Maslow Hierarchy of Needs
by Saul McLeod, published 2007
Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1943, 1954) stated that human motivation is based on people seeking fulfillment and change through personal growth. Maslow described self-actualized people as those who were fulfilled and doing all they were capable of. By studying people he considered to be self-actualized (including Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein and William James).
Maslow identified 15 characteristics of a self-actualized person (illustrated as a pyramid). For example: enjoyment of new experiences, sense of humor, close friendships, creativity etc.
It is not necessary to display all 15 characteristics to become self-actualized, and not only self-actualized people will display them. Maslow did not equate self-actualization with perfection. Self-actualization merely involves achieving ones potential. Thus someone can be silly, wasteful, vain and impolite, and still self-actualize. Less than one percent of the population achieve self-actualization.
Maslow (1954) presents a hierarchy of needs pyramid which can be divided into basic (or deficiency) needs (e.g. physiological, safety, love, and esteem) and growth needs (cognitive, aesthetics and self-actualization). One must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization.
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 failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences including divorce and loss of job may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of he hierarchy. Maslow noted only one in ten people become fully self-actualized because our society rewards motivation primarily based on esteem, love and other social needs.
The growth of self-actualization (Maslow, 1962) refers to the need for personal growth 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 to life that is important to them.
The hierarchy of needs include:
1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.
3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc.
4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
Maslow (1968): Some of the characteristics of self-actualized people
Although we are all, theoretically, capable of self-actualizing, most of us will not do so, or only to a limited degree. Maslow was particularly interested m the characteristics of people whom he considered to have achieved their potential as persons: his list included Einstein, William James, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Walt Whitman.
Characteristics of self-actualizers:
1. They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty;
2. Accept themselves and others for what they are;
3. Spontaneous in thought and action;
4. Problem-centered (not self-centered);
5. Unusual sense of humor;
6. Able to look at life objectively;
7. Highly creative;
8. Resistant to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional;
9. Concerned for the welfare of humanity;
10. Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience;
11. Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with a few people;
12. Peak experiences;
13. Need for privacy;
14. Democratic attitudes;
15. Strong moral/ethical standards.
behavior leading to self-actualization:
(a) Experiencing life like a child, with full absorption and concentration;
(b) Trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths;
(c) Listening to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead of the voice of tradition, authority or the majority;
(d) Avoiding pretense ('game playing') and being honest;
(e) Being prepared to be unpopular if your views do not coincide with those of the majority;
(f) Taking responsibility and working hard;
(g) Trying to identify your defenses and having the courage to give them up.
Some of the characteristics of self-actualizers and some of the
behaviors leading to self-actualization are shown in the list
above. Although people achieve self-actualization in their own unique way, they tend to share certain characteristics. However, self-actualization is a matter of degree,
'There are no perfect human beings'
(Maslow,
1970, p. 176).
References
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-96.
Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and personality. Harper and Row: New York
Maslow, A. H. (1962). Towards a Psychology of Being. Princeton, NJ.: D. van Nostrand.
Maslow, A. H. (1970). Motivation and Personality. Harper & Row: New York.
How to cite this article: McLeod, S. A. (2007). Simply Psychology; . Retrieved , from
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