Motivation: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

It is a theory in  psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Psychological Review.
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Abraham Harold Maslow

Abraham Harold Maslow (April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970) was an American psychologist who was best known for creating Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization. 

Maslow was a psychology  professor at  Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research and Columbia University. He stressed the importance of focusing on the positive qualities in people, as opposed to treating them as a "bag of symptoms."... read more>>

"The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short." – Abraham Maslow

Maslow described human needs as ordered in a prepotent hierarchy—a pressing need would need to be mostly satisfied before someone would give their attention to the next highest need. None of his published works included a visual representation of the hierarchy. The pyramidal diagram illustrating the Maslow needs hierarchy may have been created by a psychology textbook publisher as an illustrative device. This now iconic pyramid frequently depicts the spectrum of human needs, both physical and psychological, as accompaniment to articles describing Maslow's needs theory and may give the impression that the Hierarchy of Needs is a fixed and rigid sequence of progression. Yet, starting with the first publication of his theory in 1943, Maslow described human needs as being relatively fluid—with many needs being present in a person simultaneously. The hierarchy of human needs model suggests that human needs will only be fulfilled one level at a time.

According to Maslow's theory, when a human being ascends the levels of the hierarchy having fulfilled the needs in the hierarchy, one may eventually achieve self-actualization. Late in life, Maslow came to conclude that self-actualization was not an automatic outcome of satisfying the other human needs. Human needs as identified by Maslow:

(a) At the bottom of the hierarchy are the "Basic needs or Physiological needs" of a human being: food, water, sleep and sex.

(b)The next level is "Safety Needs: Security, Order, and Stability". These two steps are important to the physical survival of the person. Once individuals have basic nutrition, shelter and safety, they attempt to accomplish more.

(c)The third level of need is "Love and Belonging", which are psychological needs; when individuals have taken care of themselves physically, they are ready to share themselves with others, such as with family and friends.

(d)The fourth level is achieved when individuals feel comfortable with what they have accomplished. This is the "Esteem" level, the need to be competent and recognized, such as through status and level of success.

(e)Then there is the "Cognitive" level, where individuals intellectually stimulate themselves and explore.

(f)After that is the "Aesthetic" level, which is the need for harmony, order and beauty.

(g)At the top of the pyramid, "Need for Self-actualization" occurs when individuals reach a state of harmony and understanding because they are engaged in achieving their full potential. Once a person has reached the self-actualization state they focus on themselves and try to build their own image. They may look at this in terms of feelings such as self-confidence or by accomplishing a set goal.

The first four levels are known as Deficit needs or D-needs. This means that if you do not have enough of one of those four needs, you will have the feeling that you need to get it. But when you do get them, then you feel content. These needs alone are not motivating.

Maslow wrote that there are certain conditions that must be fulfilled in order for the basic needs to be satisfied. For example, freedom of speech, freedom to express oneself, and freedom to seek new information are a few of the prerequisites. Any blockages of these freedoms could prevent the satisfaction of the basic needs.

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A Theory of Human Motivation Paperback

by Abraham Maslow (Author)

This is the article in which Maslow first presented his hierarchy of needs. It was first printed in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation". Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity. His theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans. Maslow described various needs and used the terms "Physiological, Safety, Belongingness and Love, Esteem, Self-Actualization and Self-Transcendence" needs to describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through. Maslow studied what he called exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglass rather than mentally ill or neurotic people.



Motivation

What is Motivation?
Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes us to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge.

Motivation commonly refers to anything that causes people to behave as they do. Most people have a clear sense of what it feels like to be motivated to do some­thing. But scientists have found it difficult to define moti­vation. When studying motivation, most psychologists and behavioural scientists focus on two specific aspects of motivated behaviour—the arousal of behaviour and the direction of behaviour.

Arousal of behaviour involves whatever brings an organism to action. Arousal means being "stirred up' or "ready for action." It may result from stimuli inside or outside the body. Inside, or internal, stimuli include the sensation of dryness that produces thirst and the stom­ach contractions that cause hunger pangs. Outside, or external, stimuli include the heat that causes pain when a person touches a hot stove.

