YesWe tend to associate the American psychologist, Abraham Maslow, with humanistic psychology (third force, after psychodynamics and behavior that characterize the psychological thinking of the 20th century) and it is due to his intense work in the area of motivation, personality and human development, which he brilliantly articulated in his work: Human Motivation Theory the year 1943, whose roots come from the social sciences; although it was and is widely used in the field of clinical psychology and business management and organizational development and behavior (Reid 2008, cited in Quintero, 2011).
Innovative in his thinking, Maslow is interested in what goes well in people, contrary to the thinking focused on psychopathology of his time, in addition to going beyond rewards and punishments to explain human motivation, for something more internal and inherent to all. He is also remembered for his exceptional optimism about human nature and society.
In the following article we want to make a brief but consistent review of his theory and its subsequent reformulation, as well as its implications in the educational or business field, ending with the most relevant criticisms of it.
Who was Maslow?
We are going to talk about the man, as we have seen he is remembered as a great optimist and fighter, whose history and personal traits – this is usually the case – influenced his work. Abraham Maslow was a psychiatrist and humanistic psychologist, considered the initiator of the third force of psychology – the humanistic – and creator of the theory that bears his name.
He was born on April 1, 1908, in Brooklyn, New York, but his parents had emigrated from Russia. He came from a large family as he was the firstborn of seven siblings. Abraham was very introverted and this helped him find refuge in books.
If you value articles like this, consider supporting us by becoming a Pro subscriber. Subscribers enjoy access to members-only articles, materials, and webinars.
Before going to Wisconsin where he would study a degree in psychology, a master’s degree and a doctorate (he also studied law), he had already married Berta Goodman (his older cousin) against what his parents expected and they had two daughters. Already at the University of Wisconsin, he began to work hard with him (famous for his experiments on attachment behavior in monkeys).
While teaching at Brooklyn College, he came into contact with many of the European immigrant psychologists, mostly Gestalt and Freudian, such as Karen Horney, Erich Fromm and Alfred Adler. After a brilliant career and a memorable legacy, Maslow, semi-retired in California, died at the age of 62 of a myocardial infarction.
Self-realization
Abraham Maslow has always been more interested in human potential, in the positive, and in what motivates this progress, since for him people are always changing and never remain static, always trying to find a meaning in life that is meaningful to us (Maslow, 1943). For some of us self-actualization can be achieved through the creation of works of art or literature, for others through sport, in the classroom, or within a corporate environment.
Although theoretically we are all capable of self-actualization, the majority will not do so, only two percent would reach this state. What’s more, in 1970, the psychologist studied 18 people who in his opinion had already achieved this state (including Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein) identifying common characteristics, some of which are:
- Perceive reality efficiently
- Have a high tolerance for uncertainty
- Have a high acceptance of oneself and others
- Be very creative
- Be spontaneous
- Be mostly focused on the task
- Have a good sense of humor
In turn, it highlights some common behaviors such as: experiencing life as a child, with full attention and concentration; trying new things instead of sticking to what’s safe; listen to ourselves more than to the voice of tradition or authority; be honest; be prepared to be rejected because of our particular views, or work hard and be responsible (McLeod, 2007).
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow stated that as we satisfy our most basic needs, others arise that change or modify its behavior, considering that only when a need is “reasonably” satisfied, a new need will be triggered (Colvin and Rutland, 2008).
For Maslow, motivations arise from unmet needs and it is through their satisfaction that we become healthy and self-actualized. Of course, always in an order. The most basic is the need for growth, which organizes all the others. From this we have five levels, ordered according to their strength (the physiological ones will have more dominance than those of a psychological nature) from the need for survival to the need for growth.
The hierarchy of human needs ordered according to their strength is as follows:
- Physiological needs
- Safety or security needs
- Need for love or affiliation
- Need for recognition
- Need for self-actualization
According to this hierarchy, the first four levels are grouped as deficit needs (deficit needs), only the highest level is called the need of being (being needs). The idea is that we cannot even attend to this if we have not satisfied the basics.
