You know how, in 3rd grade, they teach you that atoms look like little solar systems, with a nucleus in the middle like the sun and electrons orbiting like planets. Then you get into high school and they say "Well that model isn't great, it's more like a tiny tiny spec in the middle of a huge amorphous cloud somewhere in which you might find the electrons"?

"Maslow's Pyramid" is that 3rd grade "we had to start somewhere" model, and in a world full of people with bachelor's degrees who took Psych 150 and nothing else that's the best they got.

If Maslow's Pyramid was a law of physics, then hunger strikes would be impossible. That is someone putting their need for community above their need for food.

On a less extreme example, some people will skip dinner to hang out with friends, or hold their piss while trying to achieve a world video game speed run. Some people feel little to no need for romance, others can't function properly without their partner. Some people see popularity as a basic need, others are hermits. Going out to a bar where you might get roofied in order to meet people puts social needs above personal safety.

Because a lot of people have been through Psych 150, I can usually explain the Principle of Readiness to someone the fastest by just mentioning Maslow's Pyramid. Ed Thorndike described several principles related to learning, and the principle of Readiness says that students who are hungry, thirsty, tired, in poor health, have obligations to fulfill outside the classroom etc. do not learn well. Maslow would say the lesson is probably fulfilling a need very high on the pyramid, but the student has unfilled needs near the base. I would personally also add to this that students don't learn well unless they understand what of their needs the lesson will help them fulfill; they need to know why the lesson is important to THEM in THEIR lives. Which is why I'm convinced a teacher with students who ask "why do we need to learn this" is an abject failure.