There are many theories extant as to the motivations of men, and the authors are aware that these many explanations exist. They are acquainted with much more sophisticated explanations of human wants than the “four wishes” of W. I. Thomas, but for the purposes of this post they find the classification a useful one in pointing out the general lines along which motivations flow. It will be accepted that man, wherever he is found – in the jungles of Africa, in the Arctic or on Main Street, U.S.A. – has four basic desires which Thomas has pointed out. The four “wishes” are security, new experience, recognition, and response.
These obviously constitute an oversimplification and are not specific wishes, but rather a broad social-psychological classification of the various types of social desires of individuals. In the following descriptions of the wishes, it should be remembered that none exist in a pure form, but the combinations in various degree always exist.
Security - All wishes or desires stem from man’s ability to think, and the way he satisfies these wishes is based upon his basic value orientation. He may place a high value on security. If he does, most of the goals which he accepts will be those which he thinks will give him immediate or ultimate security.
The individual’s wish for security might be satisfied by temporal material things such as food, shelter, and clothing, and adequate reserves of wealth to secure these in the future. This wish might be satisfied by spiritual beliefs in the hereafter, and by the individual’s feeling that he had a chance of going to a desirable locale after death. Whether or not such beliefs could be grounded in reality is immaterial since when men consider situations to be real, they act as if they were.
Still others satisfy the security wish by being accepted into groups which they consider to be important to their well being. They find security in belonging. Security to many group members means a feeling that the group will behave in a regular, routine fashion. Such a member feels that if changes are made in group functioning, they will be brought about slowly, and he, as an individual, will not be thrust into a new situation rapidly and without warning. His security is relative to the degree of his feeling of acceptance by the group.
New Experience – This wish or motivation may be satisfied by seeking contacts with new people, seeking out or creating new social situations in which to become involved, learning and accepting new and different responsibilities, and learning to play new and different roles. A person highly motivated by this wish would jump at the opportunity to take on a difficult committee assignment or try a new group technique. A new and difficult social situation might well act as a challenge to this individual rather than create a feeling of insecurity or frustration.
Recognition – The wish for recognition is expressed in the desire of the individual to “be somebody” in the eyes of his fellows. This wish is so well expressed in our culture and so generally understood that little discussion is necessary. Each individual feels the need to be considered important by his fellow men. This need arises, as was pointed out earlier, because man with his unique thinking ability conceptualizes himself in relation to others and he has mental images of what others think of him. Since we live in a highly competitive culture, people vie for status as well as wealth. Wealth may become simply a device for providing status and recognition. Being known as an important person, getting one’s name in the paper, working on a job which has high prestige, and other ways too obvious to mention are all ways of satisfying the need for recognition.
In the ideal formal democratic group, where ideas are accepted on their merit, individuals are ascribed status on the basis of their ability to create ideas rather than on other bases. Thus the pure democratic group provides a totally different framework within which individuals may achieve status or recognition.
Response – The wish for response is the desire to be wanted; the feeling that others enjoy one’s association and wish to continue it. This wish differs from the wish for recognition in that the individual is not as concerned about his prestige and recognition as a matter of public knowledge and public record. As a minimum for response satisfaction, the reference groups which the individual considers significant must accept him as a person and indicate their satisfaction with his being one of them. An individual satisfies his need for response by gaining acceptance with a small number of individuals, his peers, who know him on a primary face-to-face basis and accept him as a person for what he is, including his foibles.
In any society one can find those who satisfy their need for response by accepting the menial tasks which need to be performed, such as washing dishes, and get satisfaction from being needed and from associating with others while performing these tasks. A person satisfying this need for response is satisfied by the fact that others recognize him as a personality and empathize with him, understand him, and accept him. He revels in being liked by others. Even those who chiefly value status also value the response of those about them.
The social interactions related to satisfaction of need for response are usually much more intimate than those of recognition. In the desire for response, people may seek relationships such as love, affection, respect, a feeling of being wanted, and belonging with and to other people. The need for response is often satisfied by a feeling of acceptance as a total person. An individual likes to feel that others like to have him around. He likes to feel that others confide in him and seek his help and advice. He interacts with others in solving their and his little personal problems. Under these circumstances he is satisfying his need for response.
Individuals make different choices regarding the extent to which they attempt to satisfy these various wishes. The choices are usually based on the personal values arrived at through interpretations of past experiences in situations which involved earlier efforts to satisfy these wishes.
All individuals experience all of these wishes in varying degrees of intensity. Some people have a stronger desire for satisfaction of one or of another of these wishes. The need for satisfaction of this wish continuously assumes precedence over others in such a person.
If one accepts the proposition that the actions of human beings are oriented around the satisfaction of these wishes, one is led to ask why men the world over attempt to satisfy these wishes in so many different ways. The over-simplified answer to this is that the culture in which men find themselves sets the boundaries within which these wishes must be satisfied, and the unique experiences of each individual determines the emphasis he will place on the satisfaction of each wish.
These basic wishes may be fulfilled in many different ways. In many instances, motivations arising from them can contribute to group productivity. In other cases they may hinder group productivity. The wish for recognition may be fulfilled by doing a given job well. For this, recognition is given by fellow members. However, if an individual cannot get this kind of positive recognition from the group, he may turn to unacceptable behavior to gain attention. Thus the frustrated group member may turn to being a “cut-up” or playboy, a blocker, or a discussion monopolizer.
The group member that feels thwarted at gaining new experience within the acceptable group value system and action framework may fulfill his wish by inventing new techniques to slow up or disrupt group operation. This may give release to his desire for new experience. In some instances, when an individual is not having new experiences, he drops out of the group.
The individual who feels he is not receiving the proper response from group members may find one or two other persons who share his attitude. They may form a tightknit clique and turn their interests and actions toward themselves, rather than the group and its activities.
When group members and leaders recognize that the need for individual satisfactions exist in their groups, methods can be used which will move the group toward its goals and at the same time bring satisfaction to individuals.
Group productivity is greatest in those groups where techniques are used which simultaneously further the attainment of the group goals and bring fulfillment of the wishes of individual members.
Although group members may have been born and reared in the same community, they may join a group for many different reasons; they are trying to satisfy various personal desires and needs. Out of these different value orientations, different felt needs and different desires for goal fulfillment, they must find common interests, motivations, patterns of interaction, and personal relations that will enable them to move effectively toward wish satisfaction and goal fulfillment within the group structure.
External forces affect all group activities; no group exists in a social vacuum. Such forces as community values, community expectations, institutional values, parent group affiliations and control, inter-group competition, and prestige and status affect every group – its member motivations, goals and means, and ongoing activities. These external forces are reflected largely through the beliefs, feelings, and actions of the members. Examples of how external forces directly affect the actions of individuals have already been given. This chapter will treat briefly those broader external dynamics that affect the group as a whole. 
In his quest to satisfy his needs and wants, man has found that many of them are best satisfied through group affiliation and action. If the members of various groups are asked why they joined, they will give many different answers. Some might have joined because membership in the group will enhance their status. Others joined because of a value placed on service – they wanted to help other people and feel this group gives them this opportunity. Another person may have joined a group because he feels he may make some business contacts that he feels in the end may make him some money. There are other kinds of personal gain motivations.