3.3: Self-Actualization and Maslow's Hierarchy

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Another framework that can help human services professionals understand why people think and behave the way they do comes from Abraham Maslow. In 1943, Maslow proposed a model to explain universal human motivators. He theorized that there are universal "needs" that all humans seek to fill, and that choices and behaviors are motivated by these needs. These needs were arranged in a hierarchy, with physiological (survival) needs at the bottom, and the more creative and intellectually oriented ‘self-actualization’ needs at the top. These needs are often depicted as a pyramid:

1. Physiological needs are biological requirements for human survival, e.g., air, food, drink, shelter, clothing, warmth, sex, and sleep.

Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first thing that motivates our behavior. Once that level is fulfilled, the next level up is what motivates us, and so on.

The human body cannot function optimally if physiological needs are not satisfied. Maslow considered physiological needs the most important as all the other needs become secondary until these needs are met.

2. Safety needs – people want to experience order, predictability, and control in their lives.

Safety needs can be fulfilled by the family and society (e.g., police, schools, business, and medical care).

For example, emotional security, financial security (e.g., employment, social welfare), law and order, freedom from fear, social stability, property, health, and well-being (e.g., safety against accidents and injury).

3. Love and belongingness needs refers to a human emotional need for interpersonal relationships, affiliating, connectedness, and being part of a group.

Examples of belongingness needs include friendship, intimacy, trust, acceptance, receiving and giving affection, and love.

This need is especially strong in childhood and can override the need for safety, as witnessed in children who cling to abusive parents.

4. Esteem needs are the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy and include self-worth, accomplishment, and respect.

Maslow classified esteem needs into two categories: (i) esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and (ii) the desire for reputation or respect from others (e.g., status, prestige).

Esteem is the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others. People often engage in a profession or hobby to gain recognition, which gives them a sense of contribution or value.

Low self-esteem or an inferiority complex may result from imbalances during this level in the hierarchy.

Maslow indicated that the need for respect or reputation is most important for children and adolescents and precedes real self-esteem or dignity.

5. Self-actualization needs are the highest level in Maslow’s hierarchy, and refer to the realization of a person’s potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth, and peak experiences.

This level of need refers to what a person’s full potential is and the realization of that potential.

Maslow (1943, 1987, p. 64) describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, and “to become everything one is capable of becoming”.

The growth of self-actualization (Maslow, 1962) refers to the need for personal growth and discovery that is present throughout a person’s life. For Maslow, a person is always “becoming” and never remains static in these terms. In self-actualization, a person comes to find a meaning in life that is important to them.

Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically. For example, one individual may have a strong desire to become an ideal parent.

In another, the desire may be expressed athletically. For others, it may be expressed in paintings, pictures, or inventions.

Although Maslow did not believe that many of us could achieve true self-actualization, he did believe that all of us experience transitory moments (known as ‘peak experiences’) of self-actualization.

Such moments, associated with personally significant events such as childbirth, sporting achievement and examination success, are difficult to achieve and maintain consistently.

Maslow (1954) proposed that human beings possess two sets of needs. This five-stage model can be divided into deficiency needs and growth needs. The first four levels are often referred to as deficiency needs (D-needs), and the top level is known as growth or being needs (B-needs).

Deficiency needs

Deficiency needs concern basic survival and include physiological needs (such as the need for food, sex, and sleep) and safety needs (such as the need for security and freedom from danger).

Behaviors associated with these needs are seen as ‘deficiency’ motivated, as they are a means to an end.

Deficiency needs arise due to deprivation and are said to motivate people when they are unmet. Also, the motivation to fulfill such needs will become stronger the longer they are denied. For example, the longer a person goes without food, the more hungry they will become.

Maslow (1943) initially stated that individuals must satisfy lower-level deficit needs before progressing to meet higher-level growth needs.

However, he later clarified that satisfaction of a need is not an “all-or-none” phenomenon, admitting that his earlier statements may have given “the false impression that a need must be satisfied 100 percent before the next need emerges” (1987, p. 69).

When a deficit need has been “more or less” satisfied, it will go away, and our activities become habitually directed toward meeting the next set of needs we have yet to satisfy. These then become our salient needs. However, growth needs continue to be felt and may even become stronger once engaged.

