(An unmet Need causes us to feel empty, incomplete or less than whole. Fulfilling a Need gives us freedom to be ourselves.)
Your first reaction might be to say that everyone has a need to be heard; we all like it when someone listens to us. However, today very few people have a place where they can talk about what is important to them and be listened to, fully heard.
But liking to be heard — nice as that is — is different from having a need to be heard. The need typically starts during our developing years when, for whatever reason, our opinions were neither listened to nor solicited. Feeling the frustration, but being unable to identify the cause, led to behavior that would have us be certain of being heard. Driven by this need people have become teachers, speakers, salespeople and consultants, sometimes very accomplished at what they do.
When this need has not been met we have changed jobs, spouses, friends, volunteer activities and communities. This is expensive behavior.
Who in your world needs for you to hear them? Is your need to be heard interfering with theirs?
Copyright 2001 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.
