Maslow's hierarchy of needs

. Name of Theory and Explanation of the Theory

The theory of human motivation is a framework which postulates what the author considers the five basic needs of humans. Here, the author Maslow stats 5 sets of goals which he terms “basic needs.” These basic needs are all related to one another in both scope and form. These interrelated needs are arranged in an hierarchy of propensity, starting with the most basic needs as the bottom of the hierarchy. Here, when the lowest goal in the hierarchy is realized, then the individual focuses on the next highest need. In this instance, the human being is engaged in a perpetual desire of needing and wanting the next desire for their personal fulfillment. As one need is fulfilled, human beings must therefore engage in achieving the next basic need.

According to Maslow, the first and most basic need for individuals is physiological in nature. These needs include basic necessities such as oxygen, food, water, and other elements required for survival. These needs are ultimately the most basis as they’re required for survival of the species as a whole. Next, the theory states the human being require safety as their next basis need. Here, human beings are looking for protection from illness and other forms of physical harm. Next, human beings then desire a sense of love and belonging. According to Maslow, humans will long for affection after their needs for shelter and safety are meet. Finally the next two steps within the theory are related to esteem and self-actualization (Cherry, 2015).

2. Theorist

Abraham Maslow is the theorist behind the hierarchy of basic human needs. Maslow was born in 1908 in New York and would later attend City College of New York and the University of Wisconsin. After graduation, Maslow would continue his studies at Columbia University with a particular focus on behaviorism. After entering the second World War, Maslow saw first hand the tragedies of war and made as psychological breakthrough as it relates to self-actualization. Through this discovery he created the discipline of humanistic psychology which is still practices to this day. This would be the precursor to the founding of Maslow hierarch of needs which has become foundational reading for students around the world. After the found of the humanistic psychology discipline and the success of his research related to basic needs, Maslow would go on to become a resident and professor at Brandeis University and Laughlin Institute in California. Maslow would later pass away in 1970 due to a heart attack.

As a theorist, Maslow made significant contributions to the discipline of psychology. He is regarded as the founder of Humanistic Psychology. He also provided the discipline with other highly regarded elements such as Peak and Plateau experiences, B-Values, Meta motivation, and Transpersonal psychology. These contributions have significantly improved the worlds understanding of human motivation and what it means to “self-actualize” during one’s lifetime. His contributions have formed the basis of many of the nuanced psychologic studies being conducted today (Goebel, 1981).