 ）such

（ 5 ） never （ 6 ） secondary （ 7 ） belief （ 8 ）behave

（ 9 ） lose （ 10 ） seriously （ 11 ） Even then （ 12 ）matters

（ 13 ） Whoever （ 14 ） anyone （ 15 ） without

Grammar

3. Complete the sentences with proper connectives.

1 ） what 2 ） what 3 ） that 4 ） that

5 ） why 6 ） Where 7 ） that 8 ） How

9 ） that 10 ） What, whether

11 ） What, how 12 ） that

13 ） how, what 14 ） that 15 ） What

5. 2 ） Learn to use “except”, “except for” and “rather than”.

（ 1 ） rather than （ 2 ） except, except （ 3 ） except （ 4 ） except for （ 5 ） except （ 6 ） except for （ 7 ） except （ 8 ） except （ 9 ） except （ 10 ） rather than （ 11 ） except for （ 12 ） rather than （ 13 ） except for （ 14 ） rather than （ 15 ） rather than

6. Complete each of the following sentences with the most likely answer.

1 ） C 2 ） B 3 ） D 4 ） A 5 ） B 6 ） C

7 ） D 8 ） C 9 ） A 10 ） B 11 ） A 12 ） D

13 ） D 14 ） C 15 ） B

After-class work

Write a short essay of about 150 words on either of the topics.

Give an example or examples to show the harm of power abuse.

In what way can power be used to benefit the majority of the people?

THE END