Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Each of us is motivated by needs. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs helps to explain how these needs motivate us all. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that we must satisfy each need in turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself. Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development. Conversely, if the things that satisfy our lower order needs are swept away, we are no longer concerned about the maintenance of our higher order needs.
Physiological Needs
Physiological needs are the very basic needs required to sustain life, such as air, water, food, and sleep. When these are not satisfied we may feel sickness, irritation, pain, or discomfort.
According to Maslow’s theory, if such needs are not satisfied then one’s motivation will arise from the quest to satisfy them. Higher needs such as social needs and esteem are not felt until one has met the needs to one’s bodily functioning. Once they are alleviated, we may think about other things.
Safety Needs
Once one’s physiological needs are met, one’s attention turns to safety and security in order to be free from the threat of physical and emotional harm. Safety needs have to do with establishing stability and consistency in a chaotic world. Such needs are mostly psychological in nature and might be filled by living in a safe area, medical insurance, job security, and financial reserves.
According to Maslow’s theory, if a person feels that he or she is in harm’s way, higher need will not receive much attention. For example, we need the security of a home and family. However, if a family is dysfunctional, family members cannot move to the next level because they have safety concerns. Love and belongingness have to wait until they are no longer in fear. As another case in point, many in our society cry out for law and order because they do not feel safe enough to go for a walk in their neighbourhood. Unfortunately many people, particularly those in the inner cities, are stuck at this level.
Social Needs
Once a person has met the lower level physiological and safety needs, higher level needs become important, the first of which are social needs. The need for friends, the need to give and receive love, and the need for a sense of belonging all occur at this level of Maslow’s hierarchy. Humans have a desire to belong to groups including clubs, work groups, religious groups, family, and gangs. We need to feel loved (non-sexual) by others, and to be accepted by others. For example, performers appreciate applause. We need to be needed. We see numerous examples in advertising where our need for group belonging is tied to consumption of a particular product.
Esteem Needs
Once a person feels a sense of belonging, the need to feel important arises. Esteem needs may be classified as internal or external. Internal esteem needs are those related to self-esteem such as self-respect and achievement, which results from competence or mastery of a task. External esteem needs are those such as social status and recognition which results from the attention and recognition that comes from others. Some esteem needs are self-respect, achievement, attention, recognition, and reputation.
This is similar to the sense of belonging level; however, wanting admiration has to do with the need for power. People, who have all of their lower needs satisfied, often drive very expensive cars because doing so raises their level of esteem.
Self-Actualization
Self-actualization is the summit of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The need for self-actualizations is “the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.” It is the quest of reaching one’s full potential as a person. People who have everything can maximize their potential. They can seek knowledge, peace, aesthetic experiences, and self-fulfilment. Unlike lower level needs, this need is never fully satisfied; as one grows psychologically there are always new opportunities to continue to grow. Self-actualized people tend to have needs such as truth, justice, wisdom, and meaning.
Self-actualized persons have frequent occurrences of peak experiences, which are energizing moments of profound happiness and harmony. According to Maslow, only a small percentage of the population reaches the level of self-actualization.
Limitations of Maslow’s Hierarchy
While Maslow’s hierarchy makes sense from an intuitive standpoint, there is little evidence to support its hierarchical aspect. In fact, there is evidence that contradicts the order of needs specified by the model. Foe example, some cultures appear to place social needs before others. Maslow’s hierarchy also have difficulty explaining cases such as the ‘starving artist’ in which a person neglects lower level needs in pursuit of higher ones. Finally, there is little evidence to suggest that people are motivated to satisfy only one need level at a time, except in situations where there is a conflict between needs.
Source: Maslow, A. (1970) Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper and Row