Scratch that

According to the humanist perspective (hush Cookies, I'm not trying to force anything down your throat xD), there is a hierarchy of needs which goes as follows

1) physiological, which is the need for food and water
2) safety, eg housing and money
3) love/belongingness, which is relationships with friends, family and also intimacy
4) esteem, eg respect from peers
5) self-actualisation, that is creative art, service to others, morality etc

This is known as Maslow's hierachy of needs. He states that all of the lower needs must be fulfilled in order, before you can reach the highest category. That is, you have to fulfil physiological needs first, then safety needs, and so on before reaching self-actualisation

He states that if one spends one's entire life trying to fulfil one of the lower tiers, then they will not be self-actualised, and hence will have problems. This is the basis of psychological problems according to Maslow.

Of course, there are flaws to Maslow's theory, and these have been raised by other psychologists, but he does make a point. If you're always wondering where your next meal is coming from you're not going to care if a piece of music is Baroque or Contemporary.

I think I'm stuck somewhere between 3 and 4. I find myself staying up pretty late these days, and everyone in my house goes to bed. more often than not, I'm awake into the weird hours, listening to music, doing work, or procrastinating. It's in these hours that I feel really alone.