WHAT ARE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY NEEDS?

This exercise requires you to imagine that you have been given one billion dollars with no strings attached. Think about how you would spend that money on yourself. List below the kind of things you would want to do, have, or experience, and spend the money on the items until you have spent it all.

See the example below:

                a. Travel around the world                         Amount Spent $25,000

2. Now that you have successfully spent your billion dollars, you may now spend another billion on others. Indicate below what you want other significant people in your life to do, have, or see and how much you would spend on each item.

a. Buy them a house                                    Amount Spent $200,000

Now see if you can tell the difference between your primary and secondary needs. Primary needs are needs which are intrinsic to human beings and are necessary for life. Secondary needs are needs that society teaches us we need as necessary for life.

Go back over your list and indicate which needs are primary and which are secondary. Be sure and explain your reasoning.

Sample Answer

1. Buying a house for $500,000 ( Secondary ) ( Primary need here is likely ( belongingness, ego ) as it is not likely that one needs a house that expensive for the primary need of shelter alone.

For example, buying a house may be a primary or secondary. Secondary if it based upon more than a need for shelter. Primary if based upon a need for shelter. List each item with the secondary and the primary need as indicated in my example above.

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Copyright © 1998 [Robert Brehm]. All rights reserved.