Want to Get People out of Poverty?

Replace Maslows Hierarchy of Needs with Masters

Circles of Strength
y !i" Masters# !uly $%%&
'n the ()*%s in our +ansas City Regional ,ffice of the ,ffice of -cono"ic
,pportunity a typical one.sentence rationale for so"e course of action was often given as
/0ou cant do a good 1o2 3at wor4# in school5 if you are hungry67 ,r# /0ou have a hard
ti"e concentrating on wor4 if you dont 4now where you are going to sleep that night67
8hese co""on.sense perceptions were often used as a 9uic4 ver2al su""ary of pages
and pages of narrative as the rationale for pursuing a particular strategy6 'n loo4ing "ore
closely at the type of thin4ing that e:isted in the ()*%s and ();%s# we see that the
assu"ptions underlying "any current progra"s were developed then# and li4e all tacit
4nowledge# over ti"e they have sun4 into the su2conscious6 'n trying to dredge these
assu"ptions up for review# "y opinion is that all roads lead to Maslow6
<2raha" Maslow first put forth his concept of hu"an "otivation and needs in
()&=6 <t the ti"e this was a refreshing change fro" the do"inant theories of the day# the
sti"ulus. response theories pro"oted 2y 6>6 S4inner and 'van Pavlov which purported
to descri2e the "a1or drivers of hu"an 2ehavior6
/'n ()?&# Maslow first pu2lished @Motivation and Personality#@ which
introduced his theory a2out how people satisfy various personal needs in the
conte:t of their wor46 He postulated# 2ased on his o2servations as a hu"anistic
psychologist# that there is a general pattern of needs recognition and satisfaction
that people follow in generally the sa"e se9uence6 He also theoriAed that a person
could not recogniAe or pursue the ne:t higher need in the hierarchy until her or his
currently recogniAed need was su2stantially or co"pletely satisfied# a concept
called prepotency67 >ro"B Herzberg's Theory of Motivation and Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs. ERIC Digest. y Gawel# !oseph -6
>ederal statutes for anti.poverty progra"s are rarely.to.never 2ased on# utiliAe or
"a4e even casual reference to a theory of hu"an 2ehavior or "otivation6 'nstead they
start with a sliver of so"ething# a perceived a2sence# a social pro2le"# a deficit# a
deficiency6 8he definition of a2sence is applied to the population to identify the nu"2er
of people that which it affects6 8he 2enefit or service to 2e provided is to offset this
a2sence6 Cac4ing a fra"ewor4 of causes of the deficiency or a conte:t within which the
need e:ists# the statute focused on the condition6
<nd# /<2raha" Maslow is 4nown for esta2lishing the theory of a hierarchy of
needs# writing that hu"an 2eings are "otivated 2y unsatisfied needs# and that
certain lower needs need to 2e satisfied 2efore higher needs can 2e satisfied67 Dr6
Ro2ert Gwynne# Eniversity of 8ennessee# $%%&6
(
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs
!ig"re #. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow felt that there were /prepotent needs#7 if a person was focused on
satisfying one type of need# they could not "ove to other needs until that one was
satisfied6 >urther Maslow argued that the Deficiency Needs .. Physiological Needs
3food# drin4# air5 and Safety Needs 3security5 had to 2e satisfied first 2efore the person
could "ove on to the Cove# -stee" and Self.actualiAation Needs6 >irst pu2lished in
()&=# this concept "oved the field of psychology past the si"ple deter"inis" of the
S4inner and opened up the fields of hu"anistic psychology and the hu"an potential
"ove"ent6 <lthough Maslows theories appear to have had great 2enefit in those fields#
"y opinion is that their use as a rationale for anti.poverty strategies has created serious
pro2le"s6 8he co""ents 2elow see4 to unravel this 2undle of confusion6
Maslows "odel shows how ,N- H0P,8H-8'C<C P-RS,N "ight flow fro"
a condition of deprivation to a "ore co"forta2le and self.fulfilling life6 8his Awhole
person@ achieves their state of happiness# of intellectual fulfill"ent# of social
recognition# only after they have their 2asic needs "et6 However# with regard to the idea
that the person "ust do this in a particular se9uence .. ' dont 2elieve it# and a lot of other
researchers dont 2elieve it either6 0es# these concepts per"eate the assu"ptions on
which "any pu2lic policies are 2ased6 8hey are not e:plicitly stated as part of the policy#
2ut they are there as unspo4en 2eliefs that 1ustify the activities6 ' want to argue that
MaslowFs Hierarchy of Needs has 2een "isinterpreted and "isused6 < few of those
errors G as ' see the" .. are descri2ed 2elow6
(6 8he first trap is that there is a hierarchy6
<nti.poverty activity should 2e focused on helping people increase their earning.
