Exploring Maslows Hierarchy of Needs- Analyzing the Most Critical Level for Human Motivation

Exploring Maslows Hierarchy of Needs- Analyzing the Most Critical Level for Human Motivation

The concept of human needs was coined by a psychologist named Abraham Maslow in 1954 and classified into a five-category pyramid. Maslow believed that each of the needs fulfilled the highest motivational needs levels that underlie human behavior. By categorizing human needs into a pyramid, Maslow argued that before the more complex higher-order needs could be met in human life, certain fundamental needs must be satisfied (Feldman, 2018). Thus, the basic needs were placed at the bottom of the pyramid, whereas the higher-level human needs were placed at the top of the pyramid.

At the bottom of the pyramid is the physiological needs, which are the primary drives, including food, water, air, sex and sleep, among other basic needs (Feldman, 2018). Maslow was convinced that before a person could move to the next level of needs, which is the need for a secure and safe environment, they needed to fulfill the basic primary drives first (Lester, 2013). To function effectively, people need a secure and safe environment (Maslow, 2019). These two levels of needs form the lower-level needs in the pyramid.

After safety and security needs are met, an individual would then need belongingness and love needs as they would give and obtain affection and contribute to the society or group (Feldman, 2018). When these needs are fulfilled, a human being would then need to meet a sense of esteem where people would consider them important in society. Feldman (2018) defined esteem as a recognition that other people value one’s worth and competence and admire their qualities. When a person manages to meet these four needs, they then strive for the higher-level need, which is self-actualization. Self-actualization refers to a self-fulfillment state in which a person realizes their full potential in their own right (Feldman, 2018). This means that a person feels satisfied and at ease with their current state of affairs by using their talents to the best capacity they can, and this minimizes their yearning and striving for more fulfillment.

Since the fundamental physiological needs are deemed the basic needs that all humans need, they are, therefore, most important because it is difficult for humans to live without food and water, for example. This may explain why people may get distressed and anxious about not having employment to be able to meet their basic needs and those of their families. For example, a person with serious mental health and who is homeless is clearly in need of basic shelter as a physiological need. One can also tell that they need other things because they experience health disparities, incarceration and unemployment, and therefore, requiring them to meet self-actualization at this time may prove difficult (Henwood et al., 2015). One would categorize that they need shelter first, then treatment later.

References

Feldman, R. S. (2018). Essentials of understanding psychology, Thirteenth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Henwood, B. F., Derejko, K. S., Couture, J., & Padgett, D. K. (2015). Maslow and mental health recovery: A comparative study of homeless programs for adults with serious mental illness. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(2), 220-228.

Lester, D. (2013). Measuring Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Psychological reports, 113(1), 15-17.

Maslow, A. H. (2019). A theory of human motivation. New Delhi: General Press.

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Exploring Maslows Hierarchy of Needs- Analyzing the Most Critical Level for Human Motivation

Discuss Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Which level do you find is most important?