Abraham Maslow's Influence On Psychology

What is psychology? To simply put it, psychology is a branch of scientific study which seeks to understand the behaviors and mental processes of the human mind (King, 2017, p. 5). Psychology seeks to provide a better understanding of why a person behaves the way they do and how they are influenced in their decision making. One of the most notable psychologists to influence the history of psychology, Abraham Maslow, was inspired by terrible events that led him to seek a deeper understanding of the human mind and to begin developing a theory that would become one of the most famous and recognizable theories in the field of psychology. In order to understand Maslow’s influence on psychology, it is crucial to first understand his beginnings and

By studying and evaluating Maslow’s theories, it becomes simpler to understand and recognize his influence and contribution to psychology. One of Maslow’s greatest and most recognized theories is his hierarchy of needs theory. He proposed that in order for someone to reach self-actualization they had to climb and achieve each level of needs in his proposed hierarchy. The first level of this hierarchy states that every human being must satisfy their physiological needs. These needs include the basic necessities needed to survive such as breathing, eating, sleeping, and so forth. Once these needs have been satisfied, according to Maslow, different needs become apparent in the succeeding levels. The second level states that everyone needs safety. For example, everyone needs shelter, steady employment, security for their family, etc. The third level stresses the importance of love or belonging such as marriage, friendship, and family. In the fourth level, Maslow introduces the importance of a human beings need for esteem. This includes feelings of accomplishment, confidence, respect for others and oneself, and self-esteem. Once each level of needs has been completed, Maslow believed a person could finally achieve self-actualization or the peak experiences in one’s life. This final level in his hierarchy includes achieving the needs of morality, creativity, spontaneity, and so on (Koltko-Rivera, 2006, p. 303). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory paved the way for many psychological and philosophical theories that describe human nature to be selfish and the only way to achieve selflessness and self-actualization is through gradual growth. Many people today believe Maslow’s hierarchy is essential to form a society based on solidarity, compassion, care, problem-solving, and altruism (D’Souza & Gurin, 2016, p.