Abraham Harold Maslow was an American psychologist

maslow's hierarchy of needs

Each of us is motivated by needs. Our most basic needs are inborn,
having evolved over tens of thousands of years. Abraham Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs helps to explain how these needs motivate us all.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that we must satisfy each need in
turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs
for survival itself.
Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being
are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order needs of
influence and personal development.
Conversely, if the things that satisfy our lower order needs are swept
away, we are no longer concerned about the maintenance of our higher
order needs.
Maslow's original Hierarchy of Needs model was developed between 19431954, and first widely published in Motivation and Personality in
1954. At this time the Hierarchy of Needs model comprised five needs.
This original version remains for most people the definitive Hierarchy
of Needs.
Maslows hierarchy of needs
1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter,
warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law,
limits, stability, etc.
3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection,
relationships, etc.
4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence,
status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
5. Self-Actualization needs - realising personal potential, selffulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

This is the definitive and original Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

While Maslow referred to various additional aspects of motivation, he
expressed the Hierarchy of Needs in these five clear stages.
Here is a quick simple self-test based on the original Maslow's 5level Hierarchy of Needs. It's not a scientific or validated
instrument - merely a quick indicator, which can be used for selfawareness, discussion, etc.

1970s adapted hierarchy of needs model, including cognitive and

aesthetic needs
1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter,
warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law,
limits, stability, etc.
3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection,
relationships, etc.
4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence,
status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
5. Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, etc.
6. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance,
form, etc.
7. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, selffulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

N.B. Although Maslow referred to additional aspects of motivation,

'Cognitive' and 'Aesthetic', he did not include them as levels or
stages within his own expression of the Hierarchy of Needs.

1990s adapted hierarchy of needs including transcendence

needs

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter,

warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law,
limits, stability, etc.
3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection,
relationships, etc.
4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence,
status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
5. Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, etc.
6. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance,
form, etc.
7. Self-Actualization needs - realising personal potential, selffulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

8. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self-actualization.

N.B. Although Maslow referred to additional aspects of motivation,

'Cognitive', 'Aesthetic', and 'Transcendence', he did not include any
of these as additional stages in the Hierarchy of Needs.
Here is a quick self-test based on the extended 8-level Hierarchy of Needs. Like
the 5-level Hierarchy of Needs self-test it is not a scientific or validated
instrument - merely a quick indicator for helping self-awareness, discussion, etc.

What hierarchy of needs model is most valid?

Abraham Maslow created the original five level Hierarchy of Needs
model, and for many this remains entirely adequate for its purpose.
The seven and eight level 'hierarchy of needs' models are later
adaptations by others, based on Maslow's work. Arguably, the original
five-level model includes the later additional sixth, seventh and
eighth ('Cognitive', 'Aesthetic', and 'Transcendence') levels within
the original 'Self-Actualization' level 5, since each one of the 'new'
motivators concerns an area of self-development and self-fulfillment
that is rooted in self-actualization 'growth', and is distinctly
different to any of the previous 1-4 level 'deficiency' motivators.
For many people, self-actualizing commonly involves each and every one
of the newly added drivers. As such, the original five-level Hierarchy
of Needs model remains a definitive classical representation of human
motivation; and the later adaptations perhaps serve best to illustrate
aspects of self-actualization.
Maslow said that needs must be satisfied in the given order. Aims and
drive always shift to next higher order needs. Levels 1 to 4 are
deficiency motivators; level 5, and by implication 6 to 8, are growth
motivators and relatively rarely found. The thwarting of needs is
usually a cause of stress, and is particularly so at level 4.
Examples in use:
You can't motivate someone to achieve their sales target (level 4)
when they're having problems with their marriage (level 3).
You can't expect someone to work as a team member (level 3) when
they're having their house re-possessed (level 2).

