Abraham Maslow theorized five core needs that form the basis of human behaviour motivation. In 1943, the psychologist first mentioned this in his paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”. and further described it in his book “Motivation and Personality” in 1954.
The five categories of needs that direct individual choices and motivations are:
- Physiological Needs
- Safety Needs
- Love and Belonging Needs
- Esteem Needs
- Self Actualization Needs
It can be visualized better as a pyramid where the basic needs are at the bottom of the pyramid with more high-level intangible needs placed at the top. Maslow himself noted- there is a little scientific basis to the idea. Despite this, it remains a popular framework for a sociology research and management training.
Physiological Needs
These are the basic biological needs such as air, water, food, clothing, sex, sleep, etc. Depriving the human body of these needs can cause it to function abnormally.
Safety Needs
People seek safety after achieving physiological needs. People like to experience order and predictability in their lives as it gives them a sense of stability.
Examples of this would be- law and order, emotional security, financial security and freedom from fear, et cetera.
Love and Belongingness Needs
Interpersonal relations such as friendship, trust, family motivate individual behaviours. People seek a sense of belonging after meeting the first two needs. Humans are social animals- bonds are a nurturing factor in each individual’s life.
Esteem Needs
The fourth in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are categorized further into two parts:
i. Esteem for oneself
Dignity, mastery, achievement and independence
ii. Desire for reputation or respect from others
Status, Prestige
They are not very distinct from each other and are closely related. Fulfilment of one can result in the achievement of others.
Self Actualization Needs
The highest of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs indicates the realization of a person’s calibre, self-fulfilment and seeking personal growth.
Self-actualization can be described as the goal or objective and the previous needs in Maslow’s hierarchy as the process to achieve this goal. The goal might be to become a better parent, a good athlete, gain a certain fitness level, etc.
Maslow additionally coined the term “meta- motivation” which explains “the motivation of people who are self-actualized and striving beyond the scope of basic need for constant betterment”.
Initially, scholars thought all the hierarchical needs went from bottom to top. But, human brains are much more complex than that- multiple processes are running simultaneously. Thus, Maslow stated that a particular need dominates the human at a time.
Maslow’s Expanded Hierarchy
It is vital to understand that Maslow’s initial five-stage model has been expanded to the eight-stage model as follows:
- Physiological Needs
- Safety Needs
- Love and Belonging Needs
- Esteem Needs
- Cognitive Needs
- Aesthetic Needs
- Self Actualization Needs
- Transcendence Needs
Cognitive Needs
It is the need for knowledge and understanding, curiosity, exploration, etc. One can acknowledge these needs through travelling, reading, studying, etc.
Aesthetic Needs
This one is not just about looking good but also feeling good. Everyone wants to feel appreciated and needed.
Transcendence Needs
Abraham Maslow examined a further dimension of motivation later and criticized his original version of self-actualization. He added that an individual finds the fullest realization in “giving oneself to something beyond oneself” such as altruism.
Deficiency Needs (D- Needs) vs Growth or Being Needs(B- needs)
Needs of both the five-stage and the eight-stage model of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are either deficiency needs or the growth needs.
The first four stages are deficiency needs (D-Needs)
- Physiological needs, Safety needs, Love and Belonging needs, Esteem needs
Rest of the stages are Growth or Being needs (B-Needs)
- Self- actualization needs in the five-stage model
- Cognitive needs, Aesthetic needs, Self-actualization needs, Trancedence needs in the seven-stage model
D-needs motivate people when they are unmet. For example, the more an individual is deprived of food, hungrier they get.
Since growth need doesn’t stem due to the lack of something but the desire for growth, B-needs continue to be felt and may even be more persuasive once they are involved.
Although it has little scientific evidence, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has found its place in multiple disciplines such as psychology, business, social science, human resource management, etc.