The need to make sense of experience — to have sufficient clarity about what is happening, why it is happening, and what it means. Both the need to understand oneself and one's situation, and the need to be understood by others. Distinct from [[Need - To Be Seen]], which is about recognition of one's particularity. Understanding is more specifically about comprehension — the felt sense that experience is legible rather than opaque. ## Feelings that signal this need is unmet [[Anxious]] | [[Confused]] | [[Dread]] [[Afraid]] | [[Disconnected]] | [[Restless]] ## How it commonly manifests Difficulty tolerating ambiguity — a pull toward explanation, narrative, or resolution when uncertainty is present. Can also manifest as a need to be heard and comprehended by another person in a way that goes beyond simply being listened to. ## Values filter question *Do I have sufficient clarity here to act from understanding rather than reaction?* ## Related needs [[Need - Safety]] | [[Need - Meaning]] [[Need - To Be Seen]] | [[Need - Authenticity]]