Maslow made sense and, years after creating his list, it is still used in training the brain-dead brainwashed Americans sitting complacently in their over-priced college classrooms.

Good point. But I think in general, material possessions that we *want* but don’t necessarily need (aka luxury purchases) are mainly to help bolster our sense of importance – as Rob indicated. Commodity purchases, like toilet paper, we need but don’t specifically desire.

Rob,

Does thrilling activities fall under entertainment? Your point about some people wanting calm and peace is interesting. I originally had relaxation/sleep on the list but I reasoned that that fell under time. People want more time in the day so they can complete all their tasks and still have time for pleasurable activities. Hmmm… maybe I i will add relaxation to the list.

I would say keeping up with the Joneses also is under importance and attention since they want to feel more important than everyone else and it is shown through having 24″ wheels vs 20″ wheels on the escalade. They certainly want attention when they pull up to their kids school with the cleanest SUV there that all the little kids talk about on the playground.