This may be a good time to refer once again to
Abraham Maslow. Maslow has drawn a distinction between:
1. deficit needs (or "D-needs"); and
2. "being needs" (or "B-needs").
What is the difference? Suppose you don't have X. You feel you need X. Then you obtain X. Your need goes away. You don't feel it anymore.
Example - food is a D-need. You are hungry. You feel that you need to eat. So you eat. But up to a certain point - eg after a very big meal, you don't feel hungry anymore. In fact, you feel so full that at that point in time, you feel absolutely no need for more food.
What is a B-need? It's also known as a self-actualisation need. A B-need is a need that does not go away, even after you have fed it. In fact, Maslow asserts that the more you feed a B-need, the more it may grow.
Maslow's examples of B-Needs include:
Truth, rather than dishonesty.
Goodness, rather than evil.
Beauty, not ugliness or vulgarity.
Unity, wholeness, and transcendence of opposites, not arbitrariness or forced choices.
Aliveness, not deadness or the mechanization of life.
Uniqueness, not bland uniformity.
Perfection and necessity, not sloppiness, inconsistency, or accident.
Completion, rather than incompleteness.
Justice and order, not injustice and lawlessness.
Simplicity, not unnecessary complexity.
Richness, not environmental impoverishment.
Effortlessness, not strain.
Playfulness, not grim, humorless, drudgery.
Self-sufficiency, not dependency.
Meaningfulness rather than senselessness
Example - suppose you are a self-actualising person who desires Goodness. After you obtain or create Goodness in your life, your need for Goodness does not go away. It may in fact grow. You will want more and more Goodness in your life.
A less-abstract example. Suppose you are a self-actualising artist. You desire Beauty. You paint a most beautiful picture. Your desire for Beauty will not cease. Instead you may want to paint more and more pictures, create more and more beautiful works of art.
If you are a self-actualising person who is unable to engage your B-needs, you will suffer. You will get what Maslow described as metapathologies - depression, despair, disgust,alienation, cynicism.
In other words, all your D-Needs may be completely satisfied; you may have enough food, money, respect from others; nice house; big car etc. But you will still suffer if you cannot engage your B-Needs. You will not be happy.
I have a good sense of what my B-Needs are. They are growth, knowledge, wisdom, improvement, learning. What this means is that my happiness lies in constantly growing, learning, understanding, improving myself and the things around me etc.
A person's B-Needs ultimately stems from his most intrinsic personality traits. These, of course, vary from person to person.
Putting it all back in the LOA context. If you know your B-needs are, you can use LOA to help you feed them. Actually, LOA can satisfy your D-Needs too.