Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation"

!"# Maslow subse$uently e%tended the idea to include his observations of humans& innate curiosity His theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology' some of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans Maslow used the terms (hysiological' )afety' *elongingness and +ove' ,steem' and )elf-Actuali.ation needs to describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through

An interpretation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, represented as a pyramid with the more basic needs at the bottom. Physiological needs (hysiological needs are the physical re$uirements for human survival /f these re$uirements are not met' the human body cannot function properly' and will ultimately fail (hysiological needs are thought to be the most important0 they should be met first Air' water' and food are metabolic re$uirements for survival in all animals' including humans 1lothing and shelter provide necessary protection from the elements 2hile maintaining an ade$uate birth

rate shapes the intensity of the human se%ual instinct' se%ual competition may also shape said instinct Safety needs 2ith their physical needs relatively satisfied' the individual&s safety needs ta3e precedence and dominate behavior /n the absence of physical safety 4 due to war' natural disaster' family violence' childhood abuse' etc 4 people may 5re-6e%perience posttraumatic stress disorder or transgenerational trauma /n the absence of economic safety 4 due to economic crisis and lac3 of wor3 opportunities 4 these safety needs manifest themselves in ways such as a preference for 7ob security' grievance procedures for protecting the individual from unilateral authority' savings accounts' insurance policies' reasonable disability accommodations' etc This level is more li3ely to be found in children because they generally have a greater need to feel safe )afety and )ecurity needs include8

(ersonal security 9inancial security Health and well-being )afety net against accidents:illness and their adverse impacts

Love and belonging After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled' the third level of human needs is interpersonal and involves feelings of belongingness This need is especially strong in childhood and can override the need for safety as witnessed in children who cling to abusive parents ;eficiencies within this level of Maslow&s hierarchy 4 due to hospitalism' neglect' shunning' ostracism' etc 4 can impact the individual&s ability to form and maintain emotionally significant relationships in general' such as8

9riendship /ntimacy 9amily

According to Maslow' humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among their social groups' regardless if these groups are large or small 9or e%ample' some large social groups may include clubs' co-wor3ers' religious groups' professional organi.ations' sports teams' and gangs )ome e%amples of small social connections include family members' intimate partners' mentors' colleagues' and confidants Humans need to love and be loved 4 both se%ually and non-se%ually 4 by others Many people become susceptible to loneliness' social an%iety' and clinical depression in the absence of this love or belonging element This need for belonging may overcome the physiological and security needs' depending on the strength of the peer pressure Esteem All humans have a need to feel respected0 this includes the need to have self-esteem and self-respect ,steem presents the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others (eople often engage in a profession or hobby to gain recognition These activities give the person a sense of contribution or value +ow self-esteem or an inferiority comple% may result from imbalances during this level in the hierarchy (eople with low self-esteem often need respect from others0 they may feel the need to see3 fame or glory However' fame or glory will not help the person to build their self-esteem until they accept who they are internally (sychological imbalances such as depression can hinder the person from obtaining a higher level of self-esteem or self-respect Most people have a need for stable self-respect and self-esteem Maslow noted two versions of esteem needs8 a "lower" version and a "higher" version The "lower" version of esteem is the need for respect from others This may include a need for status' recognition' fame' prestige' and attention The "higher" version manifests itself as the need for self-respect 9or e%ample' the person may have a need for strength' competence' mastery' self-confidence' independence' and freedom This "higher" version ta3es precedence over the "lower" version because it relies on an inner competence established through e%perience ;eprivation of these needs may lead to an inferiority comple%' wea3ness' and helplessness

Maslow states that while he originally thought the needs of humans had strict guidelines' the "hierarchies are interrelated rather than sharply separated This means that esteem and the subse$uent levels are not strictly separated0 instead' the levels are closely related Self-act ali!ation "2hat a man can be' he must be This $uotation forms the basis of the perceived need for self-actuali.ation This level of need refers to what a person&s full potential is and the reali.ation of that potential Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can' to become the most that one can be /ndividuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically 9or e%ample' one individual may have the strong desire to become an ideal parent /n another' the desire may be e%pressed athletically 9or others' it may be e%pressed in paintings' pictures' or inventions As previously mentioned' Maslow believed that to understand this level of need' the person must not only achieve the previous needs' but master them Self-transcendence )elf-transcendence refers to when a person see3s to further the boundaries of their ideal self' to e%perience an intimacy beyond one&s self 1loninger later incorporated self-transcendence as a spiritual dimension of personality in the Temperament and 1haracter /nventory

(sychologist Abraham Maslow first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" and his subse$uent boo3 Motivation and Personality This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other' more advanced needs This hierarchy is most often displayed as a pyramid The lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs' while the more comple% needs are located at the top of the pyramid <eeds at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical re$uirements including the need for food' water' sleep' and warmth =nce these lower-level needs

have been met' people can move on to the ne%t level of needs' which are for safety and security As people progress up the pyramid' needs become increasingly psychological and social )oon' the need for love' friendship' and intimacy become important 9urther up the pyramid' the need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment ta3e priority +i3e 1arl >ogers' Maslow emphasi.ed the importance of selfactuali.ation' which is a process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve individual potential "ypes of #eeds Abraham Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a ma7or role in motivating behavior (hysiological' security' social' and esteem needs are deficiency needs 5also 3nown as Dneeds6' meaning that these needs arise due to deprivation )atisfying these lower-level needs is important in order to avoid unpleasant feelings or conse$uences Maslow termed the highest-level of the pyramid as growth needs 5also 3nown as being needs orB-needs6 ?rowth needs do not stem from a lac3 of something' but rather from a desire to grow as a person $ive Levels of the %ierarchy of #eeds There are five different levels in Maslow@s hierarchy of needs8
1.