power on the di"ension of their relationship to the econo"y6 8he reality is that
generations of low.intelligence# poorly.educated# su2stance a2using# personally
$
o2no:ious and a2usive hu"ans have done 9uite well in <"erica financially6 So"e of
these Atypes@ of people even today are captains of industry or elected officials6
Millions of people have escaped poverty in <"erica 2ut if "easured against Maslow=s
hierarchy# they are flops6 'nstead of "oving on to love# e"pathy and self.actualiAation#
they and their "oney are down there wallowing around in so"e e:travagant version of
2asic needs6 Conversely# one only has to attend a church service# wedding# graduation or
even a funeral attended 2y low.inco"e people to 4now that there is a lot of love and
e"pathy and estee" that is already in their world6
8he reality is that a person can have so"ething to sell in the "ar4et econo"y that
will earn the" "oney with or without a large a"ount of love# e"pathy or self
actualiAation6 <nd# not only can they 2e at Aero# they can 2e 2elow Aero in ter"s of the
idea of a 2eing co"plete hu"an6 ,f the =( "illion alcoholics# a2out $% "illion of the"
get up and go to wor4 every day6 ,f the &% "illion people who are Adiagnosa2le@ with
a "ental illness under the DSM 'H.R# a2out $? "illion of the" get up and go to wor4
every day6 ,f the (( "illion su2stance a2users# over half of the" get up and go to wor4#
everyday6 Well# ,6+6# al"ost everyday6 We all 4now of people where the condition is so
severe that the person never get up and goes to wor4# 2ut for "ost people who have these
dysfunctions these are "anagea2le dysfunctions as far as their relationship to the
econo"y is concerned6 Now they "ay 2e sad people# wrea4ing havoc on the"selves#
their fa"ily or neigh2orhoods# 2ut that is a separate issue6 'f we as a society# or your
agency as a part of its "ission or if you as an individual choose to address these
dysfunctions and to try to enhance the 9uality of life for that person or that fa"ily .. that
is well and good6 Call it therapy6 Call it hu"an develop"ent6 Call it spiritual renewal6
!ust don=t call it anti.poverty activity unless you can prove that it enhances earning
power6
Many social progra"s use Maslow=s notion in connection with social value
assu"ptions a2out what a person should 2e li4e that are characteristics pri"arily of
"iddle.class <"erica6 8hat leads us into progra" activity that is designed to re."a4e the
person# to "a4e the lower.class traits disappear and to help inculcate or to help the"
ac9uire "iddle.class traits6 While this "ay 2e desira2le in a social sense# even if we
succeed in "a4ing larger percentage of the lower social class into "iddle class# there are
still not enough Agood@ 1o2s for this e:panded "iddle class# either6 <nd# the percentage
of Agood@ 1o2s as a percentage of all 1o2s continues to shrin4 and corporations
downsiAe# layoffs occur# people can only find te"porary or part.ti"e 1o2s6 8here is no
Aassured e"ploy"ent there@ there in the glo2al# national or regional econo"y even if
this hu"an develop"ent effort is totally successful in creating a larger nu"2er of "iddle.
class people6
$6 8he second trap is the idea that the person "ust "ove in a linear se9uential
scale up the hierarchy# step.2y.step6 >irst we put food in their sto"ach# then a place to
stay# then this and that and finally at so"e point after we have given the" enough stuff on
the lower levels then they ta4e off and 4eep cli"2ing on their own6
8he idea that a person A"ust= proceed fro" 2asic needs up the scale to self.
