"In addition to the changes and enrichment of objective content of
human needs, there also occurs a change in the form of their psychic
reflection as a result of which they are capable of acquiring an ideational
character, and owing to this they become psychologically invariant; thus food
remains food for the person who is hungry as well as for him who is not.
In addition, the development of mental production generates such needs as can
exist only in the presence of a "plane of consciousness." Finally, there
is formed a special type of needs - needs that are objective-functional,
such as the need to work, artistic creation, etc. the main thing is that
in man needs enter into new relationships one with another. Although
satisfaction of vital needs remains a matter of "first importance" for
man and an undeniable condition of his life, higher, specifically human
needs do not at all from only superficial formations layered on top of
these vital needs. For this reason it may happen that when on one pan
of the sxales are placed the fundemental vital needs of man and on the
other, his higher needs, then his higher needs may well outweigh the
vital needs. This is generally known and does not require evidence."
This quote is, of course taken out of context. For instance it is
important to realize that in humans Leontiev claims he is talking about
needs that are homologouto other species, while when he speaks of
man he is talking about the particular social historical creature
whose needs are not homologous to animals. But hopefully you
can get the gist of what he is trying to say. At the risk of
sounding repetitive I think that it is really difficult to
unpack this idea without the notion of individual activity.
Sorry, the quote is from _Activity, Consciousness, and Personality_,
1978, Progress Press, p. 119.
Michael Glassman
University of Houston