An aroused organism's response to stimuli depends on habits and other ways of acting that it has learned. Based on such learning, the organism may act either aimlessly or highly purposefully in a particular situation.

Direction of behaviour is determined by several in­fluences. These influences include an organism's habits, skills, and basic capacities.

Motives themselves may also direct behaviour. For example, differing motives may direct the behaviour of two football coaches when their teams face much stronger opponents. One coach's behaviour may be mo­tivated by—that is, directed toward—competition or win­ning. That coach may concentrate on seeking an upset victory. However, the behaviour of the other coach may be motivated by the players feelings and may focus on keeping the players from being discouraged by the probable loss.

Physiological conditions can direct behaviour by making organisms sensitive to stimuli from the environment.  For example, many types of birds may become sensitive to available mates and also direct their behaviour to­ward nest building when the birds' hormones reach a certain level.

Kinds of motives. Most behavioural scientists place all motives into one or more of three groups. These groups are (1) homeostatic motives, (2) nonhomeostatic Motives, and (3) learned, or social, motives.

Homeostatic motives include hunger, thirst, respiration and excretion. They work to keep the body in a balanced internal state. The term homeostasis refers to the body's tendency to maintain such a balanced inter­nal state. Many homeostatic motives are set in motion either by bodily deficits or bodily excesses. When the lady needs water, for example changes occur that cause thirst and motivate the person to seek something to drink.

Nonhomeostatic motives include sex, such activity is nest building, and curiosity about the environment. These motives are aroused by occasional forces. In the absence of such forces, nonhomeostatic motives may be inactive. In contrast, the needs for food, water, and air— homeostatic motives—have almost continuous influence.

Learned motives, or social motives, include curiosity, a desire for novelty, and the need for such things as 1 achievement, power, social affiliation, and approval.

These motives seem to develop through experience, es­pecially through social experience, such as early experi­ence in the family or with friends during adolescence. Learned motive's continue to evolve and influence behaviour throughout life. However, their exact origins are not clear. Some babies have strong needs for social affiliation that may result from conditions during pregnancy and birth as well as, perhaps, other factors.

The three kinds of motives often overlap. For example, desire for new experiences may be homeostatic as well as learned. This is because people differ as to the level of novel stimulation their homeostatic mechanisms seek to maintain. As a result, some people always seem to be looking for something new while others seem too content with the familiar.

Theories of motivation. Some general theories of motivation identify a limited number of central motives, such as sex and death instincts, from which other mo­tives develop. Other theories support a single, main mo­tive in human development, such as a person's need for power or to fully realize his or her potential.

In contrast, some psychologists argue that many dif­ferent motives guide behaviour. These motives include needs for order, understanding, and independence.

Other theories of motivation try to identify the physiological mechanisms underlying a wide range of motives. For example, researchers exploring the relations be­tween behaviour and brain function have identified chemical and electrical processes in the brain that influence behaviour in people and animals.

Applications. Motivation plays an important role in informal relationships, but also in highly structured rela­tionships, such as those found in industry and education. In industry, managers use motivation techniques to ; promote cooperation between employers and employ­ees. Such cooperation enables employees to satisfy certain needs through their jobs, including security, career interests, and respect. If employees expect their jobs to help satisfy these personal needs, they will probably be '"ore motivated to ensure that the company's business objectives are achieved.

Motivation research tries to learn why people choose things they buy. It also seeks to find out what people learn from advertising. Motivation researchers explore the feelings and points of view of consumers. They use knowledge from psychology, sociology, and other social sciences to interpret these emotions and at­titudes. Motivation researchers interview people in a conversational way, and sometimes give them tests that must be analysed by psychologists and sociologists.

This type of research has shown that people do not shop with only price and quality in mind. They may buy something to impress others, or to keep up with their group. People may also buy something to imitate some­one they admire.

See also Advertising (Research).