Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

by Abraham Maslow (1943)

[FOR THE AFFECTIVE VARIABLE
MOTIVATION]
 Maslow's hierarchy of needs is
a theory in psychology. It
was proposed by 
Abraham Maslow in his 1943
paper "A Theory of Human
Motivation."
 Maslow used the terms
"physiological", "safety",
"belongingness" and "love",
"esteem", "self-actualization" and
"self-transcendence" to describe
the pattern that human motivations
generally move through.
 Maslow studied what he called
exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, 
Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and 
Frederick Douglass.  
Maslow also studied the healthiest 1%
of the college student population.
 Maslow's hierarchy of needs is
often portrayed in the shape of a
pyramid with the largest, most
fundamental levels of needs at
the bottom and the need for 
self-actualization at the top. 
 While the pyramid has been
used in the way of representing
the hierarchy, Maslow himself
never used a pyramid to describe
these levels in any of his writings
on the subject.
The most fundamental and basic four
layers of the pyramid contain what
Maslow called "deficiency needs" or "d-
needs": esteem, friendship and love,
security, and physical needs. If these
"deficiency needs" are not met – with
the exception of the most fundamental
(physiological) need – there may not be
a physical indication, but the individual
will feel anxious and tense.
 Maslow's theory suggests that the
most basic level of needs must be met
before the individual will strongly desire
(or focus motivation upon) the
secondary or higher level needs.
Maslow also coined the term "
metamotivation" to describe the
motivation of people who go beyond
the scope of the basic needs and strive
for constant betterment.
 The human mind and brain are
complex and have parallel processes
running at the same time, thus many
different motivations from various
levels of Maslow's hierarchy can
occur at the same time. Maslow
spoke clearly about these levels and
their satisfaction in terms such as
"relative," "general," and "primarily."
 Instead of stating that the individual
focuses on a certain need at any
given time, Maslow stated that a
certain need "dominates" the human
organism. Maslow acknowledged that
the different levels of motivation could
occur at any time in the human mind,
but he focused on identifying the
basic types of motivation and the
order in which they should be met.
 Physiological needs

Physiological needs are the

physical requirements for human
survival. If these requirements are
not met, the human body cannot
function properly and will ultimately
fail. Physiological needs are thought
to be the most important; they should
be met first.
 Physiological needs
Air, water, and food are metabolic
 requirements for survival in all animals,
including humans. Clothing and shelter
provide necessary protection from the 
elements. While maintaining an adequate
birth rate shapes the intensity of the
human sexual instinct, sexual competition
 may also shape said instinct.
 Safety needs
With their physical needs relatively
satisfied, the individual's safety needs
take precedence and dominate behavior.
In the absence of physical safety – due to
war, natural disaster, family violence, 
childhood abuse, etc. – people may
(re-)experience 
post-traumatic stress disorder or 
transgenerational trauma.
 Safety needs

In the absence of economic safety – due

to economic crisis and lack of work
opportunities – these safety needs manifest
themselves in ways such as a preference for
job security, grievance procedures for
protecting the individual from unilateral
authority, savings accounts, insurance
policies, reasonable disability
accommodations, etc.
 Safety needs
This level is more likely to be found in
children because they generally have a greater
need to feel safe.
Safety and Security needs include:
• Personal security
• Financial security
• Health and well-being
• Safety 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.
 Love and belonging
Deficiencies within this level of Maslow's
hierarchy – dueto hospitalism, neglect, 
shunning, ostracism, etc. – can impact the
individual's ability to form and maintain
emotionally significant relationships in general,
such as:
• Friendship
• Intimacy
• Family
 Love and belonging

Humans need to feel a sense of

belonging and acceptance from their
social groups, regardless whether 
these groups are large or small. Examples
of large social groups may include clubs,
co-workers, religious groups,
professional organizations, sports teams,
and gangs.  
 Love and belonging
Examples of small social connections
are family members, intimate partners,
mentors, colleagues, and confidants.
Humans need to love and be loved – both
sexually and non-sexually – by others.
 Love and belonging
Many people become susceptible to
loneliness, social anxiety, 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 respected;

this includes the need to have self-esteem
 and self-respect. Esteem presents the
typical human desire to be accepted and
valued by others. People often engage in a
profession or hobby to gain recognition.
These activities give the person a sense of
contribution or value.
 Esteem
Low self-esteem or an inferiority complex
 may result from imbalances during this level
in the hierarchy.
People with low self-esteem often need respect
from others; they may feel the need to seek
fame or glory. But fame or glory will not help
the person to build self-esteem until he accept
who he is internally.
 Esteem

Psychological imbalances such as 

depression can hinder a person from
obtaining a higher level of self-esteem or
self-respect.
 Esteem
Most people have a need for stable
self-respect and self-esteem. Maslow’s
two versions of esteem needs: a "lower"
version and a "higher" version. The
"lower" version is the need for respect
from others. This may include a need for
status, recognition, fame, prestige, and
attention.
 Esteem
The "higher" version manifests itself as
the need for self-respect. For example,
the person may have a need for strength,
competence, mastery, self-confidence,
independence, and freedom. Deprivation
of these needs may lead to an inferiority
complex, weakness, and helplessness.
 Esteem
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 subsequent levels are not strictly
separated; instead, the levels are closely
related.
 Self-actualization

"What a man can be, he must be." This

quotation forms the basis of the perceived
need for self-actualization. This level of
need refers to what a person's full potential
is and the realization of that potential.
 Self-actualization
Maslow describes this level as the
desire to accomplish everything that one
can, to become the most that one can
be. Individuals may perceive or focus on
this need very specifically.
 Self-actualization
For example, one individual may have
the strong desire to become an ideal
parent. In another, the desire may be
expressed athletically. For others, it may
be expressed in paintings, pictures, or
inventions.
 Self-Transcendence

In his later years, Maslow explored a

further dimension of needs, while
criticizing his own vision on self-
actualization. The self only finds its
actualization in giving itself to some
higher goal outside oneself, in altruism
and spirituality.
Changes to the hierarchy by circumstance

The higher-order (self-esteem and self-

actualization) and lower-order (physiological,
safety, and love) needs classification of
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is not universal
and may vary across cultures due to
individual differences and availability of
resources in the region or geopolitical
entity/country.
Thank You