Physiological #eeds These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival' such as the need for water' air' food' and sleep Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met

2.

Sec rity #eeds These include needs for safety and security )ecurity needs are important for survival' but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs ,%amples of security needs include a desire for steady employment' health insurance' safe neighborhoods' and shelter from the environment Social #eeds These include needs for belonging' love' and affection Maslow considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs >elationships such as friendships' romantic attachments' and families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance' as does involvement in social' community' or religious groups Esteem #eeds After the first three needs have been satisfied' esteem needs becomes increasingly important These include the need for things that reflect on self-esteem' personal worth' social recognition' and accomplishment Self-act ali!ing #eeds This is the highest level of Maslow@s hierarchy of needs )elfactuali.ing people are self-aware' concerned with personal growth' less concerned with the opinions of others' and interested fulfilling their potential

3.

4.

Maslow&s Hierarchy of <eeds Abraham Maslow 519A46 presents ahierarchy of needs model which can be divided into basic 5or deficiency6 needs 5e g physiological' safety' love' and esteem6 and growth needs 5cognitive' aesthetics and self-actuali.ation6

=ne must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs =nce these needs have been reasonably satisfied' one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actuali.ation ,very person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actuali.ation Bnfortunately' progress is often disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs +ife e%periences including divorce and loss of 7ob may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of he hierarchy Maslow noted only one in a hundred people become fully selfactuali.ed because our society rewards motivation primarily based on esteem' love and other social needs The orginal hierarchy of needs five-stage model includes8 1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc. . !afety needs - protection from elements, sec"rity, order, law, limits, stability, etc. #. Belongingness and $ove needs - work gro"p, family, affection, relationships, etc. %. &steem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, stat"s, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc. '. !elf-(ct"ali)ation needs - reali)ing personal potential, selff"lfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. "he Learning & rve 2ith repetition of almost any motor tas3' learning occurs' and a person becomes more efficient or effective at carrying out a tas3 /n the pursuit rotor tas3s' time spent on the metal dot increases /n the mirror-tracing tas3' the tracing becomes more accurate (rogress in s3ill learning commonly follows an )-shaped curve' with some

measure of s3ill on the C a%is and number of trials on the D-a%is (rogress is slow at first' then a sub7ect may e%perience a burst of learning that produces a rapid rise on the graph Many people believe that plateaus or flat periods during which a s3ill does not improve normally punctuate learning curves *ut the idea of a plateau as a temporary stagnant period followed by more learning is a myth 9itts and (osner 519EF6 found gradual improvement with practice in almost all motor s3ills They said flatly there were "no plateaus " 9red Geller of Harvard referred to the "phantom plateau" since one seldom occurred' but people believed that it did

*he !-shaped +learning c"rve+ typical of complex learning 2hy does an )-curve of growth eventually level offH 2hat people call a plateau may be a period of stability after a s3ill is learned as well as it can be learned Most growth processes follow the same )-shaped curve as motor learning /n general An )-shaped curve of growth levels off because stability is attained' a reso"rce needed for growth is limited' or a ceiling of performance is reached 9or e%ample' mirror tracing cannot improve forever ?iven enough time' one should become very good at it' then improvement in

performance stops This is a plateau of sorts' indicating ma%imum competence has been attained 2hat phases of learning a comple% s3ill cause the ")-curve" patternH The )-shaped learning curve is most obvious when someone learns a highly comple% tas3 The initial part of the curve rises slowly as a person becomes familiar with basic components of a s3ill The steep ascending phase occurs when there is enough e%perience with rudiments or simple components to start "putting it all together " >apid progress follows until the s3ill "hits a ceiling" or stabili.es at a high level 2hy does a "steep learning curve" indicate easy learningH 2hat do people mean when they use that termH (eople often spea3 of a steep learning c"rve when they mean the opposite A steep learning curve is one in which s3ill improves $uic3ly' meaning something is easy to learn. However' what most people mean by "steep learning curve" is diffic"lt learning experience <o doubt they are thin3ing of steep hills and steep mountains which ma3e climbing difficult /n actuality' the steepest part of the learning curve is the portion where learning is fastest and easiest 2hen a person is introduced to new information or a new s3ill' it may ta3e several learning sessions to ac$uire that 3nowledge or s3ill (sychologists refer to this ac$uisition process as the learning curve /n general' this term refers to the time it ta3es an individual to develop 3nowledge or a new s3ill *ehavioural psychologists have noted that the degree' or strength' of learning reflects three factors 9irst' the degree of learning is associated with the number of reinforcements