Food for thought

[slashtacular]

Hi all! I realized that I haven't had a good discussion topic in a while, so I thought I'd throw out something that I've been pondering recently, as a result of being in a graduate program centered around discussion with potential users and clients. I'll present a bunch of questions on the subject and then basically open it up to discussion, so

Comments

[burendasan4]

Wow...this is a VERY good topic of discussion! Especially since this is something that seems to be coming up in my thoughts and in conversations with others.
I think a lot of people confuse what they WANT with what they NEED, which is often NOT the same thing. And sometimes what people need is not what they want. You may WANT to stay up all night, but you NEED the sleep!
A lot of times, people either don't know what they want or need...or they just don't want to know. In order to "learn" or find out what you want/need, you have to be really honest with yourself, which is not always easy. That kind of happened to me recently.
And regarding wants/needs and society. I overheard my supervisor talking about some study they conducted in which they found that the happiest societies have what they need, but don't want too much. That's not to say that they don't have motivations and aspirations, but that they keep those wants at a realistic level.
I hope that makes sense...I'd love to add more later if time allows.

[slashtacular]

A lot of times, people either don't know what they want or need...or they just don't want to know.

Based on this sentence, it sounds like we disagree on whether people know what they want. My position is that people generally do know what they want, but it sounds like you think they may not even know that? I'm just wondering that if you don't know what you want or what you need, then what the heck would you do all day? ;)

That study your supervisor mentioned sounds really interesting, and I'd love to see it if you can dig it up. I have to agree that focusing too much on your wants (which American media and advertising pushes us to do) is a fantastic way to make yourself utterly miserable. Someone will always have a bigger house or a faster car or a larger plasma TV, and in the end, those really don't matter.

[faechild_jax]

I think people might have trouble knowing either what they want OR what they need. Ethyachk certainly had no idea what he wanted or needed when we were dating years ago.
Wants and needs are definitely different - most people WANT the newest ipod. It's hardly something they need for continued existence, though. Basic needs are really simple : You NEED food, clothing(warmth), shelter, and water (or somewhat more general, hydration)- just to live. To be healthy, you also NEED to be clean. Beyond that, it gets more difficult, because most of the rest of what people need is on an intellectual and emotional level, and most of the time it's not the same from person to person. What does someone need in a relationship? From their employment? From themselves? That's all very dependent on the person.
WANT, in it's most basic form I think, is Happiness. People want to be happy, and it's easiest to be happy if your needs are met, and your wants are few. (My view, for instance, that if I have nothing to be upset or sad or angry about, I

Finally posting

[thevortex]

I think that one of the major problems is the one you hit: that people don't know the difference between what they want and what they need. Ironically, there are often times where we don't want the very things that we need