Hierarchy of Needs
(Maslow)

Over a million managers and consultants are working together on management issues via 12manage each month...

Five layers of human needs. Explanation of Hierarchy of Needs of Maslow. ('54)

Abraham Maslow biography

Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow is born April 1, 1908 in Brooklyn, New York. He is the first of seven children born to his parents, who themselves are poorly educated Jewish immigrants from Russia. His parents hope for the best for their children in the new world and push him hard for academic success. Not surprisingly, he becomes very lonely as a boy, and finds his refuge in books.

To satisfy his parents, he first studies law at the City College of New York (CCNY). He marries Bertha Goodman, his first grand niece, against his parents wishes. Abe and Bertha go on to have two daughters.

Abraham Maslow and Bertha move to Wisconsin so that he can attend the University of Wisconsin. Here, he becomes interested in psychology, and his school work begins to improve dramatically. There he is working with Harry Harlow. Harlow is famous for his experiments with baby rhesus monkeys and attachment behavior.

Abraham Maslow receives his BA in 1930, his MA in 1931, and his PhD in 1934, all in psychology, all from the University of Wisconsin. A year after graduation, he moves back to New York to work with E. L. Thorndike at Columbia, where Maslow becomes interested in research on human sexuality.

He begins teaching full time at Brooklyn College. During this period of his life, he comes into contact with the many European intellectuals that are immigrating towards the US and towards Brooklyn in particular. People such as Adler, Fromm, Horney, as well as several Gestalt psychologists and Freudian psychologists.

In 1951, Abraham Maslow serves as the chairman of the psychology department at Brandeis for 10 years, where he meets Kurt Goldstein. Goldstein introduces him to the idea of self-actualization and Maslow begins his own theoretical work. It is also here that he begins his crusade for a humanistic psychology, which was ultimately much more important to him than his own theorizing. He spends the last years of his life in semi-retirement in California. On June 8 1970, he dies of a heart attack after years of ill health.

The Hierarchy of Needs model of Abraham Maslow

Hierarchy of Needs - Physiological needs

These are the very basic needs such as air, water, food, sleep, sex, etc. When these are not satisfied we may feel sickness, irritation, pain, discomfort, etc. These feelings motivate us to alleviate them as soon as possible to establish homeostasis. Once they are alleviated, we may think about other things.

Hierarchy of Needs - Safety needs

These are dealing with achieving of stability and of consistency in a chaotic world. These needs are mostly psychological in nature. We need the safety of a home and family. However, if a family is dysfunctional caused by for example an abusive husband, the wife cannot move to the next level. Because she is constantly concerned for her safety. Love and belongingness have to wait until she is no longer in fear. Many in our society cry out for law and order because they do not feel safe enough to go for a walk in their neighborhood.

Hierarchy of Needs - Love and belongingness needs

These are next on the ladder. Humans have a desire to belong to groups: clubs, work groups, religious groups, family, gangs, etc. We want to feel loved (non-sexual) by others, to be accepted by others. Performing artists are appreciating applause. We need to be needed. Compare: Hawthorne Effect

Hierarchy of Needs - Self-Esteem needs

There are two types of esteem needs. The first is the self-esteem which is the result from competence or mastery of a task. Second, there's the attention and recognition that comes from others. This is similar to the belongingness level, however, wanting admiration is related to the need for power.

Hierarchy of Needs - The need for self-actualization

This is "the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming." People who have everything can maximize their potential. They can seek knowledge, peace, esthetic experiences, self-fulfillment, oneness with God, etc.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs model was developed between 1943-1954, and first widely published in Motivation and Personality in 1954. At this time the Hierarchy of Needs model comprised five needs. Maslow's most popular book is Toward a Psychology of Being (1968), in which more layers were added.

Limitations of the Hierarchy of Needs model. Disadvantages

Care should be taken not to stick too rigidly to this hierarchy:

In reality, people don't work necessarily one by one through these levels. They are much less structured in the way they satisfy their needs. (Graves)
Different people with different cultural backgrounds and in different situations may have different hierarchies of need. (Hofstede, Early)
Other researchers claim that other needs are also significant or even more significant. See McClelland, who identified needs for achievement, affiliation and power.
In 1968, Maslow has himself added additional layers in his book: "Toward a Psychology of Being".