The hierarchy of needs proposed by Maslow (summarized from Simons, Irwin and Drinnien 1987; Boeree 2006; Feist and Feist 2006, cited in Quintero, 2011) is as follows:
- Physiological needs: the most basic, of biological origin aimed at our survival. Here we would place the following: need to breathe, drink water, eat, sleep, sex, or shelter.
- Security needs: Once the physiological needs are mostly satisfied, we find those oriented towards our personal security, order, stability and protection. Within these needs we find physical security, employment security, income and resource security, family security, health security, and personal property security against crime.
- Needs for love, affection and belonging: Again, only when the previous needs are moderately satisfied, can we attend to the following classification that includes love, affection and belonging or affiliation to a certain social group, designed to alleviate feelings of loneliness and alienation. We find these needs when we show a desire to get married, to have a family, to be part of a community, to be a member of a church or a social club.
- Recognition needs: Once the first three classes of needs are moderately satisfied, the so-called esteem needs will appear, oriented towards recognition and self-esteem. When these needs are not satisfied, we feel devalued, inferior. In this order, Maslow pointed out two needs for esteem or recognition: a lower one that includes the respect of others, the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, reputation, and dignity; and a higher one, which determines the need for self-respect, including feelings such as confidence, competence, achievement, mastery, independence and freedom. We talk to you about what happens when you are not satisfied in .
- Self-actualization needs: Here are the highest ones. Maslow describes them as the fulfillment of personal potential through a specific activity. Highlight that self-actualization involves the search for creativity, talent, growth, experiences and discovery (McLeod, 2007).
The rectified version of the needs
Maslow also identified three other categories of needs, in addition to the previous five, and they are: aesthetic and cognitive (Maslow, 1970a), as well as self-transcendence (Maslow, 1970b), this fact caused a rectification of the hierarchy of needs:
- Cognitive needs: related to the desire to know that the vast majority of people have; for example, solving mysteries or being curious. This type of need is very important to adapt to the five needs described above.
- Aesthetic needs: Emphasize that these are not universal, but at least some groups of people in all cultures seem to be motivated by needs for beauty and rewarding aesthetic experiences.
- Self-transcendence needs: These are intended to promote a cause beyond the self and experience a communion outside the limits of the self; This is performing a service towards other people or groups, dedicating ourselves to an ideal or a cause.
In the pyramid, the cognitive and aesthetic needs will be placed after those of recognition, that is, they would occupy the fifth and sixth place, and the need for self-transcendence would occupy the last place.
This rectified version has important implications for theory and research in the field of social and personality psychology (Koltko, 2006); some examples of specific fields that are directly influenced are those related to the study of the motivational bases of altruistic behavior or social progress, or terrorism and religious violence.
Applications in the educational and business field
The theory of the hierarchy of needs has contributed a lot to teaching and classroom management in schools, since the child is seen as a holistic being in which physical, emotional, social and intellectual qualities are integrated. so they cannot function separately. It is evident that in order for a student’s cognitive needs to be satisfied, his or her basic physiological needs must first be met. Those of us who have worked with children at risk of exclusion can realize this; many learning problems derive from problems at home due to not having food, or their safety at home being at risk.
Without going that far, simply, when we are tired and hungry it is more difficult for us to concentrate on studies. Also, if we do not feel emotionally and physically safe in class, it will be very difficult to reach our full potential. Finally, Maslow adds that students who do not develop self-esteem will not be able to advance academically.
With respect to the business field, Maslow’s pyramid is widely used. In the area of marketing, we want to associate the satisfaction of unmet needs with substitute products, for example, freedom and self-control with a car, or recognition with a perfume (Remo, 2011).
Managers use this hierarchy to identify staff needs and, whether through designing a personal project, a catchy title, arranging work hours, or even theme park bonuses, employees can stay motivated. . Example:
It is at…