Abraham Maslow: The Theorist

Abraham Maslow was born April 1st,1901 in New York in the town of Brooklyn. Born to Jewish parents who immigrated from Russia,and was the first of seven children. He was lonely as a boy and his parents forced him into academic success where study was his main priority.After high school,Maslow enrolled in the City College of New York where he studied law.

Abraham Maslow got married to his first cousin Bertha Goodman going against his parents orders.

Maslow and Goodman had then moved to Wisconsin, where Maslow controlled in the University of Eisconsin to study psychology.

After getting his bachelor and PhD, Maslow returned to New york and worked with E.L.Thorndike were he began an interest in human sexuality. He started to teach at Brooklyn college.He started to meet many European intellects like Adler, Fromm, and many Freudian psychologists. When Maslow met Kurk Goldstein he started researching human psychology. Maslow spent is remaining years in Semi retirement California, and died of a heart attack in 19 70.

Abraham Maslow had created a pyramid called ” the hierarchy of needs” which he included all the things that were necessary to learn and grow. Maslow studied certain people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Federick Douglass and Eleanor Roosevelt . He had stated ” The study of crippled . stunted,immature,and unhealthy speciments can yield only a cripple philosophy” He had also written the book ” The farther reaches of human nature” and had written ” By ordinary standards of this kind of laboratory research. this simply was not research at all. My generalizations grew out of my selection of certain kinds of people”
In the pyramid there was included :

• level 5 – physiological ; breathing,food,water,sex,sleep,homeostasis,excrelion.
• level 4- Safety ; security of body,employment,resources,morality,the family,health,property.
• Level 3- Love/belonging ; Friendship,family,sexual intimacy.
• Level 2- Esteem; Self esteem, confidence,achievement ,respect of other,respect by others.
• Level 1- Self actualization: Morality,creativity,spontaneity,problem solving,lack of prejudice,acceptance of facts.

Deficiency Needs

Deficiency needs are the four lowest levels of the pyramid which are love and belonging,, safety and security ,physiological, and esteem. If these needs are not met, the body wont give any signs of it but the inner self will feel tense and anxious.

Physiological Needs

They are the requirements for human survival (not including clothing shelter, and sex) without these the body cannot survive. These need include : Breathing, water, homeostasis,sleep, food

Safety Needs

The safety needs will take over and dominate the person after most of the physical needs are met. These needs give the individual a want of an orderly world where injustice and in-consistence are under control. For those who have not met a satisfaction for physical needs, they are not up to this level and their main concern is survival.
Safety needs are : personal security,financial security, health, safety from accidents.

Social Needs

When physiological and safety needs are satisfied they will be at the social level. Which involves relationships like friendship, intimacy, and supportive/communicative family . We need to feel a sense of belonging and have relationship with the people around us, if not then the individual will feel lonely.social anxiety and clinical depression. These needs may over take physical needs eg- peer pressure and anorexia.

Esteem

It is the want and need to be accepted and valued by others and self respect. Maslow researched two self esteem levels : higher and lower. Lower is the need for respect from others and attention. Higher is the need for self esteem,competence and independence and freedom.

Self-Actualization

Motivation to realise ones own potential is the ultimate goal or “master motive” It is the final need that comes when all the other needs have been satisfied.

Self-Transcendence

In maslow’s last years he revealed that there was one level above self actualization that only 2% of the worlds population could achieve this next level. Which he called self-transcendence. These people have the experience to be living and aware of the realm of being.which is the analysis of reality or cognitions which from their experienced have changed their views of themselves and the world. Maslow states that it is absolutely impossible for a child to have these traits.