Editing 2988: Maslow's Pyramid

{{comic
| number    = 2988
| date      = September 20, 2024
| title     = Maslow's Pyramid
| image     = maslows_pyramid_2x.png
| imagesize = 744x422px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = The local police, building inspector, and fire marshal are all contesting my 'safety' assertion, or would be if they could reach me past all the traps.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Maslow's hierarchy of needs}} is a psychological model initially proposed by {{w|Abraham Maslow}} in 1943. It posits that all humans have certain requirements for a healthy and fulfilled life, and that these can be prioritized by how fundamental and foundational they are. The most basic needs are physical, such as food, water, and shelter, as humans can't survive without them in the long term. Then come things like safety, which includes physical safety, but also protection from things like emotional and economic threats. Beyond these come less urgent needs, such as love and social belonging, with the top (at least in simplified versions) being "self-actualization" or something similar. 

The idea is frequently represented by a segmented triangle diagram, with basic foundational needs near the bottom creating the stability to enable {{w|self-actualization}} at the top, at least in the 'simplified' version. This diagram has become so popular that it's commonly referred to as "Maslow's Pyramid", even though Maslow himself never actually used the term. 

In this comic, [[Cueball]] has interpreted the concept of Maslow's Pyramid literally. He attempts to achieve true happiness by building an actual, physical pyramid that resembles the common representation of Maslow’s hierarchy. Cueball complains that the pyramid only fulfills one of the five needs listed on its side: physical safety, as it's "highly defensible". However it seems to completely fails to provide Cueball with Self-Actualization, Esteem, Belonging and Love. It can also potentially provide shelter, but that's only one of multiple physical needs.

The pyramid is useless for his social and emotional needs: everyone, like [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] whom he shows his pyramid to and including Cueball himself, thinks the pyramid was a poor idea. Despite the impressive accomplishment of constructing such an edifice, Cueball apparently feels entirely unfulfilled, and is "honestly questioning [his] life choices".

The pyramid's size can be estimated thanks to Cueball standing close to it. A single tier appears to be roughly two Cueballs in height (meaning that with Cueball being 1.7m to 2.0m tall, the 5-tier pyramid would be 17-20m tall, equivalent to a building with about six or seven storeys) and the base appears roughly 16 Cueballs in length (meaning 27-32m wide, potentially covering an area of ~700-1200m²). Compared to famous Egyptian pyramids that is a rather modest monument but it would be comparable to the {{w|Louvre Pyramid}} in size.

The title text calls into question the notion that it provides even physical security. It apparently fails to comply with fire and {{w|building codes}}, which is potentially dangerous to both Cueball and his community. Moreover, he implies that inspectors can't even access the building, due to "all the traps". The notion of real-life pyramids (and other ancient structures) being filled with active booby-traps is commonly portrayed in fiction, and it seems that Cueball built such traps into his pyramid. Of course, in a modern structure, such traps would almost certainly be illegal on their own (particularly if they prevented authorities from accessing the property), and living in a pyramid full of traps would potentially be a danger to Cueball himself. Even if the structure provided physical safety, if it put him in legal jeopardy (and likely economic danger, considering how expensive it must have been to build), means that it doesn't even fulfill that need.

==Transcript==
:[The scene is seen from far away with the characters dwarfed by a huge pyramid in the middle of the panel. To the left we see Cueball facing White Hat and Megan while he is pointing behind him to the giant pyramid. It has been segmented into five tiers of equal height. Each tier has a labeled written on the side facing out. The segment at the tip is so small that the text needs to be written on two lines. To the right of each segment there is either a red cross (four times) or a green check mark (level two from the bottom). Next to these marks there is a comment. From top to bottom the labels, marks and comments are:]
:Self-actualization
::<font color="red">X</font> Honestly questioning my life choices here
:Esteem
::<font color="red">X</font> People seem less impressed by it than I hoped
:Belonging and love
::<font color="red">X</font> Friends are worried about me
:Safety
::<span style="color:green; font-size:1em;">✓</span> Highly defensible
:Physiological needs
::<font color="red">X</font> Provides basic shelter but no food, water, heat, etc

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I built Maslow's pyramid thing, but it's a total ripoff - it's only providing 20% of my needs.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Psychology]]