Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who was born in 1908. He was head of the psychology department of Brandeis University.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is his famous theory about human motivation and knowing this can help us flourish.

The pyramid of human needs has five different levels. They are step by step, and if a human wants to develop to the next status, they should satisfy the previous one.

The first two levels are basic needs:

1. Physiological needs:

Breathing air, eating food, drinking water, having shelter, satisfying our sexual desire, and sleeping enough are samples of our biological requirements. They are the strongest to satisfy because humans cannot live or think about the next level without these essentials.

2. Safety needs:

Safety and security are vital for different aspects of our life. Safety in facets of health, financial, and personal are some instances. If we pay for health insurance or save money for the future, we want to fulfill this need. Some researchers announced that this level is more important than the previous one, and the origin of many psychological disorders is a person feeling unsafe.

The third and fourth stages are psychological needs:

3. Belongingness and Love needs:

The bonds between a person and their family, friends, partners, and coworkers are at this level. This stage has a two-way arrow and includes interpersonal connections as the main definition. All of us need to give and receive affection and love. We like to trust and be trustworthy in our relations with other people.

4. Esteem needs:

How we consider ourselves in the world is affected by two factors. First, how do others think about us, and what's our position among people? Do we receive enough respect from others? Secondly, how we treat ourselves. Human self-esteem includes independence and dignity.

All first four levels are Deficiency needs. Maslow described them as external cravings, and if not met, our desire to reach them will increase. For example, all of us need food to survive. When we do not have enough food to eat, we become hungry, and this hungriness increases our desire for food.

At the top of this pyramid, there is a developed need. Maslow differentiated it from previous ones and named it growth.

5. Self-actualization:

It is a situation in which a person becomes what born to be. Everyone should know their potential and growth. At this level, there is not any deficiency to pursue a person to do something. There is a motivation to develop and progress. Evolving in a way in which a person has capability and capacity is the fuel of actions. Innovation and creation can be experienced in this part.

There is a lot of research besides Maslow's theory. It is too hard to evaluate, measure, or confirm all parts. The most important takeaway from this theory is that humans have different aspects, and paying attention to external and internal needs can develop our potential.

Edited by:

Tara Michel

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