Psychologist
Abraham Maslow first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" and his subsequent book
Motivation and Personality. This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs.
This hierarcy 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. Once these lower-level needs have been
met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety
and security.
As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social. Soon, the need for
love,
friendship, and intimacy become important. Further up the pyramid, the
need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority.
Like
Carl Rogers,
Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is a
process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve
individual potential.
Types of Needs
Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a
major role in motivating behavior. Physiological, security, social, and
esteem needs are
deficiency needs (also known as
D-needs),
meaning that these needs arise due to deprivation. Satisfying these
lower-level needs is important in order to avoid unpleasant feelings or
consequences.
Maslow termed the highest-level of the pyramid as
growth needs (also known as
being needs or
B-needs). Growth needs do not stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person.
Five Levels of the Hierarchy of Needs
There are five different levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:
- Physiological Needs
These include the most basic needs that are 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.
- Security Needs
These include needs for safety and security. Security needs are
important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the
physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for
steady employment, health insurance, safe neighborhoods, and shelter
from the environment.
- Social Needs
These include needs for belonging, love, and affection. Maslow
considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security
needs. Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments, and
families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance, as
does involvement in social, community, or religious groups.
- Esteem Needs
After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs becomes
increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect
on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and accomplishment.
- Self-actualizing Needs
This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing
people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned
with the opinions of others, and interested fulfilling their potential.
