hierachy of needs.odt - MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS...

MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory by Abraham Maslow,
which puts forward that people are motivated by five basic
categories of needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and
self-actualization.
Key Takeaways: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• According to Maslow, we have five categories of needs: physiological, safety,
love, esteem, and self-actualization.
• In this theory, higher needs in the hierarchy begin to emerge
when people feel they have sufficiently satisfied the previous
need.
• Although later research does not fully support all of Maslow’s
theory, his research has impacted other psychologists and
contributed to the field of positive psychology.
What Is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
In order to better understand what motivates human
beings, Maslow proposed that human needs can be organized
into a hierarchy. This hierarchy ranges from more concrete
needs such as food and water to abstract concepts such as self-
fulfillment. According to Maslow, when a lower need is met, the
next need on the hierarchy becomes our focus of attention.
These are the five categories of needs according to Maslow:
1. Physiological
These refer to basic physical needs like drinking when thirsty
or eating when hungry. According to Maslow, some of these
needs involve our efforts to meet the body’s need
for homeostasis; that is, maintaining consistent levels in
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different bodily systems (for example, maintaining a body
temperature of 98.6°).
Maslow considered physiological needs to be the most essential
of our needs. If someone is lacking in more than one need,
they’re likely to try to meet these physiological needs first. For
example, if someone is extremely hungry, it’s hard to focus on
anything else besides food. Another example of a physiological
need would be the need for adequate sleep.
2. Safety
Once people’s physiological requirements are met, the next
need that arises is a safe environment. Our safety needs are
apparent even early in childhood, as children have a need for
safe and predictable environments and typically react with fear
or anxiety when these are not met. Maslow pointed out that in
adults living in developed nations, safety needs are more
apparent in emergency situations (e.g. war and disasters), but