Despite of the above, the original five-layer-version still remains for most people the original Hierarchy of Needs.

Book: Abraham Maslow - Toward a Psychology of Being -

Hierarchy of Needs Special Interest Group

Visit the Special Interest Group

Hierarchy of Needs Forum

Recent User Comments

    			 
             Tony Gannon - Ireland
  	       
  		     Maslow and Buyer Behaviour
  	  		 "How does Maslows Theory influences Buyer Behaviour?"
  			   
    	  		 2

    			 
             Huynh Hai Yen - Vietnam
  	       
  		     Which Level of Need?
  	  		 "Let's call him Harry, he is very assertive. He will work for money and can change jobs for more money. Harry is hardworking and he expects the company also to work for him. He feels no qualms about working a 60-hour week if the money is there. So which level of need do you think Harry is in? I think he's just at the physiological because he just needs money, that's all. But my professor said he should be at the first and the fifth level. How about you?"
  			   
    	  		 2

    			 
  			   Anuraag Agarwal - India
  	       
  		     Maslow's Model Related with Marketing
  	  		 "Maslow has really provided a basic model for which every individual is striving hard to achieve. The bottom ladder of the model is the prime requirement of every consumer or customer this ladder only suggest that we have one thing in common and this common thing only distinguishes us and that is nothing but need. Various classes of consumers have diversified sets of needs and the objective of marketing is to identify the need at the right time and which must be persuaded for right cause. Once this is achieved, the next step is how to provide / give recognition to the society by incorporating augmented benefits in product and services."
  			   
    	  		 3

    			 
             Abednego Otchere - Ghana
  	       
  		     Global Crisis
  	  		 "Has the world economy been helped by the many thories we learn in school, judging from the fact that the current global crisis could not be averted by all the 'brilliant' people around?"
  			   
    	  		 0

    			 
             Shekar Poojary - U.A.E.
  	       
  		     Hierarchy of Needs duringRecession
  	  		 "During a recession, does the hierarchy of needs or preferences change?"
  			   
    	  		 5

Best User Comments

    			   
    			     Sandra Wayne - USA
  	         
  				   Abe Maslow
  				   "I was Abe's student and later friend of both him and Bertha and can correct some misinformation from 1950 to 1965"
    			   
        	  		 12

    			   
    			     Dr. Uditha Liyanage - Sri Lanka
  	         
  				   Marketing Interpretation of Hierarchy of Needs
  				   "Maslow's needs hierarchy can be re-interpreted in consumer needs / value terms to read from bottom to top: Functional, Experiential, Relational, Social and Psychological."
    			   
        	  		 8

    			   
    			     Rudolph Woods - USA
  	         
  				   Internal and External Motivators
  				   "Just a quick tip: Thinking on ways to motivate an employee / your workforce? You should understand that Maslow's Pyramid focuses on internal motivators or needs. Maslow shares this internal orientation with Herzberg's Two Factor Theory, Alderfer's ERG Theory and McLelland's Theory of Needs.

It is also possible to use external motivators or stimuli to motivate employees. For example by providing clear, specific, achievable targets, preferably involving the employee in the process, and preferably providing feedback, such as in Drucker's Management by Objectives and many similar result-oriented concepts."
    			   
        	  		 3

    			   
    			     Britny - US
  	         
  				   Project.
  				   "If anyone has any other information on Maslow...I need it for a project. Thanks Much!"
    			   
        	  		 -24

Comment on this Page

Hierarchy of Needs Education & Events

Find Trainings, Seminars and Events

More information?

12manage Premium contains advanced insights about (the) Hierarchy of Needs :

- Expert Tips and Management Papers -
- News and Videos on this method -

More Management Methods, Models and Theory

12manage for:

                     
                      └► James L Mileur (USA)
                      
                    Maslow and the Buyer
                    "Just consider a car buying process; after I've met the bottom items at home, can I walk onto the lot w/o being accosted by high pressure sales sharks, does the sales person make me feel like a special group of consumers that choose wisely this particular vehicle line, do they recognize and affirm my desire and need for price (value), reliability, and features that I want as more important than their sales quotas, and of course, lastly, a facilitation to creative come to the terms of financing, optional add-ons and accessorizing to make the vehicle, uniquely mine. If only the sales person could visualize the image in the consumers' mind..."

