Sixteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

From the very beginning, human beings have shaped their social tendencies out of the need to survive (Leclercle, 1957). Communication and learning were the basis for their development. In time, humans have learned to use these tools to fulfill their needs. This process has gradually led to other needs that were classified based on the immediate necessity of survival (physiological needs, safety, sent of belonging, esteem, and fulfillment based on personal evolution) (Maslow, 1943, cited in McLeod, 2018). The twenty-first century shows that Europe has evolved so much that the first four human needs could be easily met (Van Bijsterveld, 2004). However, once the basic needs were not a concern anymore, the whole system, which did not keep up with the new challenges, gradually came to hinder people’s ability to further provide for their needs, even the basic ones. Starting from the social constructionist approach, I analyze human behavior and the human need for change. Then, to find out the level of happiness among people, I sent a questionnaire to a group of working people from Romania. Based on the questionnaire, I establish which are the most difficult needs to fulfill within the limits of the current work system, the direction in which human needs have evolved, and the reasons why this social reality has not changed. In these times, the coronavirus pandemic represents an opportunity not only to change the whole system but also to reconstruct the idea of human work in the technology and global warming era.