(An earlier draft of this comment appeared in my blog on Thursday, 13 March 2008.)

Marshall Rosenberg cites Abraham Maslow as an influence. I expect to explore Maslow's work more in the future.

I've heard many refer to Maslow's "hierarchy of needs."

When offering verbally facilitated empathy, those using NVC* often involve a possibly related technique. Having asked, "Are you feeling [guessing a feeling] because you're needing [guessing a need]?" one follows with another question. "And if that need were met, what need would be met by that?" I've heard those who offer NVC* training report that this helps individuals reach more deeply as they identify more fundamental needs.

*Nonviolent Communication (NVC) developed by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D., author of the book, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, remains a substantial source of inspiration, among others, in my process of Communicating Across Differences.