We all want to be a part of something; we want to belong to a group that shares the same values and morals as we, individually, have and believe in. It’s human nature to want that; we are designed that way.

     In the creation stories of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, it begins with “Adam” who was created from dust (in Christian and Jewish versions) or mud (in the Muslim version). However, the Creator didn’t stop there. (I say “Creator” here because the three different religions have different names for this omniscient being. However, in all three religions, the aforementioned omniscient being is, in fact, THE being that creates all other beings on Earth.) The Creator decided that this individual, Adam, was not destined to be alone in the world and so created a companion for him, known as “Eve.” In the Quran, it states that Eve was created to “ease his loneliness and bring him tranquility” (Stacey, Part 2, para. 1). In the Hebrew Bible, “God wanted to instill Adam the desire for a partner, so he formed Eve…brought her to Adam, who found contentment in joining with his new wife” (Altein). In the Christian Bible, “the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is suitable for him.”(Women’s Devotional Bible, Gen. 2.18).

Free Library of Philadelphia Digital Collections: Drawing (adam and Eve) https://libwww.freelibrary.org/digital/item/6889

     As a Christian and having read multiple versions of the Bible, I actually like the Quran’s version of this story. As a “helper”  (nevermind one who was simply “suitable” in the Christian Bible), Eve was able to assist Adam with his physiological and safety needs. More importantly, though, was that she was created (in the Muslim version) to help ease Adam’s loneliness and bring him tranquility. In short, she aided in his sense of love and belonging. These needs on Maslow’s hierarchy have to be met before Adam can reach his full potential and purpose. 

 

     We are not genetically nor psychologically programmed to live solitary lives. While we can take care of the majority of our physiological and safety needs independently, the remaining levels of needs on Maslow’s Hierarchy are social (McLeod). The need to feel love and belonging and the esteem need cannot be met without socializing with others. 

     The primary need I’d like to focus on here is the esteem need; more specifically, the second category that Maslow identified within the esteem needs: the “desire for reputation or respect from others” (McLeod). This need begins to develop in the teen years when young adults are most impressionable.

Maslow’s Expanded Hierarchy of Needs – McLeod

     When Boyd quotes Buckingham’s five salient framings of identity (123), I can’t help but correlate them to Maslow’s expanded hierarchy of needs, as well as to the people who became a part of the online group Anonymous, which was the focus of Knappenberger’s Documentary. “Identity as a developmental process” begins with, I believe, figuring out what you believe in and what injustices you’re willing to stand up against. As society has progressed and our culture has changed over the years, I find that this stage in the developmental process is happening earlier in teens now than it did, say 30 years ago. What Knappenberger’s documentary did not discuss is how young members were when they first joined Anonymous. Many of the interviewees seemed to be in their mid-twenties. With a production date of 2012 and many of the “uprisings” conducted by Anonymous beginning around 2008, I think it’s safe to say these individuals were in their late teens when they decided to become a part of this group.

     When Boyd quotes Buckingham by saying that one’s identity is “marked through an individual’s reaction to society or culture,” (123) I think this can correlate to the cognitive needs on Maslow’s expanded scale (McLeod). Today’s society  – in most parts of the world –  is interconnected through various forms of social media and group forums on the internet. Based on the interviews with members of Anonymous, the majority of the group members connected via either Reddit or 4chen, two very open and non-judgemental chat forums. Here, the group members shared thoughts and belief systems in regards to knowledge and understanding the world around us, curiosity about other cultures and exploring the world through the eyes of others – hence, meeting those cognitive needs.

     “When an individual’s self (identity) is marked in relation to a group,” one often misconstrues doing something that is wrong (though, not necessarily illegal) for the right reasons. When the young man in the Dakotas downloaded the LOIC (Low Orbit Ion Cannon) application to his computer for a virtual “sit-in” on Scientology’s website, he believed he was standing up for something. Unfortunately for him, that turned out badly. In this situation, his identity and sense of self were threatened “by those with power” (Boyd, 123).

     While watching Knappenberger’s documentary, I couldn’t help but notice how some of the members spoke of the social actions that Anonymous had taken (i.e Scientology, Tunisia, Egypt) with a measure of what sounded like pride. Belonging to an activist group that existed purely online (the group, not the members) and was able to make a difference in the actions of foreign governments seemed to be a heady feeling.  That esteem need on Maslow’s hierarchy, specifically that “desire for reputation or respect from others” (McLeod) was most certainly fulfilled. Anonymous had developed a reputation. While some might say that it was not necessarily a good reputation, others would posit that Anonymous’ reputation demanded respect – to the point that government officials were stepping down from their positions.

Anonymous members wear Guy Fawkes masks at public events to protect their identities.     

     To be a part of an organization that makes a difference in the world, especially across the globe from where the organization originated… That is something that not many of us can say we are a part of. To those who can attest to being a part of an organization like that, I say, “Good for you. Keep doing good work.”

 

Works Cited:

Altein, Yehuda. “The Story of Adam and Eve in the Bible.” Chabad.org, www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/246606/jewish/The-Story-of-Adam-and-Eve-in-the-Bible.htm. Accessed 1 Mar 2020.

Boyd, Danah Michele.  Taken Out of Context: American Teen Sociality in Networked Publics. Diss. UC Berkeley, 2008.  Web. 119-167.

Knappenberger, Brian. “We Are Legion – The Story of the Hacktivists.” YouTube, uploaded by Roger Griffith 25 Nov 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zwDhoXpk90&feature=youtu.be.

McLeod, S.A. “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply Psychology, 21 May 2018, www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html. Accessed 1 Mar 2020.

Stacey, Aisha.“The Story of Adam (All Parts): The First Man.” The Religion of Islam, 31 March 2008, www.islamreligion.com/articles/1190/viewall/story-of-adam/. Accessed 1 Mar 2020.

Women’s Devotional Bible.  New International Version, Zondervan Publishing House, 1990.

 

**Yay, me, for finally figuring out how to insert images correctly! (That didn’t go so well with my last post if you couldn’t tell.)**