=
actualiAation is incorrect6 People can enter and leave at any level6 8hey can ignore
levels6 8hey can wor4 on one level without having "et the needs of a lower level6 We
can see e:a"ples of this in other cultures and in our own culture6 Whether it is the holy
"an or the artist# the entertainer or the lost soul# the recluse or the Isnow2ird in their RH#
we see people who are 1ust G odd6 8hese are not /nor"al people7 who fit Maslows
"odel .. and there are a lot of the"6
Most people are partly satisfied and partly unsatisfied on all of the needs
postulated 2y Maslow6 So while the idea of people having needs is co""on sense# the
idea that these needs "ust 2e satisfied in so"e particular se9uence is not supported either
2y the research or 2y everyday e:perience6
8he incorrect pre"ise is that you "ust have a full sto"ach# 2asic education and so
on to 2e a2le to "ove to a higher level6 Now this "ay or "ay not 2e true for any one
person# 2ut we have confused this Ahu"an develop"ent@ pathway with the anti.poverty
strategy in a way that has 2eco"e self.li"iting as far as helping people to earn "oney6
We have led ourselves into a 2lind alley6 We can not escape fro" this 2lind alley until we
eli"inate the confusion .. until we separate hu"an develop"ent fro" anti.poverty
activity6
=6 Esing Maslows fra"ewor4 shifts attention to the persons /needs7 and not to
their a2ilities6 't puts us into a "eet.their.needs thought process instead of creating the
conditions in which they can succeed6 8here is no guidance fro" Maslow a2out H,W to
"eet one of these assu"ed needs6 Maslow provides no clues a2out the strategies which if
adopted 2y any2ody would result in the needs 2eing "et6
'n other words# if we are going to call it anti.poverty activity then we should loo4
at what it ta4es for people to get "oney .. and help the" get "ore6 Health and education
see" to underlie a persons a2ility to earn "oney6 'f these two things are there# "ost
people do all right6 'f either or 2oth of these are "issing# the person is in trou2le6
&6 'f we focus first on needs then it usually follows that the social progra" "ust
help their /clients@ to "eet those needs6 ,n Maslows Hierarchy# where would you
stop? 8here is no logical cutoff6 So G is the progra" responsi2le for helping the" "eet
<CC of the needs identified 2y Maslow? 8his is not possi2le# even if you too4 years to
do it6 Even Maslow tho"ght of this hierarchy of needs as re$resenting a lifeti%e
$athway& not as a social service intervention.
Most hu"an develop"ent see4s to "a:i"iAe the potential of the largest nu"2er
possi2le6 <t least one author says there are dou2ts that every hu"an has the inclination
or capacity to 2eco"e /self actualiAed67 8hat nu"2er who achieve self.actualiAation#
even in Maslows fra"ewor4# is i"possi2ly s"all6 'f# as Maslow perceived# only a2out
(J of the population is self.actualiAed# then having this as an ideal target for a social
policy is a dead.2ang loser6 'n an age of outco"e "easure"ent# having a progra" with a
goal of self.actualiAation is a recipe for stinging criticis"6 8he only &K self.actualiAed
people na"ed and descri2ed 2y Maslow include na"es li4e <2raha" Cincoln# <l2ert
&
-instein# -leanor Roosevelt# !ane <dda"s# >rederic4 Douglas# etc6
?6 8he ne:t pro2le" is with the defensive needs of foodLsafety# etc6 HerA2ergs
theory loo4s at hygiene factors and "otivation factors6 His hygiene factors roughly
"atch Maslows /Defensive7 needs6
However# HerA2ergs "otivation factors# including recognition 2y peers and
supervisors# the sense of satisfaction that co"es fro" "eaning and i"portance of the
results of a persons wor4# and ca"araderie in the wor4place6 8hese are "uch "ore
useful as a construct for to help people succeed than Maslows increasingly a"orphous
1ourney for the tiny group who can "a4e it fro" love to self.actualiAation6
>urther"ore# according to HerA2erg# when the hygiene needs are satisfied# you do
not have a happy person# you 1ust re"ove the causes of unhappiness6 8he 2est case
scenario here is that the person is at Aero6 So you can wor4 all you want on these lower
level needs# it rarely produces happiness in and of itself G it 1ust re"oves unhappiness6
8his i"portant insight e:plains why so "any people appear to 2e /ungrateful7 or fail to
e:press appreciation6 'f HerA2erg is right and ' thin4 he is# the first reason is that people
si"ply do not feel it6 38he other is that they feel that what was given to the" is a /right7
and not a /gift67 ut that is another paper 5
*6 <nother trap is that when we focus on "eeting people needs through pu2lic
