According to Maslow, first of all you have to satisfy the most basic needs.
Thus, the total or partial lack of elements that contribute to people’s well-being are directly related to human needs. Some theories have tried to give a theoretical framework to this matter, being Maslow’s Pyramid and its hierarchy of human needs the most recognized.
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What is Maslow’s Pyramid?
Already the psychology of the early twentieth century understood that a person’s set of needs inevitably influences their behavior. Starting from this assumption, between 1943 and 1954, the American psychologist Abraham Maslow conceived the concept of “hierarchy of needs”.
Maslow categorized the main human needs , located within a hierarchical structure. With him was born the motivational theory of the hierarchy of needs, now widely known as Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs.
The author stated that individuals satisfy their needs from the bottom up. This means that the needs of each level must be met, at least partially, before the needs of higher levels can manifest.
Maslow’s Pyramid Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s Pyramid and the Hierarchy of Human Needs is a very famous theory . Next, all the levels that the author initially proposed are explained, although there are some later proposals by Maslow himself or by third parties.
The pyramid described corresponds to a scale of needs divided into five different levels. These range from the most basic, essential for the survival of the individual, to the most complex of all.
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Basic needs
Basic needs are those that are considered essential for survival. They are those that belong to the lowest part of the pyramid, with physiological needs being the first to be covered.
1. Physiological needs
At the bottom of the pyramid are physiological needs . These are the ones that must be satisfied in the first place and that are fundamental for the survival of the human being. Without them you simply cannot live at all.
Every living being has a tendency to fight for self-preservation, and the human being is no exception. To move to the next level of the pyramid, not only do you have to meet minimum requirements, but it is important to cover these needs with a good degree of quality.
2. Security needs
Security needs are also linked to the survival instinct . For the next part of the Maslow Pyramid it is necessary to have an environment that offers protection, tranquility and a certain degree of predictability.
To cover security needs, therefore, individual protection must be guaranteed. In this way, it is necessary to be able to trust in the autonomy offered by having a home and job stability. This avoids worry and anxiety, and allows you to develop a perspective of the future.
3. Belonging needs
The third of the needs is that of belonging or affiliation . During our evolutionary history they were vital for survival, and although today they may not seem so, they continue to be essential for psychological health. These are the needs for affection, love and social relationships in general.
The needs of belonging represent the aspiration that each and every one of us has to be part of a community. These needs lead to behaviors aimed at giving and receiving love, as well as those that are intended to build our own identity.
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relational needs
Those described so far are the basic needs, the lack of which can seriously compromise the survival of a human being. Below are the next two levels of Maslow’s Pyramid according to his original work.
4. Recognition needs
The fourth level is that of the needs linked to the recognition of others . It focuses on the fact of being respected and accepted for the successes achieved and for one’s own abilities.
The individual wants to feel that the other people in the community value his skills and attitudes, revealing himself as a recognized person. Prestige and success are closely linked to the collective imagination represented by the need for recognition.
5. Self-actualization needs
The tip of Maslow’s Pyramid and the hierarchy of human needs is self-actualization . This represents the culmination of happiness. It corresponds to the need to express oneself better and to achieve one’s goals with complete freedom.
In this sense, the individual is spontaneous, and his individual aspiration is none other than to exploit his mental and physical faculties. Pursuing and achieving the objectives that one sets is the main purpose of self-realization, which is carried out autonomously and without external conditions.
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reviews
Through the different levels of the Maslow Pyramid, human needs are progressively satisfied. The theory explains that basic needs, once satisfied, should not reappear. On the contrary, non-basic needs are reborn with new, more ambitious goals to achieve.
However, there are critics that contradict some ideas of this theory . The first is that Maslow’s Pyramid is strongly focused on the self-determination of the individual. Motivational impulses respond to exclusively internal factors, ignoring the interaction between the individual and the external world.
Furthermore, the hierarchy of human needs outlined in Maslow’s Pyramid has been considered too rigid to explain human behavior. Many psychologists believe that a subject does not necessarily pass through all levels of the hierarchy.
Another consideration is that the hierarchy of needs motivational theory is one-dimensional. It does not contemplate that an individual can be driven by more than one need at the same time, even with a different intensity.
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Bibliographic references
- Goble, F. (1970). The third force: The psychology of Abraham Maslow. Richmond, CA: Maurice Bassett Publishing.
- Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50 (4), 370–396.
- Maslow, Abraham H. (1996). Critique of self-actualization theory. En: E. Hoffman (Ed.), Future visions: The unpublished papers of Abraham Maslow. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 26–32.
- Maslow , AH ( 1954 ). Motivation and personality. New York (NY): Harper.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.
