The Network Society - University of Massachusetts Amherst

348 The Network Society
tradition, they are found also in other cultures (the European tradition
is based on the multi-layered values of the Enlightenment, i.e. freedom,
fraternity and equality; the Christian values of faith, hope and
love; and the values of the classical period, i.e. justice, courage, temperance
and wisdom—all values that can be found universally).
The importance of these ten values can be described with the following
pyramid, which is often referred to in the description of man’s
psychological needs (e.g. Maslow 1954, 1962).
Figure 15.2 The pyramid of values from the psychological
perspective
Balance
Meaning
Visionariness
Courage
Creativity
Freedom
Encouragement
Communality
Confidence
Caring
Fight for Survival
Hope
Enthusiasm
Independence
vs. control
Esteem
Belonging
vs. envy
Safety
vs. envy
Exhaustion
The above description of needs emphasises caring and confidence
as the basic human needs, which form the foundation for the social
needs for communality and encouragement and the needs for freedom
and creativity that are related to self-fulfilment. Courage and visionariness
are forward-looking values, while balance and meaningfulness
ensure that our actions have a meaning. Psychological experiences,
which are listed on the right-hand side of the pyramid, show that you
can either move up towards enthusiasm and hope or go down,
through control and envy, towards fear and exhaustion. (This pyramid
can be used for describing not only society as a whole, but also
its various sectors, such as economy, politics, work, education and
individual people. However, the order in which the values are listed
and the pyramid form of the figure should not be interpreted as a normative
stand on the interrelation between the values.)