Group Meeting 5

Developing a Conceptual Framework for Identified Needs

By now you have probably identified a rather extensive list of needs confronting your target population. Taken in total, the needs may seem overwhelming and somewhat disjointed. Its often useful to develop a conceptual framework to help you organize the needs of your population. The framework can help you begin to assess the extent to which these needs are being met (in the third section of your report). It can also help you understand the relationships between the various needs. For example, if you develop a strategy to address one level of need, you may also be eliminating or significantly reduce needs at other levels.

Your group should begin to develop a conceptual framework for the needs of your population. The framework may draw on theories of human behavior and social functioning. It may be based on stages of development in the life-span. Or, it may be something developed by your group based on the specific needs of your population. I have provided a few common model for you to consider in developing your conceptual framework. One common model is the continuum of need. This concept suggests that the needs of your population can be organized on some continuum. For example, from less severe to most severe.

One continuum of need model that most people are familiar with is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This model provides a hierarchical framework for organizing human needs. Maslow's hierarchy is a good model because it not only provides a relatively simple framework for organizing needs but it can also help you consider the relative importance of different needs as you plan strategies and points of intervention. Maslow hypothesized that lower level needs must be addressed before individuals can move into the next level. Whenever a lower level need is not being met, one regresses down the hierarchy to satisfy that unmet need. Lower level needs usually require a more immediate response, thus having higher urgency. According to Maslow's hierarchy, if your population is faced with lower level needs, strategies to address higher level needs will probably not be very effective. Maslow's hierarchy is briefly outlined below.

Higher level needs	Self Actualization Needs--expression of potentialities and capabilities
	Esteem (ego) Needs--status and acceptance of one's group
	Social (belonging) Needs--close intimate contact with others
	Safety and Security Needs--avoidance of pain and physical danger
Lower level needs	Survival/Physiological Needs--food, water, shelter

Clayton P. Alderfer tested Maslow's theory and challenged Maslow's hypothesis that lower level needs do not necessarily take priority over higher level needs. For example, some persons may refuse basic assistance (food stamps, AFDC, etc.) because accepting such assistance challenges their perception of self and often alters their status among their peers. Alderfer proposed an alternative model which identifies three core human need.

(1) Existence needs include material and physiological desires such as hunger, thirst, income, and working conditions. Resources to meet these needs are finite, limited and when one person uses the resource, other persons cannot.

(2) Relatedness needs include relationships with family, friends, coworkers and enemies. Meeting these needs involves sharing and exchanging. If one person shares, then other persons can share. The relationship does not have to be positive. The absence of relatedness is not hate, it is indifference.

(3) Growth needs include creativity and productiveness. Meeting these needs involves using existing capacities and developing new abilities.

The "strengths model" of case management, developed at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare identifies 6 life domains as a framework for organizing needs. This framework is more of a classification scheme than a continuum of needs. The domains include:

The Older Americans Resources and Services Assessment Tool, developed at Duke University, identifies five categories of need of older adults.

(1) Social support - need to interact and communicate with others.

(2) Economic (financial) needs- income, assets, insurance and assistance.

(3) Mental health - anxiety, depression, coping skills, and perception of emotional state.

(4) Physical health - diseases, injuries, use of medical care, medication and medical equipment.

(5) Activities of daily living (ADL)- eating, bathing, going to the bathroom, ability to take care of self.

Sometimes its useful to combine a continuum of need model with a classification framework. For example, if we are doing a needs assessment for older adults, we might combine Maslow's hierarchy with the Older Americans Resource and Service Assessment Tool to produce a matrix of needs. This produces a rather complex framework with each cell in the matrix representing potential areas of need. An advantage of this type of framework is that it can help us develop a more comprehensive understanding of the needs of our population. It can also help us identify types of need which are more urgent because of their level on Maslow's hierarchy. Such a framework might look like this.

	Social support	Economic	Mental health	Physical health	ADL
Self-Actualization
Esteem (ego)
Social (belonging)
Safety
Physiological

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