Maslows Hierarchy of needs

Method

60 historical figures and friends which Maslow believes have obtained “self-actualisation”. He researched their commonalities and found 15 common traits. From here, he proposed a hierarchy of needs and claimed they were required to achieve self-growth.

Vague description of each level of pyramid

Physiological, water, food, sex, sleep, excretion
Safety, a need to feel safe, to be free from instability, laws, order, structure
Love and belonging - acceptance, identification, affection
Esteem - self reliant, independence, autonomy, self respect (respect from self AND others)
Cognition - learning, satisfying curiosity, knowledge, education
Aesthetics - beauty, visual gratification, symmetry, perfection
Self- actualisation - Self-fulfillment, trueness to oneself
Transcendence, peak experience, exaltion, deeper meaning, giving back to society

What are growth needs + what do they do?

Needs that are once met, act themselves as motivation for people to keep fulfilling them

• Develop the personality of an individual, and are unique

• Satisfying growth needs leads to happiness and fulfilment

Define self-actualisation

Each person has a distinct way they experience feelings of self-actualisation, fulfilment etc. Satisfying these need results in a positive mindset that one is MATURING, GROWINg and learning increasingly autonomy,y/

Behaviours of individuals who have fulfilled each need

Physioogical: eating sleeping seeking warmth working to obtain food/water, finding medical care

Safety: Seeking stable employment, saving money

Loving and belonging, making friends, using dating apps, spend time w family

Esteem: pursuing education, seeking promotion

Self-actualised: creating arts,engaging in philosophy, have odd humour, democratic values

behaviours of individuals with unmet needs

P - tired, hungry

S - anxiety about future, risk avoidance

L - lonely

E - approval seeking, overwhelming

S-A - boredom, lack of meaning, feeling unfulfilled despite external success

Criticisms

Cultural bias - In collectivist or developing cultures, people often prioritize community, family, and collective well-being long before pursuing personal, individualistic ambitions

Lack of empirical evidence - based on personal observation and biographical analysis of a very small, unrepresentative sample of highly successful historical figures and personal friends

Strengths

Pulls away from behaviourism - the view humans are purely motivated by rewards, instead focussing on deepest deficiencies AND highest strengths

Practical Application: The framework is highly actionable. In management, it helps supervisors understand employee engagement and tailor reward structures. In education, it helps educators recognize that unmet physiological or safety needs can hinder a student's ability to focus on higher-level tasks