MASLOW’S

HIERARCHY OF
NEEDS THEORY
BY DR. USAMA GUL
PGR PSYCHIATRY
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY & BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES
HMC, MTI, PESHAWAR
ABRAHAM MASLOW
 Abraham Harold Maslow (April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970) was a humanist and
an American psychologist who created Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.
 Maslow was a psychology professor at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College,
New School for Social Research and Columbia University.
 He stressed the importance of focusing on the positive qualities in people, as
opposed to treating them as a "bag of symptoms"
 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE
THEORY
 Abraham Maslow first introduced the concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943
paper, titled "A Theory of Human Motivation," and again in his subsequent
book, "Motivation and Personality."
 This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before
moving on to other, more advanced needs.
 While some of the existing schools of thought at the time—such as psychoanalysis
and behaviorism —tended to focus on problematic behaviors, Maslow was more
interested in learning about what makes people happy and what they do to achieve
that aim.
 As a humanist, Maslow believed that people have an inborn desire to be self-
actualized, that is, to be all they can be. To achieve this ultimate goal, however, a
number of more basic needs must be met. This includes the need for food, safety,
love, and self-esteem.
 Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a major role in
motivating behavior. 
MOTIVATION
 Motivation is a driving force which results in persistent behavior towards
particular goals.
 Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one of the best-known theories of
motivation. 
 Maslow's theory states that our actions are motivated by certain physiological and
psychological needs that progress from basic to complex.
 TYPES
 Types of motivation are
 Biological Motivation
 Sexual Motivation
 Social motivation
 Self actualization motivation
BIOLOGICAL MOTIVATION
 The biological motives are rooted
in the physiological state of the
body
 Includes hunger, third, sexual
desire, temperature regulation,
sleep, pain avoidance, and a need
for oxygen
 As regards the biological motives,
the body tends to maintain a state
of equilibrium called homeostasis
SEXUAL MOTIVATION
 This depends to large degree on sex
hormones.
 The hormones organize the brain
and body of developing humans so
that they have male and female
characteristics.
 The activation of sexual motivation
in humans, however, seems to be
controlled more by external stimuli
and learning than by sex hormones
SOCIAL MOTIVATION
 Social motives are learned motives
that involve other people
 Example of social motivation
include the need for achievement,
need for approval and need to
attain power
SELF ACTUALIZATION
MOTIVATION
 Self actualization refers to an
individuals needs to do what he or
she is capable of doing.
 Self actualizers are people who
make the most out of their
capabilities and are able to
maximize their potential.
 The goals may vary from person to
person.
NEEDS
 NEEDS VS WANTS
 Need is a psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a
goal, giving purpose and direction to behavior
 Needs are distinguished from wants. In the case of a need, a deficiency causes
a clear adverse outcome: a dysfunction or death.
  A need is something required for a safe, stable and healthy life (e.g. air, water,
food, land, shelter) while a want is a desire, wish or aspiration.
 TYPES OF NEEDS
 Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be separated into two types of needs: deficiency
needs and growth needs.
 Deficiency needs:
Physiological, security, social, and esteem needs are deficiency needs,
which arise due to deprivation. Satisfying these lower-level needs is important to
avoid unpleasant feelings or consequences.
 Growth needs:
Maslow called the needs at the top of the pyramid growth needs. These needs
don't stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person.
 MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF
NEEDS
 There are five different levels of
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
 Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often
displayed as a pyramid.
 The lowest levels of the pyramid of
needs are made up of the most basic
needs.
 The most complex needs are at the top.
 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, start at the lowest level known as physiological
needs. 
 Once lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of
needs. As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly
psychological and social.
 At the top of the pyramid, the need for personal esteem and feelings of
accomplishment take priority.
 Like Carl Rogers, Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which
is a process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve individual
potential.
 PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS
 The physiological needs include those
that are vital to survival. Some examples
of physiological needs include:
 Food
 Water
 Oxygen
 Homeostasis
 In addition to these basic requirements,
physiological needs also include shelter
and clothing.
 Maslow included sexual reproduction in
this level of the hierarchy as well, since
it is essential to the survival and
propagation of the species.
SECURITY AND SAFETY NEEDS
 At the second level of Maslow’s
hierarchy, the needs start to become
a bit more complex. At this level,
the needs for security and safety
become primary.
 People want control and order in
their lives. Some of the basic
security and safety needs include:
 Financial security
 Health and wellness
 Safety against accidents and
injury
Together, the safety and physiological levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs make
up what is often referred to as "basic needs."
SOCIAL NEEDS
 The social needs in Maslow’s hierarchy
include love, acceptance, and
belonging. 
 At this level, the need for emotional
relationships drives human behavior.
Some of the things that satisfy this need
include:
 Friendships
 Romantic attachments
 Family relationships
 Social groups
 Community groups
 Churches and religious organizations
ESTEEM NEEDS
 At the fourth level in Maslow’s
hierarchy is the need for appreciation
and respect.
 People need to sense that they are
valued by others and feel that they are
making a contribution to the world.
 People who are able to satisfy esteem
needs by achieving good self-esteem
and the recognition of others tend to
feel confident in their abilities.
 Conversely, those who lack self-esteem
and the respect of others can develop
feelings of inferiority. 
Together, the esteem and social levels make up what is known as the "psychological
needs" of the hierarchy.
SELF ACTUALIZATION NEEDS
 At the very peak of Maslow’s
hierarchy are the self-actualization
needs. 
  Self actualizing people are self-
aware, concerned with personal
growth, less concerned with the
opinions of others, and interested in
fulfilling their potential.
 "What a man can be, he must be,"
Maslow explained, referring to the
need people have to achieve their
full potential as human beings.
 Maslow’s said of self-actualization: "It
may be loosely described as the full
use and exploitation of talents,
capabilities, potentialities, etc. Such
people seem to be fulfilling themselves
and to be doing the best that they are
capable of doing. They are people who
have developed or are developing to
the full stature of which they capable."
 PROFILE OF A SELF
ACTUALIZER
 A self-actualizer is a person who is living creatively and fully using his or her
potentials. 
 Maslow found that self actualizers shared a number of characteristics irrespective
of whether they were rich or poor, famous or unknown, academically
distinguished or uneducated
EFFICIENT PERCEPTIONS OF
REALITY
 Most of Maslow’s subjects could judge
situations correctly and honestly
COMFORTABLE ACCEPTANCE
OF SELF, OTHERS AND NATURE
 Self actualizers were able to accept
their shortcomings as well as those of
others
SPONTANEITY
 Maslow’s subjects extended their
creativity into everyday activities.
 They tended to be unusually energetic,
engaged and spontaneous.
TASK CENTRING
 Most subjects had a mission or
purpose in life that they vigorously
pursued
AUTONOMY
 Subjects were free from dependence
on external authorities and tended to
be resourceful and independent
FELLOWSHIP WITH HUMANITY
 Self actualizers felt a deep
identification with others and the
human situation in general
PROFOUND INTERPERSONAL
RELATIONSHIPS
 They were able to form meaningful
and sustained mutually beneficial
interpersonal relationships
NON HOSTILE SENSE OF HUMOR
 Self actualizers have a wonderful
capacity to laugh at oneself
PEAK EXPERIENCES
 All the Maslow’s subjects reported the
frequent occurrence of peak
experiences.
 These are experiences that are marked
by feelings of euphoria, harmony and
deep meaning.
 CRITICISM OFF MASLOW’S
THEORY
 Needs don't follow a hierarchy:
 While some research has shown support for Maslow's theories, most of the
research has not been able to substantiate the idea of a needs hierarchy.
 Wahba and Bridwell (researchers from Baruch College) reported that there was
little evidence for Maslow's ranking of these needs and even less evidence that
these needs are in a hierarchical order.
 The theory is difficult to test:
 Other critics of Maslow's theory note that his definition of self-actualization is
difficult to test scientifically.
 His research on self-actualization was also based on a very limited sample of
individuals, including people he knew as well as biographies of famous
individuals who Maslow believed to be self-actualized.
 THE EXPANDED HIERARCHY
OF NEEDS
In 1970, Maslow built upon his original hierarchy to include three additional needs
at the top of his pyramid, for a total of eight:
 Cognitive needs
 Aesthetic needs
 Transcendence/Spiritual needs
COGNITIVE NEEDS

 This centers on knowledge.

 This addresses the appreciation