Maslow's Hierarchy in Second Life

Maslow's Hierarchical Hideway
My mission for this Blog is to demonstrate how Second Life can be used for participatory, immersive, and experiential learning. In line with that mission, I created an interactive simulation entitled. Maslow's Hierarchical Hideaway (slurl).


Maslow has set up a hierarchic theory of needs. Humans start with a very weak disposition that is then fashioned fully as the person grows. Maslow hierarchy begins with the basic needs. Beyond these needs, higher levels of needs exist. These include needs for understanding, esthetic appreciation and purely spiritual needs (Maslow Hierarchy of Needs).

This simulation is designed to represent Maslow's hierarchy by beginning at the lowest level, Physiological Needs, and then traveling up to the highest level of Self-Actualization. It is best experienced by walking along the trail. With each of Maslow's levels, the level of the displays gets higher and the natural growth becomes more evolved . . . beginning with primitive grasses and ending with the Redwood trees. Most of the signs and major objects include more information, links, urls, and landmarks to facilitate interaction, play, and self-actualization.

Maslow's Hierarchy Hideaway was exhibited at the SL6B and was selected by Treet TV’s Designing Worlds as one of six "stunning builds":

We visited Jackie Rexen’s fascinating exhibit, Maslow’s Hierarchical Hideaway. Jackie is involved in teacher training and she created this amazing exhibit as an example of how Second Life can go way beyond the limitations of traditional teaching techniques, by offering extensive opportunities for interactivity and co-creation

Here is a segment from this episode of Designing Worlds



Interestingly, Maslow's Hierarchy was discussed in two Second Life related Blogs this past week.

Armi's Avatar of Needs
In his articulation of Armi's Avatar of Needs, Armi compares and contrasts the Maslow's original pyramid with the lives of avatars, which he depicted in this illustration. He notes that:

There’s one simple reason avatars may act according to a pyramid of needs: behind every avatar is none other than a real, breathing human.

Dusan Writer's Hierachy of Business Needs

Dusan Writer is his Blog post, In World Business Models and Second Life, discusses his Hierarchy of Business Needs, beginning with content (the personal effects of being an avatar) and ending with cross-platform integration. I am not sure if I agree with his model, but I do agree with his section on limitations and enablers. These are the factors such as technologies and policies that have the potentiial to either enable or restrain movement up the pyramid.

Dusan concludes his Blog with his idea how the top layer of the pyramid:

As you move from virtual goods into higher levels of conceptualization, the real winner seems to me, in-world at least, to be the one who creates a pyramid scheme of your own - helping others to realize their own visions for their in-world businesses through the services that support the people providing services.