• CURTIS FOSTER’S THE EQUATION of LIFE & Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is an idea in psychology proposed by American psychologist Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” in the journal Psychological Review.

His theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans.

The theory is a classification system intended to reflect the Universal Needs of society as its base (Security) then proceeding in stages to more acquired emotions (Aspirations).

The hierarchy of needs is split between deficiency needs (Security Mind) and growth needs (Aspirational Mind) with two key themes involved within the theory being the prioritization of Needs (Security) and Individualism (Aspirations).

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Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Wise mind is the point of overlap between reasonable mind and emotional mind, like on the Venn diagram.

Wise mind is part reason and part emotion and what makes you know you’re in this mind is often a sense of intuition. It can sometimes be described as that ‘aha’ moment.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) founder Marsha Linehan describes wise mind as “that part of each person that can know and experience truth. It is where the person knows something to be true or valid. It is almost always quiet. It has a certain peace. It is where the person knows something in a centered way.”

The Buddha, Stoics and philosophers, and later, psychologists codified and defined balancing Reasonable Mind and Emotional Mind as the Middle Path, the Middle Way, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy’s Wise Mind.

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CURTIS FOSTER’S

THE EQUATION of LIFE

CURTIS FOSTER Combined Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’s:

A – Aspirational Mind

and

D – Security Mind

with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy’s:

B – Reasonable Mind

and

C – Emotional Mind

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Venn Diagram of all Four Life Conditions:

CURTIS FOSTER’S

THE EQUATION of LIFE

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A – Aspirational Mind: Hopes & Dreams, Self-actualization & Transcendence / Spirituality

• ♣️♦️ HEALTH (Energy)

B – Reasonable Mind: Logic

• ♠️ REASON (Awareness)

C – Emotional Mind: Feelings

• ♥️ RELATIONSHIPS (Emotions)

D – Security Mind: Deficiency Needs

• ♦️♣️ WEALTH (SECURITY)

CENTER – Wise Mind Squared: the “EYE”

Just as Wise Mind is the overlap or BALANCE between Reasonable Mind and Emotional Mind in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Wise Mind Squared is an overlap or BALANCE of all Four Life Conditions: Aspirational Mind, Reasonable Mind, Emotional Mind, and Security Mind.

The EYE is a heightened state of mind / awareness where all Four Life Conditions – Aspirational Mind, Reasonable Mind, Emotional Mind, and Security Mind are BALANCED.

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♣️ Aspirational Mind

• Aspirational Mind is our hopes & dreams, Self-actualization & Transcendence/Spirituality
• What makes the struggle and life worth living and doing. “Why am I even doing this? What’s the point? What am I working and sacrificing so hard for?”
• What gets you out of bed
• The Goal/Dream
• Fantasies
• Obsessions
• “Speaking as the world’s foremost expert on European Antiquities, if it weren’t for my life long obsession and passion, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

♦️ Security Mind

• Deficiency Needs: safety, belonging, esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical needs
• Deprivation: lack of air, water, food, heat, clothing, shelter, reproduction, sleep
• Security: Health, Personal, Emotional, Financial
• Biological components for human survival
• Cognitive and Aesthetic Needs
• “I understand and believe in your aspiration to be the first philatelist on the moon, but we don’t have enough money to pay the rent this month!”

♠️ Reasonable Mind

• Practical and logical.
• Awareness and Consciousness
• Thinking or acting without considering emotions and feelings.
• Opposition/Life’s Current/Gravity

♥️ Emotional Mind

• Emotions
• Thinking or acting solely based on ones emotions and feelings.
• Relationships
• Empathy
• Feelings

Wise Mind

• The point of overlap between Emotional Mind and Reasonable Mind.
• Part reason and part emotion.
• Sense of intuition.
• “that part of each person that can know and experience truth. It is where the person knows something to be true or valid. It is almost always quiet. It has a certain peace. It is where the person knows something in a centered way.”
• Buddha, Stoics & philosophers, and later, psychologists codified balancing Reasonable Mind and Emotional Mind into Wise Mind, the Middle Path, or the Middle Way.

Wise Mind Squared

• Wise Mind is the overlap or BALANCE between Reasonable Mind and Emotional Mind in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
• Wise Mind Squared is an overlap or BALANCE of all Four Life Conditions: Reasonable Mind, Emotional Mind, Security Mind, and Aspirational Mind in Curtis Foster’s THE EQUATION of LIFE.

The EYE

• The EYE is a heightened state of mind/awareness where all Four Life Conditions – Aspirational Mind, Reasonable Mind, Emotional Mind, and Security Mind, are BALANCED.

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Anything and Everything you are going through is represented here.

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