	└► Deepak Sharma (India)	Which Level of Need?	"I will need more information to reach a conclusion- Does Harry change job which are high on money side but lower in designation/responsibility- wise? How will Harry respond to this question: "Will you do anything for money?" Is Harry ready to work on purely commission basis? No basic salary but a very good commission stucture. Is he ready to take a very high paying job but has to live at a place for ever where he doesn't have any family or friends? The answers to these questions will tell at which level he is. Otherwise, I will say that he values his skills and abilities more than what salary he is being offered. Two ways to retain him: - He should realize that present job can add to his skills and knowledge (job enrichment) - Make the job valuable for him. Presently he doesn't value his job and therefore a little motivation is sufficient to trigger a resignation."
	└► Akila B (India)	Which Level of Need?	"I guess we should see what is behind his need for money. If he has huge financial commitments for which he is working, then he would be at the physiological level. If he is doing it out of ambition in terms of status or career prowess, then he would be at the self-esteem level. Self actualization has a lot to do with searching or adhering to what you think is the meaning of your life. Someone at the true self actualization stage would not be looking at money as their meaning in life. I believe Harry is not there."

                     
                      └► Jeswan SinghPS (Malaysia)
                      
                    Averting Global Crisis
                    "There   is nothing wrong with the theories. The main problem is greed, coruption, unprofessionalism and poor management approaches. Accountability and commitment to personal values is just not there thanks to the current brand of progressive management styles."

                       
                        └► Sarah (UK)
                        
                      Dissertation on Mis-use of Management Theory
                      "Sandra, I would appreciate more in depth, 'personal experience' oriented information.  I'm focusing my masters dissertation on 'mis-use' of theory - particularly Maslow.  Having read journals and searched other articles I seem to have still found a 'gap' whereby there really has been little research following Maslow's insistence that his theories were not originally meant for management use and also the total avoidance of his SA theories in terms of the workplace - ie. taking part of it but not the whole and therefore not using or testing it as it was intended.  As I read about 'emotional intelligence' and issues such as 'building a coaching culture' - so much of it crosses over longstanding theories that seem to have been discarded far too early.   Any information is greatly appreciated.  thanks"

                       
                        └► niloufer (United Arab Emmirates)
                        
                      Marketing Needs
                      "Social and... cultural needs."

└► Chris Holley (USA)	Establishing and maintaining a positive environment	"It is the combination of the theories (Herzberg, Maslow, Alderfer, McLelland, Mac Gregor; etc) that helps a leader - by matching the needs of the employees with the needs of the organization. Motivation for the employee must come from within. It is the leader which affects the environment to which an employee works. This, in turn, affects the employee's motivation to work. If the leader establishes and maintains a positive environment, then the leader can expect positive results - the behavior will more likely be repeated. If a leader/manager uses negative actions/activities, then the results will more than likely be negative. The behavior might or might not be repeated (50/50). People want to be treated as you would be. Hold them accountable, but treat them as well as you treat yourself."
└► Denise Marshall (United Kingdom)	Trusting Relationships	"Whilst Maslow's, Herberg's et al theories do still apply when looking at how we motivate our employees or more accurately how we create an environment in which the employee feels motivated, the foundation to fostering a motivated workforce is to have trusting relationships. If trust exists in the workplace, then it is possible to create a positive and motivating workplace where people will be able to achieve their potential. Without trust, results of targets etc will be hit and miss. With trust success rates will increase."
└► Hester Kruizinga (The Netherlands)	Carl Rogers ideas	"Thank you for this excellent article. I only could add that acc. to Carl Rogers ideas, we must keep in mind that each individual responds differrently to our models and statistics. Thank you for your inspiring contribution."
└► Kuthupdeen (Singapore)	Explanation on Maslow Hierarchy of Needs	"Thanks. Just when I wanted more explanation on Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. Great stuff."
└► Deepak Bhagat (India)	Environment for Self-Motivation	"After thinking over this needs model we must develop an environment in the organisation which will make the people self motivated to perform."

Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow)