Lance Armstrong’s Hierarchy

On October 2, 1996, Lance Armstrong went from being a world-class cyclist to hitting his all-time low when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He was only given a twenty percent chance of survival and needed to start chemotherapy and rehab immediately. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Lance Armstrong was able to take the necessary steps one at a time to build up his motivation and success after the cancer scare.

Initially, Lance had to take precaution and listen to advice from his medical team in order to fight the battle ahead of him. He had to tackle and recognize his physiological needs, which were good health, and learning how to live again. Lance was fed and nurtured everyday adhering to a strict diet throughout the very difficult time and received proper attention. During his stay, Lance began to get better and had a sense of security since he was receiving the proper care and was starting to feel confident in his ability to beat his sickness. He was no longer at a low, but was steadily progressing toward becoming himself once again.

Lance had to put his trust into the hospital and especially grew fond of his nurse, who boosted his belongingness need. She was there with him throughout most of the stay and believed that he would make it through, even with the knowledge of his slim chances of survival. After a year of care, Lance was told that he was cured and no longer had cancer. Lance could have never returned to cycling and been a winner by overcoming cancer, but he was determined to continue cycling. However, Mr. Armstrong did not have a team to ride with until the US