maslow's self-actualizing characteristics

Keen sense of reality - aware of real situations - objective judgment,
rather than subjective
See problems in terms of challenges and situations requiring
solutions, rather than see problems as personal complaints or excuses
Need for privacy and comfortable being alone
Reliant on own experiences and judgement - independent - not reliant
on culture and environment to form opinions and views
Not susceptible to social pressures - non-conformist
Democratic, fair and non-discriminating - embracing and enjoying all
cultures, races and individual styles
Socially compassionate - possessing humanity
Accepting others as they are and not trying to change people
Comfortable with oneself - despite any unconventional tendencies
A few close intimate friends rather than many surface relationships
Sense of humor directed at oneself or the human condition, rather than
at the expense of others
Spontaneous and natural - true to oneself, rather than being how
others want
Excited and interested in everything, even ordinary things
Creative, inventive and original
Seek peak experiences that leave a lasting impression
These materials also help to illustrate the far-reaching and visionary
nature of Maslow's thinking, several decades ago.
maslow's hierarchy of needs in advertising
To help with training of Maslow's theory look for Maslow's Hierarchy
of Needs motivators in advertising. This is a great basis for Maslow
and motivation training exercises:
Biological and Physiological needs - wife/child-abuse help-lines,
social security benefits, Samaritans, roadside recovery.
Safety needs - home security products (alarms, etc), house an contents
insurance, life assurance, schools.
Belongingness and Love needs - dating and match-making services, chatlines, clubs and membership societies, Macdonalds, 'family' themes
like the old style Oxo stock cube ads.

Esteem needs - cosmetics, fast cars, home improvements, furniture,

fashion clothes, drinks, lifestyle products and services.
Self-Actualization needs - Open University, and that's about it;
little else in mainstream media because only 2% of population are
self-actualizers, so they don't constitute a very big part of the
mainstream market.
You can view and download free Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs diagrams,
and two free Hierarchy of Needs self-tests, based on the original
Maslow's five-stage model and later adapted eight-stage model, ideal
for training, presentations and project work, at the businessballs
free online resources section.
Pyramid diagram based on Maslow's original five-level Hierarchy of
Needs (1954).
Adapted seven-level Hierarchy of Needs diagram (which seems to have
first appeared in the 1970s - after Maslow's death).
Adapted eight-level Hierarchy of Needs diagram (appearing later,
seemingly 1990s).
Interpreting behavior according to Maslows hierarchy of needs
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is an excellent model for understanding
human motivation, but it is a broad concept. If you are puzzled as to
how to relate given behavior to the Hierarchy it could be that your
definition of the behavior needs refining. For example, 'where does
'doing things for fun' fit into the model? The answer is that it can't
until you define 'doing things for fun' more accurately.
You'd need to define more precisely each given situation where a
person is 'doing things for fun' in order to analyze motivation
according to Maslow's Hierarchy, since the 'fun' activity motive can
potentially be part any of the five original Maslow needs.
Understanding whether striving to achieve a particular need or aim is
'fun' can provide a helpful basis for identifying a Maslow driver
within a given behavior, and thereby to assess where a particular
behavior fits into the model:
Biological - health, fitness, energizing mind and body, etc.
Safety - order and structure needs met for example by some heavily
organized, structural activity
Belongingness - team sport, club 'family' and relationships
Esteem - competition, achievement, recognition
Self-Actualization drivers - challenge, new experiences, love of art,
nature, etc.

However in order to relate a particular 'doing it for fun' behavior

the Hierarchy of Needs we need to consider what makes it 'fun' (i.e.,
rewarding) for the person. If a behavior is 'for fun', then consider
what makes it 'fun' for the person - is the 'fun' rooted in
'belongingness', or is it from 'recognition', i.e., 'esteem'. Or is
the fun at a deeper level, from the sense of self-fulfillment, i.e.,
'self-actualization'.

