Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory is a health model based on the organization of needs rather than the typical medical or illness model. Maslow (1908 – 1970) believed certain needs are more important than others and people will try to obtain more important needs first before satisfying other needs. Therefore, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is also considered a “motivational theory”.

Maslow’s theory is important because he felt as though traditional theories did not adequately capture the complexity of human behavior. In a 1943 paper called A Theory of Human Motivation, Maslow presented the idea that human actions are directed toward goal attainment. He also proposed that any given behavior could satisfy several functions at the same time; for instance, going to a bar could satisfy one’s needs for self-esteem and social interaction. (-Envision Your Evolution)

Interestingly, later in life, Maslow was concerned with questions such as, “Why don’t more people self-actualize if their basic needs are met? How can we humanistically understand the problem of evil?” Therefore, despite self-actualization, human behavior can still be perplexing and misunderstood.

Key Takeaways

• According to Maslow, humans have 5 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.

-Thoughtco

About the Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid 

Maslow called the bottom four levels of the pyramid ‘deficiency needs’ because a person does not feel anything if they are met, but becomes anxious if they are not. Thus, physiological needs such as eating, drinking, and sleeping are deficiency needs, as are safety needs, social needs such as friendship and sexual intimacy, and ego needs such as self-esteem and recognition.

In contrast, Maslow called the fifth level of the pyramid a ‘growth need’ because it enables a person to ‘self-actualize’ or reaches his fullest potential as a human being. Once a person has met his deficiency needs, he can turn his attention to self-actualization; however, only a small minority of people are able to self-actualize because self-actualization requires uncommon qualities such as honesty, independence, awareness, objectivity, creativity, and originality.

–Psychology Today

B and D Needs

Deficiency or Deprivation Needs:

• The first four levels are considered deficiency or deprivation needs (“D-needs”) in that their lack of satisfaction causes a deficiency that motivates people to meet these needs

Growth Needs or B-Needs or Being Needs:

• The needs Maslow believed to be higher, healthier, and more likely to emerge in self-actualizing people were being needs or B-needs.
• Growth needs are the highest level, which is self-actualization, or self-fulfillment.
• Maslow suggested that only two percent of the people in the world achieve self-actualization. E.g. Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt.
• Self-actualized people were reality and problem-centered.
• They enjoyed being by themselves and having deeper relationships with a few people instead of more shallow relations with many people.
• They tended to be spontaneous and simple.

Application in Nursing

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a useful organizational framework that can be applied to the various nursing models for the assessment of a patient’s strengths, limitations, and need for nursing interventions. (Smeltzer SC, Bare BG, 2004)

–Current Nursing

Contributions to Psychology & Criticisms

• Pros: At a time when most psychologists focused on aspects of human nature that were considered abnormal, Abraham Maslow shifted focus to look at the positive sides of mental health. His interest in human potential, seeking peak experiences, and improving mental health by seeking personal growth had a lasting influence on psychology.

• Cons: As Maslow suggested, theories can only explain human behavior so much and frequently people are left with more questions than answers. It is difficult to understand evil or people who are “self-actualized” that still can commit heinous crimes and violence. Furthermore, factors such as traditions, environment, and cultures may not share the same qualities of self-actualization or basic needs. The needs of someone in a 3rd world country can be significantly different in other societies, yet feel completely content or self-actualized. Nonetheless, Maslow gave insight into the importance of basic needs regardless of a person’s background or intentions.

The Transcendence Level 

In his later years, Maslow explored a further dimension of motivation, while criticizing his original vision of self-actualization. By this later theory, one finds the fullest realization in giving oneself to something beyond oneself—for example, in altruism or spirituality.

He equated this with the desire to reach the infinite. “Transcendence refers to the very highest and most inclusive or holistic levels of human consciousness, behaving and relating, as ends rather than means, to oneself, to significant others, to human beings in general, to other species, to nature, and to the cosmos”

-Wiki

Additional Information & References 

• About Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Possible Changes by VeryWellMind 
• An Explanation of the 5 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by Thoughtco.com
• Maslow and Tony Sutich founded the Journal of Humanistic Psychology
• Very Detailed Explanation of Maslow’s Pyramids and Theory by Simply Psychology