Psychologist Abraham Maslow first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation"1 and his subsequent book, Motivation and Personality. This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfil basic needs before moving on to other needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is most often displayed as a pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are located at the top of the pyramid. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep and warmth.
He placed these needs into the shape of a pyramid, in which the bottom layer consists of our lower motivational needs such as physiological needs, leading up to the top layer consisting of the higher motivational needs such as self-actualization. He believed that when a person satisfies their basic needs, they can then move up the pyramid to fulfill their higher needs. Abraham Maslow’s theory on human motivation is an accurate portrayal of how human needs affect their behavior. Many people have agreed with Maslow on his theory. In order for people to continue on with their daily tasks or life goals, they need to satisfy their most basic needs.
Maslow believed that every individual progresses through a hierarchy of needs in life in order to feel content and satisfied. He presented this as a hierarchy of needs pyramid, which can be divided into two types of needs; basic needs such as safety, esteem and love, and growth needs, such as cognitive aesthetics and self-actualization. Maslow suggested that every individual must satisfy lower level basic needs before they are able to progress towards higher level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, the individual may be able to reach the highest level of the pyramid. This level is known as self-actualization.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory of motivation and personality developed by the psychologist Abraham H. Maslow (1908-1970). Maslow's hierarchy explains human behavior in terms of basic requirements for survival and growth. These requirements, or needs, are arranged according to their importance for survival and their power to motivate the individual. The most basic physical requirements, such as food, water, or oxygen, constitute the lowest level of the need hierarchy. These needs must be satisfied before other, higher needs become important to individuals.
Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Kristina Stemple Liberty University Abstract Abraham Maslow is known for his humanistic views as well as his hierarchy of human needs which was conceptualized based on his theory on motivation. The hierarchy of needs is an organized set of human needs which infers that lower needs are met before individuals advance to next higher need, eventually leading to the final need for self-actualization. The hierarchy needs has raised some questions and challenges, however, it has established some reliability. Maslow’s theory on motivation has been an influence on employees within the workplace as well as with learning systems. His humanistic views and his concepts continue to be relevant in motivating employees and learning.
Humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow once wrote: “any theory of motivation that is worthy of attention must deal with the highest capacities of the healthy and strong person as well as with the defensive maneuvers of crippled spirits” (qtd. in Myers 565). Maslow definitely took both of these things into account when he created the hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy of needs, normally drawn out in the shape of a pyramid, starts with primitive needs, such as hunger and safety, and then continues on until we finally focus on trying to achieve ‘self-actualization’ and ‘self-transcendence’ needs. Maslow proposed that after one’s basic physical, psychological and self-esteem needs are met, a person strives for self-actualization, fulfilling our potential, and self-transcendence, where we need to find identity beyond our self (Myers 565).
We satisfy these needs to avoid unpleasant feelings or consequences. Once we satisfy our basic needs, we can move on to our next level of needs, which are for safety and security. When our basic needs have been met, our needs become more psychological and social. The need for love, friendship, and intimacy will soon become very important to us. The need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment start to have a higher priority.
The levels are set into the shape of a pyramid, symbolizing the upward movement of human progression and motivation - from the bottom the most basic of physical needs that each human has to have for life survival, to the top, which is the psychological need and desire to reach our goals and true potential. The bottom (or first) level of the hierarchy is the physiological level. This level includes breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, and excretion. These are needs we have to have in order to be alive (this includes animals as well as humans). If these needs are not met, the body will not be able to survive, and will cease to exist (a.ka., die).
Physiological Needs These include the most basic needs vital to survival, such as the need for water, air, food, and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs makes sense to me because I have applied it to my life recently and experienced success. It has helped me mentally to
Abraham Maslow developed a model known as The Hierarchy of Needs (1) as a theory for understanding human motivation and personal development. The whole basis behind Maslow’s model is that we are all motivated by needs, there are different levels to these needs and at each level the need needs to be addressed and satisfied to achieve fulfilment. ‘All the evidence that we have indicates that it is reasonable to assume in practically every