Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs includes five different needs that humans have:

1. Physiological needs – People need food, water, sleep, and a comfortable environment.
2. Security needs – People need safety from physical violence as well as psychological violence, such as verbal abuse and cyberbullying.
3. Belongingness needs – We humans are social animals. Thus, we need to feel connected to others, such as family members, friends, colleagues, teammates, and classmates.
4. Esteem needs – We also needs to have the respect of others, as well as believing the we are good people, i.e., self-esteem.
5. Self-actualization needs – This means having opportunities to achieve our full potential, in other words, to be all that we can be, to be the best me.

When students feel positively interdependent with each other, they can help each other meet all five of the needs in the hierarchy. Perhaps the most obvious of these needs is Belonging. When people learn in groups in which the feeling of positive interdependence pervades, they can bask in the glow of belonging. Others “have their back”; if they stumble, others are there to help them.