Maslow's hierarchy of needs

A common way to look at motivation is through the system of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. From the most basic to the most advanced, they are listed as follows:

1) Physiological - food, water, air, shelter....

2) Safety - sense of security for yourself and family and access to resources...

3) Love/Belonging - Family, friends, community...

4) Esteem - achievement, respect of others...

5) Self - Actualization - creativity, problem solving, contributing, realizing your maximum potential...

I've had fairly good success at satisfying the first four categories of needs. The interest in a life transformation, or doing a "midlife assessment and transition" comes mainly from the 5th need for greater self-actualization. It's comforting to know that this is recognized as a common need for many people. It helps explain many of the thoughts I was having difficulty articulating.

When reading about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I came across the interesting claim that by the end of his life Maslow added a 6th need, though it actually sounded more like a level of development than a need. He referred to it as "self-transcendence", which is moving beyond a focus on yourself and your ego. Instead, your focus becomes centered on appreciating, understanding, and promoting the well being of the humanity and nature as a whole. This seems like an important part of the end goal of a life transformation.