The Triangle of Human Wants: A Theoretical and Empirical Framework for Understanding the Foundation of Human Desire

Saswat Sundar Rath
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Saswat Sundar Rath: Indian Council of Agricultural Research

No 2crsb_v1, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: In this paper, I introduce “The Triangle of Human Wants”, a novel theoretical model that views human desire as a dynamic and a self-balancing construct based on three interdependent foundational elements such as- Time, Resources, and Money (TRM). The model suggests that these three form the bare minimum conditions that are needed for any want, desire, or goal to emerge, be pursued, and ultimately be satisfied. It draws an analogy to the disease triangle in plant pathology, where disease only occurs when there is the presence of a susceptible host, a virulent pathogen, and a favourable environment, in the same sense, the TRM says that the absence of any one of the elements results in want not being fulfilled or efforts being redirected. Unlike existing motivational theories, such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, that describes what humans want, whereas the TRM answers how can a want exist or proceed. It considers human life as if it’s an interacting field of energy, limited by availability of time, access to resources, and monetary means. Empirical data used here was collected through a survey I conducted with 80 respondents with a simple questionnaire to assess how goal achievement relates to TRM availability, revealing significant correlation between domains (r = .34 to .51), a three-factor structure presented by exploratory factor analysis (EFA; loadings>|0.40|, total variance explained was 100%), and decent predictive power (R2 = .35 in regression) for an initial pilot study. Barriers like money where the major bottleneck according to the survey (28% of citations). Overall, The TRM offers a foundational idea which unities motivational, economic, and systems theories into one framework. Its implications include personal well-being, organization goal achievement, policy design and even a universal tool for diagnostics. The findings open pathways for TRM in interventions addressing wastage and misapplication in a complex, resource-limited, and time-bound universe.

Date: 2025-11-03
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:2crsb_v1

DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/2crsb_v1

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