Growth needs

Growth needs are more psychological and are associated with realizing an individual’s full potential and needing to ‘self-actualize’. These needs are achieved more through intellectual and creative behaviors.

Growth needs do not stem from a lack of something but rather from a desire to grow as a person. Once these growth needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level, called self-actualization. Growth needs are achieved more through intellectual and creative behaviors.

Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress is often disrupted by a failure to meet lower-level needs.

Life experiences, including divorce and the loss of a job, may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy.

Therefore, not everyone will move through the hierarchy in a uni-directional manner but may move back and forth between the different types of needs.

Why is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs important?

Maslow’s theory has given rise to a new way to look at people’s needs. For example, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is widely used in health and social work as a framework for assessing clients’ needs.

Problems or difficult circumstances at one point in a person’s life can cause them to fixate on a particular set of needs, and this can affect their future happiness.

For example, a person who lived through a period of extreme deprivation and lack of security in early childhood may fixate on physiological and safety needs. These remain salient even if they are satisfied.

So even if this person later has everything they need they may nonetheless obsess over money or keeping enough food in the fridge.

This, for Maslow, was the root cause of many ‘neurotic’ mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression.

Attribution: MacLeod, S. (2024). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html#:~:text=Maslow's%20hierarchy%20of%20needs%20is,esteem%2C%20and%20self%2Dactualization.

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.

Think It Over

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

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Maslow's Hierarchy in Human Services

Understanding Client Needs

Every client brings a unique story, a jigsaw puzzle of needs waiting to be understood and pieced together. Human services workers, with Maslow’s theory in hand, can assess which pieces are missing or which need to be placed first to create a stable foundation for the client.

• Physiological and Safety Needs: For clients struggling with homelessness, hunger, or abuse, human services professionals must address these baseline needs before any therapeutic work can be meaningful. A client cannot focus on healing from trauma if they do not have a safe place to sleep.

• Love and Belonging: Humans are social creatures. A sense of connection is imperative for mental health. Human services workers foster environments where clients can build relationships, whether by facilitating support groups or connecting them with community resources.

• Esteem: Human services workers encourage and facilitate self-empowerment, helping clients find their strengths and build self-esteem. Programs that foster skill development or volunteer work can help clients feel more valuable and capable.

• Self-Actualization: The pinnacle of Maslow’s pyramid is self-actualization, and while it may seem like a luxury, it’s crucial for long-term satisfaction and fulfillment. Human services workers assist clients in setting personal goals and realizing their potential beyond their immediate needs.

Prioritizing Interventions

Maslow’s theory helps prioritize interventions. In crisis situations, it guides human services professionals to make swift decisions that stabilize and secure an individual’s basic needs. But it’s also crucial in less urgent settings, helping to create a step-by-step approach to client welfare.

• Immediate vs. Long-Term Needs: Some needs can’t wait—like hunger or imminent danger. Maslow’s hierarchy dictates these be met first. Long-term needs, like job training or counseling for relationship issues, can be planned for once stability is achieved.

• Holistic Case Management: Human services professionals use the hierarchy to plan comprehensive care that addresses needs at multiple levels simultaneously, acknowledging that neglecting one can undermine others.

Cultural Sensitivity and Individual Differences

Applying Maslow’s theory isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Cultural context and individual differences mean that what constitutes a need at one level can vary dramatically from person to person.

• Cultural Considerations: For some cultures, community and family relationships may be prioritized over individual achievement. Human services professionals must adapt their application of Maslow’s hierarchy to align with the cultural values of their clients.

• Individual Life Experiences: Clients’ past experiences shape their needs and their paths to fulfillment. For instance, a survivor of domestic violence may have safety as a recurring need, even after securing a safe environment.

Client Advocacy

Maslow’s hierarchy also has a place in the broader scope of advocacy work. By understanding the hierarchy of needs, human services workers can better advocate for policies and resources that address systemic barriers to need fulfillment.

• Resource Allocation: By recognizing widespread unmet needs, human services workers can advocate for better resource allocation within communities.

• Policy Influence: Understanding the fundamental needs of individuals helps inform policy recommendations that can improve the well-being of entire populations.

Attribution: Mitchell, M. (2024). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the ASWB exam. Agents of Change. https://agentsofchangeprep.com/blog/...the-aswb-exam/