Maslow's theory of hierarchy needs

Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, proposed a theory in 1943 stating that behavior is determined by a variety of needs. These needs are depicted in a pyramid of five levels. the most basic needs are located at the bottom of the pyramid and the most advanced needs are at the top. Maslow believed that a person must satisfy the needs in one level before moving onto a new level. Once the person has moved onto the next level that lower level is no longer considered a priority. At times one level will be more prioritized than other levels. ( I just find this notion very fascinating.)

Maslow defined the first four levels as deficiency levels. He described these levels as necessary to people. However, when the needs are met the person will not experience any significant feelings. On the other hand, if the needs are not met the person will grow anxious. The deficiency needs are known as physiological, safety, love/belonging and esteem needs.

Physiological needs are things like breathing, water, food, excretion and sex. They are basically things that the body needs. (as much as I have a political science/business oriented mind i find psychology and sociology so fascinating) Without these things, a person will grow sick experiencing pain and discomfort. Physiological needs, once they are met, are followed by safety needs. Safety needs include safety from crime, financial security, good health, and safety against accidents and illness as well as the unfavorable impacts from these things. Clearly, people that are not a part of mainstream society experience more difficulty meeting physiological and safety needs.

Safety needs are then followed by social needs. People need a sense of acceptance and belonging. They achieve this through friendship, strong family support system and intimacy. Social needs or the need to be accepted can physiological needs and safety needs depending on how great the pressure is from certain social groups. People need to love and be loved. Lack of any of these elements can lead to anxiety problems, depression and a feeling of being alone.

Followed by social needs is esteem needs. These are similar to social needs. People need to be respected, have self-respect as well as self-esteem and respect others. Any imbalance of these things causes inferiority complexes and esteem issues. People that develop a low self-esteem will then seek approval from others by seeking glory or fame. If this fails, like in social needs, people may develop anxiety or depression. In order to overcome this people must first accept himself or herself, according to Maslow.

Esteem needs, social needs, safety needs and physiological needs all made up the deficiency part of Maslow's hierarchy of needs structure. The next category is growth needs. growth needs, unlike deficiency needs which neutralize themselves, are continuing motivators. There are three components of growht needs, which the fifth level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Growth needs, according to Maslow are the hardest needs to achieve. Growth needs consist of cognition, aesthetics and self-actualization. Self-actualization is the main component of growth needs.

Cognitive needs are the human races' desire for knowledge. It is the need to increase our intelligence by learning and exploring. We chase this knowledge to better enhance and understand the world we live in. Aesthetic needs are humans' desire for visually pleasing environments. People need things that show them all the beauty that life has to offer in order to continue on the level to self-actualization.

Self-actualization, the highest and most difficult level to achieve, is the need to become everything one can become. this part of the hierarchy helps to explain why people become self-made entrepreneurs or make radical career changes. Once the other four levels are met and become dormant, a person focuses on being the best he or she can be. they strive tobe more; a more creative, mature and effective person. According to Maslow, people have reached the self-actualization level are generally happy people. They accept life for what it is and do not live in denial. They have strong morals and are able to look at a situation objectively.

Maslow's theory of hierarchy needs is an easy way to classify peoples' needs. The needs are arranged in order of importance. New needs only emerge when other needs have been satisfied. However, it should not be viewed as a rigid pattern that everyone should follow because everyone has different needs and different levels of prioritization. Safety may be a more important motivator than esteem, for example.