Prepotency and Satiation meanings related to Maslow's theory of Hierarchy of needs

Prepotency is mostly the main dominance of having more power, impact, or force, for example, in cases of mixed ethnicity where one ethnicity if known to be dominant over the other like "Americans say to be more dominant over African Americans."

For example when you are hungry and you then get tide up with your hands behind your back and a bag over your head your hunger will seize with the lust for breathable air and your hunger motive disappears completely, it is not that the hunger motive vanishes of existence. It is simply that that the need for air is the more urgent for your immediate physical well-being it is more clamorous. The hunger motive is still alive even stronger than it was before the plastic bag was presented, only now it is masked by another motive that is more prepotent. It now waits invisibly behind the need for survival waiting for its next chance to come to center stage, which it does with full force once the more prepotent motive is satisfied. Not only is it as alive and strong as it was before, but it is also as basic and built-in more intense than before. The fact that it can be eclipsed by a more prepotent motive does not mean it is merely secondary and derivative. It is every bit as intrinsic as the motive for breathable air. The only difference is that, when both motives are calling for satisfaction at the same time, it is the latter of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs that take priorities.

Satiation practically means the satisfaction of a need by fulfillment of that desire or need, likewise a short-term wanting of a desire efficacy after it has been presented repetitively demanding to be responded.

Satiation makes you want food less or not at all, or it also has the power of making food less reinforcing or not at all as well. Moreover, it suppresses behaviors that have in the past resulted in food consequently. When there is food deprivation, the same food make it a reinforcement for the body and will evoke going to the refrigerator constantly. On the other hand, when there is food satiation it makes food less reinforcing and suppresses going to the refrigerator.


"What is prepotency?" Psychology dictionary. "n.d." Web. 13 June, 2013.

Lowry, Richard. "A.H. Maslow's Vision of Human Nature." A new look at the everyday reality of human motivation. 1999. Web. 13 June, 2013.

"What is satiation?" Psychology dictionary. "n.d." Web. 13 June, 2013.

Olson. "Unit 3: Motivation. Motivation according to Skinner. "n.d." Web. 13 June, 2013.

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