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15.6: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

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    Learning Objectives
    • Explain the basic concepts associated with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

    While the theories of motivation described earlier relate to basic biological drives, individual characteristics, or social contexts, Abraham Maslow (1943) proposed a hierarchy of needs that spans the spectrum of motives ranging from the biological to the individual to the social. These needs are often depicted as a pyramid (Figure 1).

    A triangle is divided vertically into five sections with corresponding labels inside and outside of the triangle for each section. From top to bottom, the triangle's sections are labeled: “self-actualization” corresponds to “Inner fulfillment” “esteem” corresponds to “Self-worth, accomplishment, confidence”; “social” corresponds to “Family, friendship, intimacy, belonging”’ “security” corresponds to “Safety, employment, assets”; ““physiological” corresponds to “Food, water, shelter, warmth.”
    Figure 1. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is illustrated here. In some versions of the pyramid, cognitive and aesthetic needs are also included between esteem and self-actualization. Others include another tier at the top of the pyramid for self-transcendence.

    At the base of the pyramid are all of the physiological needs that are necessary for survival. These are followed by basic needs for security and safety, the need to be loved and to have a sense of belonging, and the need to have self-worth and confidence. The top tier of the pyramid is self-actualization, which is a need that essentially equates to achieving one’s full potential, and it can only be realized when needs lower on the pyramid have been met. To Maslow and humanistic theorists, self-actualization reflects the humanistic emphasis on positive aspects of human nature. Maslow suggested that this is an ongoing, life-long process and that only a small percentage of people actually achieve a self-actualized state (Francis & Kritsonis, 2006; Maslow, 1943).

    According to Maslow (1943), one must satisfy lower-level needs before addressing those needs that occur higher in the pyramid. So, for example, if someone is struggling to find enough food to meet his nutritional requirements, it is quite unlikely that he would spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about whether others viewed him as a good person or not. Instead, all of his energies would be geared toward finding something to eat. However, it should be pointed out that Maslow’s theory has been criticized for its subjective nature and its inability to account for phenomena that occur in the real world (Leonard, 1982). Other research has more recently addressed that late in life, Maslow proposed a self-transcendence level above self-actualization—to represent striving for meaning and purpose beyond the concerns of oneself (Koltko-Rivera, 2006). For example, people sometimes make self-sacrifices in order to make a political statement or in an attempt to improve the conditions of others. Mohandas K. Gandhi, a world-renowned advocate for independence through nonviolent protest, on several occasions went on hunger strikes to protest a particular situation. People may starve themselves or otherwise put themselves in danger displaying higher-level motives beyond their own needs.

    Link to Learning

    Check out this interactive exercise that illustrates some of the important concepts in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

    Review Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as well as the other theories of motivation in this Crash Course video.

    Try It

    Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)

     

    Query \(\PageIndex{2}\)

     

    Think It Over

    • Can you think of recent examples of how Maslow’s hierarchy of needs might have affected your behavior in some way?

    Glossary

    hierarchy of needs: spectrum of needs ranging from basic biological needs to social needs to self-actualization

    motivation: wants or needs that direct behavior toward some goal

    self-efficacy: individual’s belief in his own capabilities or capacities to complete a task

    Contributors and Attributions

    CC licensed content, Original

    • Modification and adaptation, addition of link to learning. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
    CC licensed content, Shared previously

    15.6: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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