Abraham Maslow
Hierarchy of Human Needs
Hierarchy of Human Needs
Abraham Maslow believed that people could reach self-actualization if they had all of their needs fulfilled. Physiological needs are the most basic including breathing, food, water, sex, sleep , homeostasis, and excretion. Other needs in order of importance are safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self- actualization. He used the word metamotivation to describe people who were driven to reach self-actualization. People can also have peak experiences that make them feel more whole.
Effects
The hierarchy of human needs can be a positive in classrooms because students need to feel that they are in a safe environment before they can learn and be creative. New psychological studies have found that the order of importance can change depending on the age of a person. Abraham also noted that you can not have everything in one level of the hierarchy and still move on to the next level.
Criticism
In Maslow's later years he became more spiritual and critical of his own pyramid, believing that one must give themselves to a higher power. His pyramid can't be used for everyone because of bias, and it is achievable to have self actualization without having all levels of the pyramid achieved, unlike from his thoughts.
Criticism of the hierarchy
Maslow's heirarchy states that a person has to fulfill the needs in a lower level to move on to the next one, but this theory contradicts that a person living in poverty can have no shelter or food but still have family and love. Some studies have also looked into the order of needs and found that different age groups have a different order. For example, physical contact was the most important in children, yet self-acceptance was more important in adolescents.
Effects of research
Maslow's research has helped psychological thought in that he is one of the founders of humanistic psychology, which is the process of realizing and expressing one's own capabilities. Although the corrected order of the hierarchy has been debated, Maslow understood that some human needs are more powerful than others. His research and studies have helped in schools for example, because a student needs to feel safe, emotionally and physically, and needs to feel accepted in order to perform at their best.
Bias
Abraham focused on mainly well educated white males who he felt had already reached self-actualization, such as Albert Einstein and Beethoven. He lived in the 1900's and the time period probably affected who he chose to interview as he only chose the top 1% of college students. His studies had neglected to study normal fully functioning human beings, like men and women from other races and ethnicities.