We tend to look at human behavior as a matter of providing rational incentives for human action while most people, in fact, are driven by a need for esteem and a desire to avoid humiliation.

通常，我们倾向于以理性地分析其动机为标准,来看待人的行为是否正确合理,而其他人则是以赢得自尊和避免羞辱为标准,来判断一个人的行为是否合理。

耶鲁公开课 - 政治哲学导论课程节选

Research shows that even partial ostracism is quickly detected, and that lacking information that others in your group seem to have undermines not one but four fundamental human needs: the need for belonging and connection to others, self-esteem, the need for a sense of control and effectiveness, and the need for meaningful work.

FORBES: The Hidden Dangers of Leaving Someone Out of the Loop

Once we've taken care of those, we can attend to our craving for love and companionship, and then on to our desire for self-esteem and, finally, to our need for what Maslow called self-actualization.

WSJ: Why Modern Innovation Traffics in Trifles

The Apollo program was a sort of collective ego boost for Americans, but again I would rank it as a sign of maturity that we no longer have need for hundred billion dollar self-esteem enhancements.

FORBES: The New Pharaohs: Confusing Triumphalism and State Coercion With Progress