Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow, meet Holden Caulfield

Hierarchy: a system in which people or things are ranked in order of importance.

Abraham Maslow’s pyramid

Fig. 1

Is this familiar?

Basic Needs:

Fig. 2

What else?

Safety and Security Needs:

What else?

A pre-European Maori family dwelling (my daughter Sophie is 12 in this picture).

Social Needs:

Fig. 4

Fig.3 Fig. 5

Esteem Needs:

• Respect of those around us• Recognition for a job well done• Independence• anything else?

Self-Actualization

Reaching your full…

A sense of...

How did Abraham Maslow come up with this pyramid?Maslow was a psychologist who studied exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frederick Douglas, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, William James, Aldous Huxley, Gandhi, and Beethoven rather than mentally ill people. Instead of focusing on what goes wrong with people, Maslow created a more positive account of human behavior that focuses on what goes right. He was interested in human potential, and how we fulfill that potential.

Fig. 6

In 1954, Maslow’s book Motivation and Personality introduced his hierarchy of needs. When was Catcher in the Rye published?

Where is Holden on the pyramid?One of Maslow’s theories is that a person who thinks he is hungry may actually be feeling a lack of love, security, or some other need. He also found that the absence of love stifles growth and development. How does this apply to Holden?

Fig. 7

Characteristics of self-actualizers:

1. They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty2. Accept themselves and others for what they are3. Spontaneous in thought and action4. Problem-centered (not self-centered)5. Unusual sense of humor6. Able to look at life objectively7. Highly creative

8. Resistant to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional9. Concerned for the welfare of humanity10. Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience11. Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with a few people12. Peak experiences (when you feel interconnected and happy)13. Need for privacy14. Democratic attitudes15. Strong moral/ethical standards

By studying 18 people he considered to be self-actualized, Maslow identified 15 characteristics of a self-actualized person.

Behavior leading to self-actualization:(a) Experiencing life like a child, with full absorption and concentration(b) Trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths(c) Listening to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead of the voice of tradition, authority, or the majority(d) Avoiding pretense ('game playing') and being honest(e) Being prepared to be unpopular if your views do not coincide with those of the majority(f) Taking responsibility and working hard

(adapted from http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2012/03/29/what-maslow-missed/)

Image Sources:Fig. 1http://boomerhighway.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Picture-4.jpg

Fig. 2 http://www.cleanwateraction.org/files/images/ca/Front%20image_drinking-water.jpg

Fig. 3http://happyfriendshipdayquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Happy-Friendship-day-2013.jpg

Fig. 4http://images.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/holding-hands-on-beach-1024x656.jpg

Fig. 5 http://www.myhousemyrules.com/wp-content/uploads/brushstroke-heart.jpg

Fig. 6 http://www.rugusavay.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Abraham-Maslow-Quotes-1.jpg

Fig. 7 http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs38/i/2009/286/3/7/holden_caulfield__finished_by_westwolf270.jpg