charity donations of stuff 3including "oney# clothes# food# etc5 we "ay 2e creating
confusion of responsi2ility in ter"s of what you do and what ' do in this society6 <nd we
are into the arena of "oral haAard6 ' thin4 so"e of the 2est "otivators are hunger# fear of
not paying the rent# or wanting that appliance or car# or so"e other o21ect.de.consu"er
society6 8he pu2lic charity functions# the so"ething for nothing# are also a"ong the
"ore controversial politically6 8he conservatives clai" every ti"e we Agive@ a person
so"e "oney or so"e Astuff#@ are we reducing their "otivation or confusing the" a2out
how the world wor4s6 ' now thin4 the conservatives are "ore right than wrong on this
point6 'n other words# there al"ost no causal connection 2etween giving a person stuff
and as a result of that gift they do so"ething that they would not have done anyhow6 <nd
' certainly do not thin4 that the stuff we give people "oves the" to the ne:t level of the
hierarchy6 8o the contrary# it "ay reduce reduce their "otivation to try to do so6
Why is it that "isuse of social science can 2e such good politics? Given the
critter food and it will respond with gratitude6 's it that si"ple? Maslow would 2e
trou2led that S4inners Iconditioned response7 deserves "ore of the credit for the current
pu2lic charity policies that his hierarchy of needs6
;6 < focus on the needs diverts our attention fro" the real pro2le" area which is
the lac4 of good paying 1o2s that will ena2le the huge "a1ority of people to live a
co"forta2le life as currently defined in our culture6 Whether through auto"ation#
efficiency# or hard wor4 2y the people who do produce the stuff we need# we have an
e:cess of goods and a shortage of people earning enough "oney to 2uy the" all6
<lthough the voluntary si"plification "ove"ent and so"e environ"entalists are trying
?
to get us to cut 2ac4# the consu"ption society appears to in a tight relationship with
hu"an nature6
' a" not a woe.is.us# all.is.lost# everything.we.did.was.wrong 4ind of guy6 My
opinion is that "ost people do the 2est they can using the 2est infor"ation they have at
the ti"e6 Now we 4now G and it is ti"e to "ove on6 8his is really the starting point# not
the finish6 'f we can get past the "ental confusion of Maslows needs# we still have toB
unravel the causes of poverty
address the pro2le"s with the li"ited opportunities for wor4##
"a4e e:plicit a list of hu"an "otivators 3use HerA2ergs assu"ptions5#
adopt wor4ing theories of psychology and sociology for use in social
progra"s# and
find the 2alance of responsi2ility 2etween the individual and society6
ut these in9uiries are going to 2e oh.so."uch.easier if we can leave Maslow
2ehind6
Moving forward# we should identify the "a1or factors that cause people to avoid
poverty or to get out of poverty6 'n loo4ing at the nu"2er of people who "ove in and out
of poverty over a two or three year period# we see that a rather su2stantial nu"2er of
people of wor4ing age 3a2out $?J5 drop 2elow the inco"e poverty line6 So"e of the"
hit and I2ounce within days6 <nother group stays in poverty only a few wee4s6 <nother
group stays in poverty only a few "onths6 <nother group are poverty in over a year6
<nother group stays over two years6 <nd a s"all group are in for "any years6 What are
the differences 2etween these groups? Why do so"e people stay in poverty only a short
ti"e# and others a "uch longer ti"e? What do the short.ti"ers have that the long.ti"ers
do not have? My opinion is that the people who avoid poverty or who are in poverty only
a short period of ti"e have certain 4inds of capacities or assets6 8hese can 2e grouped
under four headings 3(5 financial capital# 3$5 hu"an capital# 3=5 social capital# and 3&5 un.
identified6 8here are always un4nowns and "ysteries in life# so we will provide a space
for the"# too6
Whether we are doing an analysis of an individual# a fa"ily# a co""unity or a
society# we can identify the for"s of capital that would ena2le the" to avoid poverty or
to 2e in poverty only a short ti"e6 8hese types of capital provide the capacity or a2ility
for an individualLfa"ilyLclanLco""unity to live an ade9uate life# however defined6
While there "ay 2e reasons to provide private charity or in rare instances pu2lic
charity to provide a "ini"al 9uality of life 3anti.destitution5 these generally do not lead
to an enhance"ent of one or "ore of the for"s of capital that do "a4e a difference in
ter"s of how long a person stays in poverty6
Since ' a" arguing against a hierarchy# 'll 1ust put the" all these for"s of capital
in a circle6 <nd here it is6
*
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