Abraham Maslow Research Paper

1586 Words7 Pages

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs In his theory in the field human developmental psychology, Abraham Maslow hypothesized that humans experience different stages in growth. Abraham Maslow introduced the theory of Motivation and Personality concerning how people satisfy their needs. He postulated that there exist a general pattern of needs recognition as well as satisfaction for people, which follow a similar trend and sequence. He observed that human generally went through these stages and they follow a particular pattern from physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and finally self-actualization. He theorized that an individual could not pursue or recognize the next higher need until the current recognized need is substantially or …show more content…

He described the first four layers of needs in the pyramid as deficiency needs necessary for human survival while the topmost level is the growth. The desire need for self-actualization is fueled by the need for the individual to become what he is meant to be. He also noted that it was necessary for individual to fulfill these deficiency needs before they can act unselfishly. Every individual is capable and has an innate desire to climb up the hierarchy towards the topmost level of self-actualization. However, due to the unstable and unpredictable life experiences progress is often times disrupted. This may cause the individual to oscillate between the different levels before they attain …show more content…

The lower self-esteem need is the need, which calls for respect from other people. It is the need for recognition, fame, prestige, status and attention. The higher form of self-esteem on the other hand is the desire for self-respect, desire for strength, self-confidence, competence, mastery, freedom and independence. This form of self-esteem rests inner competence and is only gained through experience. Deprivation of esteem needs is detrimental and leads to weaknesses, helplessness, and inferiority complex. Maslow noted that these two hierarchies are interconnected rather than being sharply

Open Document