According To Maslow

According to Maslow (1943, 1954), human needs were arranged in the form
of a hierarchy, with physiological (survival) needs at the bottom, and

the more creative and intellectually oriented ‘self-actualization’
needs at the top.
Maslow argued that survival needs must be satisfied before the

individual can satisfy the higher needs. The higher up the hierarchy,
the more difficult it is to satisfy the needs associated with that
stage, because of the interpersonal and environmental barriers that
inevitably frustrate us.
Higher needs become increasingly psychological and long-term rather than

physiological and short-term, as in the lower survival-related needs.
1. Physiological needs these are biological requirements for

human survival, e.g., air, food, drink, shelter, clothing,
warmth, sex, and sleep.
Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first
thing that motivates our behavior. Once that level is fulfilled, the
next level up is what motivates us, and so on.
If these needs are not satisfied, the human body cannot function
optimally. Maslow considered physiological needs the most important as
all the other needs become secondary until these needs are met.
Once an individual’s physiological needs are satisfied, the needs for

security and safety become salient.
2. Safety needs – people want to experience order,

predictability, and control in their lives.
Safety needs can be fulfilled by the family and society (e.g., police,
schools, business, and medical care).
For example, emotional security, financial security (e.g., employment,

social welfare), law and order, freedom from fear, social stability,
property, health and wellbeing (e.g., safety against accidents and
injury).
After physiological and safety needs have been fulfilled, the third
level of human needs is social and involves feelings of belongingness.
3. Love and belongingness needs – belongingness refers to a

human emotional need for interpersonal relationships,
affiliating, connectedness, and being part of a group.
Examples of belongingness needs include friendship, intimacy, trust,

acceptance, receiving and giving affection, and love.
This need is especially strong in childhood and can override the need
for safety as witnessed in children who cling to abusive parents.
4. Esteem needs are the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy

and include self-worth, accomplishment, and respect.
Maslow classified esteem needs into two categories: (i) esteem for
oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and (ii) the
desire for reputation or respect from others (e.g., status, prestige).
Esteem presents the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by

others. People often engage in a profession or hobby to gain
recognition. These activities give the person a sense of contribution or
value.
Low self-esteem or an inferiority complex may result from imbalances

during this level in the hierarchy.
Maslow indicated that the need for respect or reputation is most

important for children and adolescents and precedes real self-esteem or
dignity.
5. Self-actualization needs are the highest level in

Maslow’s hierarchy, and refer to the realization of a
person’s potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal
growth, and peak experiences.
This level of need refers to what a person’s full potential is and the
realization of that potential.
Maslow (1943, 1987, p. 64) describes this level as the desire to

accomplish everything that one can, and “to become everything one is
capable of becoming”.
Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically. For

example, one individual may have a strong desire to become an ideal
parent.
In another, the desire may be expressed athletically. For others, it may

be expressed in paintings, pictures, or inventions.
Although Maslow did not believe that many of us could achieve true self-
actualization, he did believe that all of us experience transitory
moments (known as ‘peak experiences’) of self-actualization.
Such moments, associated with personally significant events such as

childbirth, sporting achievement and examination success), are difficult
to achieve and maintain consistently.
Maslow posited that human needs are arranged in a hierarchy:
“It is quite true that man lives by bread alone — when

there is no bread. But what happens to man’s desires when
there is plenty of bread and when his belly is chronically
filled?
At once other (and “higher”) needs emerge and these,

rather than physiological hungers, dominate the organism.
And when these in turn are satisfied, again new (and still
“higher”) needs emerge and so on. This is what we mean by
saying that the basic human needs are organized into a
hierarchy of relative prepotency” (Maslow, 1943, p. 375) .
Maslow continued to refine his theory based on the concept of a

hierarchy of needs over several decades (Maslow, 1943, 1962, 1987).
Regarding the structure of his hierarchy, Maslow (1987) proposed that

the order in the hierarchy “is not nearly as rigid” (p. 68) as he may
have implied in his earlier description.
Maslow noted that the order of needs might be flexible based on external
circumstances or individual differences. For example, he notes that for
some individuals, the need for self-esteem is more important than the
need for love. For others, the need for creative fulfillment may
supersede even the most basic needs.
Maslow (1987) also pointed out that most behavior is multi-motivated and
noted that “any behavior tends to be determined by several or all of
the basic needs simultaneously rather than by only one of them” (p.
71).
Hierarchy of needs summary

1. Human beings are motivated by a hierarchy of needs.
2. Needs are organized in a hierarchy of prepotency in which more basic needs must
be more or less met (rather than all or none) before higher needs.
3. The order of needs is not rigid but may be flexible based on external
circumstances or individual differences.
4. Most behavior is multi-motivated, that is, simultaneously determined by more
than one basic need.
The expanded hierarchy of needs

It is important to note that Maslow’s (1943, 1954) five-stage model has
been expanded to include cognitive and aesthetic needs (Maslow, 1970a)
and later transcendence needs (Maslow, 1970b).
Changes to the original five-stage model are highlighted and include a

seven-stage model and an eight-stage model; both developed during the
1960s and 1970s.
1. Biological and physiological needs – air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex,
sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs – protection from elements, security, order, law, stability,
freedom from fear.
3. Love and belongingness needs – friendship, intimacy, trust, and acceptance,
receiving and giving affection and love. Affiliating, being part of a group
(family, friends, work).
4. Esteem needs – which Maslow classified into two categories: (i) esteem for
oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and (ii) the need to be
accepted and valued by others (e.g., status, prestige).
5. Cognitive needs – knowledge and understanding, curiosity,

exploration, need for meaning and predictability.
6. Aesthetic needs – appreciation and search for beauty,
balance, form, etc.
7. Self-actualization needs – realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment,
seeking personal growth, and peak experiences.
8. Transcendence needs – A person is motivated by values that
transcend beyond the personal self.
Examples of transcendence needs include mystical experiences and

certain experiences with nature, aesthetic experiences, sexual
experiences, service to others, the pursuit of science, religious
faith, etc.).

According To Maslow

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According To Maslow

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According to Maslow (1943, 1954), human needs were arranged in the form

of a hierarchy, with physiological (survival) needs at the bottom, and

Maslow argued that survival needs must be satisfied before the

Higher needs become increasingly psychological and long-term rather than

1. Physiological needs these are biological requirements for

Once an individual’s physiological needs are satisfied, the needs for

2. Safety needs – people want to experience order,

For example, emotional security, financial security (e.g., employment,

3. Love and belongingness needs – belongingness refers to a

Examples of belongingness needs include friendship, intimacy, trust,

4. Esteem needs are the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy

Esteem presents the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by

Low self-esteem or an inferiority complex may result from imbalances

Maslow indicated that the need for respect or reputation is most

5. Self-actualization needs are the highest level in

Maslow (1943, 1987, p. 64) describes this level as the desire to

Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically. For

In another, the desire may be expressed athletically. For others, it may

Such moments, associated with personally significant events such as

“It is quite true that man lives by bread alone — when

At once other (and “higher”) needs emerge and these,

Maslow continued to refine his theory based on the concept of a

Regarding the structure of his hierarchy, Maslow (1987) proposed that

Hierarchy of needs summary

The expanded hierarchy of needs

Changes to the original five-stage model are highlighted and include a

5. Cognitive needs – knowledge and understanding, curiosity,

Examples of transcendence needs include mystical experiences and

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