Throughout history, humanity has tried to make sense of the thoughts and behaviors of man, that is, of himself. Scientists specializing in psychology, a science established for this purpose, have produced numerous theories on this subject. One of the most well-known among them is an extremely important theory put forward by Abraham Maslow and referred to as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Abraham Maslow identified the individual’s motivational steps in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. In other words, it is focused on the question of what are the basic needs of a person and how to get more. Maslow is also one of the important names of the humanist psychology school, and another subject he focuses on is the process of human self-realization. Let’s take a closer look at who Abraham Maslow is and what Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is.
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Who is Abraham Maslow? A lonely and unhappy child:
Abraham Maslow was born on April 1, 1908, in Brooklyn, New York, USA, as the first of seven children of a Jewish family who immigrated from Russia to America. As Maslow later recounted, he was really lonely and unhappy in his early childhood. Therefore, he spent most of his time in the library and turned into a real bookworm.
After receiving his basic education, he studied law at the City College of New York, but later became interested in psychology and transferred to the University of Wisconsin. Meeting psychologist Harry Harlow here changed her life, and she chose him as her mentor. Maslow holds a BS, MS, and PhD in psychology from the University of Wisconsin.
Abraham Maslow, who started to work as a teacher at Brooklyn College in 1937, continued his duty there until 1951. While teaching there, he was influenced by the work of Gestalt psychologist Max Wertheimer and anthropologist Ruth Benedict. To him, these two names were truly unique people, and he began to analyze them. These analyzes laid the foundations for his later work.
Maslow’s theories of humanistic psychology:
Abraham Maslow became one of the founders and most important figures of a school of thought called humanistic psychology in the 1950s. Topics such as the hierarchy of needs, self-actualization, and peak experiences became the main concerns of the humanistic school of psychology. There are some fundamental differences between Maslow’s theories and other popular ideas at the time;
- According to Maslow, Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and Skinner’s behavioral theory focused too much on the negative aspects of existence.
- According to Maslow, popular theories of the period neglected human potential.
- Maslow’s theories focused on unlocking human potential and enhancing well-being.
Maslow’s theories about the human self-actualization process:
The basis of all the theories put forward by Abraham Maslow is the process of human self-actualization. This process; defines it as the full use of abilities, capacity and potential. According to Maslow, people are constantly striving to reach their full potential.
According to Maslow, self-actualization is not a goal or a destination. Self-actualization is a process in which people are constantly trying to reach the top in terms of well-being, creativity, satisfaction, etc. According to Maslow, there are some basic and common characteristics of self-actualized people; such as self-acceptance, spontaneity, independence and trying the highest.
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory?
One of the most well-known theories put forward by Abraham Maslow is Maslow’s theory of needs, which is known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. According to this theory, there are five basic human needs in different categories and these trigger human motivation. We can think of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a pyramid.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:
Physiological needs:
Physiological needs take place in the first step of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. These are the needs such as food, drink, rest, clothing, shelter, health and reproduction, which are necessary for human survival. A person who has not fulfilled these needs cannot easily move to other steps.
Security needs:
Safety needs are the second level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. Issues such as protection from emotional and physical violence, protection from theft, emotional stability, health security, financial security are among the security needs.
Love need:
The third level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is the need for love. This need includes love from parents, siblings, children, spouses, partners, and friends. Subjects such as physical and emotional intimacy in sexual intercourse, kinship relations, membership in social groups, teaming up with colleagues, being a member of a club, joining a hobby group are also considered within the scope of this step.
Respect need:
The fourth level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is the need for esteem, these are ego driven needs. The first of these needs is the belief that you are valuable and deserve respect, and confidence in the potential for personal development and success, in short, self-respect. Respect from others also increases your own self-esteem.
Self-actualization needs:
Self-actualization needs are the fifth step of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. These needs are defined as the realization of one’s full potential. It is the top of the pyramid. Subjects such as education, skills development, caring for others, learning a new language, traveling, winning awards are considered within the scope of self-actualization needs.
Maslow also calls self-actualization needs growth needs. The deficiency in the first four steps of the hierarchy is evaluated separately from the needs. When deficiency needs are not met, the person suffers and becomes unhappy. When self-actualization needs are met, the person is happy, but not harmed when they are not met. That’s why the first four digits are vital.
Why is Abraham Maslow and his work important?
Abraham Maslow, who died on June 8, 1970, is considered one of the most important psychologists of the 20th century. Because he always focused on the positive aspects of people in his work. Through his work, the human mind showed signs of recovery. Despite numerous criticisms of the hierarchy of needs theory, his work continues to influence the scientific world even today.
Who is Abraham Maslow, one of the names who have made numerous contributions to the science of psychology, and we have talked about the details you need to know about this theory by answering questions such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. You can share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.
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