Apply this approach to any behavior that doesn't immediately fit the
model, and it will help you to see where it does fit.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs will be a blunt instrument if used as
such. The way you use the Hierarchy of Needs determines the subtlety
and sophistication of the model.
For example:
The common broad-brush interpretation of Maslow's famous theory
suggests that that once a need is satisfied the person moves onto the
next, and to an extent this is entirely correct. However an overly
rigid application of this interpretation will produce a rigid
analysis, and people and motivation are more complex. So while it is
broadly true that people move up (or down) the hierarchy, depending
what's happening to them in their lives, it is also true that most
people motivational 'set' at any time comprises elements of all of the
motivational drivers. For example, self-actualizers (level 5 original model) are mainly focused on self-actualizing but are still
motivated to eat (level 1) and socialize (level 3). Similarly,
homeless folk whose main focus is feeding themselves (level 1) and
finding shelter for the night (level 2) can also be, albeit to a
lesser extent, still concerned with social relationships (level 3),
how their friends perceive them (level 4), and even the meaning of
life (level 5 - original model).
Maslow's theory not a fully responsive system - it's a guide which
requires some interpretation and thought, given which, it remains
extremely useful and applicable for understanding, explaining and
handling many human behavior situations.
Maslows hierarchy of needs and helping others

There are certainly some behaviors that are quite tricky to relate to
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
For example:
Normally, we would consider that selflessly helping others, as a form
of personal growth motivation, would be found as part of self-

actualization, or perhaps even 'transcendence' (if you subscribe to

the extended hierarchy).
So how can we explain the examples of people who seem to be far short
of self-actualizing, and yet are still able to help others in a
meaningful and unselfish sense?
Interestingly this concept seems to be used increasingly as an
effective way to help people deal with depression, low self-esteem,
poor life circumstances, etc., and it almost turns the essential
Maslow model on its head: that is, by helping others, a person helps
themselves to improve and develop too.
The principle has also been applied quite recently to developing
disaffected school-children, whom, as part of their own development,
have been encouraged and enabled to 'teach' other younger children
(which can arguably be interpreted as their acting at a selfactualizing level - selflessly helping others). The disaffected
children, theoretically striving to belong and be accepted (level 3 belongingness) were actually remarkably good at helping other
children, despite their own negative feelings and issues.
Under certain circumstances, a person striving to satisfy their needs
at level 3 - belongingness, seems able to self-actualize - level 5
(and perhaps beyond, into 'transcendence') by selflessly helping
others, and at the same time begins to satisfy their own needs for
belongingness and self-esteem.
Such examples demonstrate the need for careful interpretation and
application of the Maslow model. The Hierarchy of Needs is not a
catch-all, but it does remain a wonderfully useful framework for
analysing and trying to understand the subtleties - as well as the
broader aspects - of human behaviour and growth.

Self-actualization, employees and organizations

Maslow's work and ideas extend far beyond the Hierarchy of Needs.
Maslow's concept of self-actualization relates directly to the present
day challenges and opportunities for employers and organizations - to
provide real meaning, purpose and true personal development for their
employees. For life - not just for work.
Maslow saw these issues fifty years ago: the fact that employees have
a basic human need and a right to strive for self-actualization, just
as much as the corporate directors and owners do.

Increasingly, the successful organizations and employers will be those

who genuinely care about, understand, encourage and enable their
people's personal growth towards self-actualization - way beyond
traditional work-related training and development, and of course way
beyond old-style X-Theory management autocracy, which still forms the
basis of much organized employment today.
The best modern employers and organizations are beginning to learn at
last: that sustainable success is built on a serious and compassionate
commitment to helping people identify, pursue and reach their own
personal unique potential.
When people grow as people, they automatically become more effective
and valuable as employees.
In fact virtually all personal growth, whether in a hobby, a special
talent or interest, or a new experience, produces new skills,
attributes, behaviors and wisdom that is directly transferable to any
sort of job role.
The best modern employers recognize this and as such offer development
support to their staff in any direction whatsoever that the person
seeks to grow and become more fulfilled.