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Maslow hierarchy of needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a psychological model that categorizes human motivations into five levels: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization, arranged in a pyramid structure. The theory posits that individuals must satisfy lower-level needs before they can address higher-level needs, impacting their overall well-being and motivation. While widely applied in various fields, the model has faced criticisms regarding the rigidity of its hierarchy and the generalizability of self-actualization traits across diverse populations.

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Maslow hierarchy of needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a psychological model that categorizes human motivations into five levels: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization, arranged in a pyramid structure. The theory posits that individuals must satisfy lower-level needs before they can address higher-level needs, impacting their overall well-being and motivation. While widely applied in various fields, the model has faced criticisms regarding the rigidity of its hierarchy and the generalizability of self-actualization traits across diverse populations.

Uploaded by

maurienneperalta8
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a model created by psychologist Abraham Maslow


for understanding the motivations for human behavior. It maps different motivations
onto a pyramid, with each level representing a different human need. These include
physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

The pyramid diagram shows how Maslow believed that human needs are hierarchical,
meaning some take priority over others. According to his theory, people cannot
achieve the needs higher up the pyramid until they have taken care of the ones below.
Maslow argued that it is only after meeting all five needs that humans can truly thrive.

Maslow published the hierarchy of needs in 1943. Researchers today consider it one
of the most impactful ideas in personality science and motivation psychology.

Maslow’s five needs


Starting at the bottom of the pyramid, the five needs are as follows:

-Physiological needs
These include physical needs that humans must meet in order to survive, such as:

food
water
sex
warmth
shelter
sleep

-Safety needs
These include things that make humans feel safe. Order, predictability, and having a
sense of control may contribute to this.

Safety can come from the actions of an individual or from their family or community.
Depending on the person, it might include:

living or working in a safe environment


having a stable and sufficient source of income
feeling protected from crime or abuse
being in good physical health with no serious illnesses
Many people in the United States live in physically or emotionally unsafe
environments. Feeling unsafe in childhood can affect mental health into adulthood.

-Love and belonging needs


Love and belonging needs include the feeling of being connected to others, belonging
to a group, and having secure relationships. People meet these needs through:
making friends
giving and receiving affection
emotional intimacy
feeling accepted by loved ones

-Esteem needs
“Esteem” is admiration and respect. Maslow divided this part of the pyramid into two
subcategories: the esteem a person has for themselves, or self-esteem, and the respect
they desire from others.

Self-esteem involves a healthy positive regard for oneself. The things a person needs
to have good self-esteem include:

self-worth, which is when a person feels they have value


competency, which involves feeling skilled or knowledgeable
dignity, which is feeling worthy of respect
independence, which, in this context, means a person feels they can do things for
themselves
Esteem from others may involve gaining:

respect from peers


acknowledgment for one’s achievements
status or prestige
fame or reputation
However, Maslow noted that the healthiest form of esteem that comes from others
needs to be earned. Celebrity and fleeting recognition cannot fulfill a person’s esteem
needs long term.

-Self-actualization
The highest need on Maslow’s pyramid is self-actualization, which involves a person
knowing themselves, understanding their full potential, and reaching it.

This is different from the esteem needs of the previous section. According to Maslow,
people who become self-actualized find motivation in growth and possibility rather
than trying to gain something they lack. They see things that they or their community
could achieve, and they pursue them, whether or not it results in an external reward.

Other characteristics that Maslow felt self-actualized people possess include:

a realistic perception of reality


acceptance of imperfections
flexibility and spontaneity in pursuing goals
autonomy and responsibility
consistent and strong morals
appreciation for life
creativity
Being self-actualized does not mean a person has no problems and is always happy.
Maslow described self-actualization as an ongoing process rather than the end point of
a journey.

Applications for Maslow’s hierarchy of needs


People have applied Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to many fields of study, industries,
and societal issues. Below are some examples:

Education
Education experts sometimes use the hierarchy of needs to help children reach their
learning potential.

For example, in 2020, the Institutes of Education Science applied the theory to
children receiving an education at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children in this situation experience unique challenges and may feel unsafe due to the
changes happening around them. The authors explain how caregivers can meet their
physical, safety, social, esteem, and personal growth needs, even in a difficult
situation.

Healthcare
In an older 2014 studyTrusted Source, researchers argue that applying Maslow’s
theory to the care of people in an intensive care unit (ICU) may have benefits.

People in ICUs tend to be oversedated and immobilized. The authors contend that
although these measures are necessary for a minority of patients, they are not essential
for the majority. In fact, they may have a negative affect on mental health and
cognitive function.

To prevent this, the authors propose changing ICU care so that it considers overall
quality of life and not just physical recovery. They advocate using less sedation and
promoting mobility wherever possible.

What happens if a person cannot meet their needs?


Unmet needs in each category can have specific effects, such as:

Need Effect if unmet


Physiological • physical illness
• hoarding behavior
Safety • anxiety
• psychological trauma
Love and belonging • loneliness
• antisocial behavior
Esteem• feeling worthless
• feeling invisible or unappreciated
• low self-confidence
• depression
Self-actualization • boredom
• cynicism
• lack of meaning in life
Maslow’s theory suggests that people’s needs at one level have to be mostly, but not
completely, met before they can move on to the next level. He believed that unmet
needs occupy the mind, preventing the pursuit of needs higher in the pyramid.

Thus, according to the theory, if a person is endeavoring to address their basic


physiological and safety needs, they will not be able to seek higher needs for love,
esteem, and self-actualization.

Criticisms of Maslow’s hierarchy


Below are some criticisms of Maslow’s theory:

The order of needs within the hierarchy is arbitrary


A 2015 studyTrusted Source notes that one criticism of Maslow’s theory involves the
order of needs within the hierarchy. Some critics say that while it is logical to put
physiological needs first and self-actualization last, people do not necessarily pursue
or obtain the needs in this order.

For example, some argue that a healthy relationship with oneself is an important
requirement for having healthy relationships with others. Maslow himself met people
who valued self-esteem more than love.

However, Maslow did not consider the exact order of needs to be rigid.

Self-actualization is not linear


In his early work, Maslow argued that a person could only self-actualize once they
had met their basic needs. However, an older 2015 paperTrusted Source notes that,
sometimes, not being able to meet one’s basic needs helps people identify their self-
actualization goals.

For example, a person may have a stable career for many years, fulfilling their safety
needs. However, if they lose their job, they may realize that their old career was not
satisfying. Needing another source of income might spur them to pursue the job they
truly want.

Maslow also acknowledged that unmet needs could be motivation for self-
actualization in his later work.

The self-actualization teaching is not generalizable


Another criticism of the concept of self-actualization is that Maslow largely based his
ideas on the biographies of notable historical figures, most of whom were educated
white men. As such, the traits he observed in these successful individuals may not
apply to all people.

Summary
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory about what motivates and fulfills humans.
The theory includes five needs, each of which forms one section on a pyramid. At the
foundation of the pyramid are physiological and safety needs. In the middle, there are
social needs, such as love and belonging. At the top are esteem and self-actualization.

People have applied the hierarchy in a range of ways, including in education, child
development, and healthcare. Psychologists can use it to understand things that may
be contributing to mental health conditions, too.

However, there are some misconceptions and criticisms about Maslow’s theory. It is
important to remember that the progression from one stage of the pyramid to the next
is not necessarily linear.

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