Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs Theory Essay

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory One of Abraham Maslow’s highest held beliefs is that “people develop through various levels toward their full potential” (Cloninger, 2013, p. 285). It is through this belief that Maslow created his theory of the hierarchy of needs. This theory explains that people develop by accomplishing needs – represented by level of a pyramid in Maslow’s theory. This represents that higher needs can not be accomplished unless lower, more basic needs are met first. Therefore, the hierarchy of needs is known as an “ordered progression of motives, from basic physical needs upward to motives of the most developed human being” (Cloninger, 2013, p. 286). Lower-order, or basic, needs are (ordered from bottom to top) physiological

When a person is surround by familiar things, they will feel most secure, but when surrounded by unfamiliar, will feel threatened or anxious (especially in children). Physical violence, of course, also violates safety needs in children and adults. Maslow attempted to interpret the neurosis in which people insure their safety needs are met. He found that, though it impairs higher-level functioning, people try to keep life quite predictable, and, money seems to promise safety (Cloninger, 2013). When physiological and safety needs are met, one can move on to belongingness and love needs. This need includes one seeking love and friendship from others, and Maslow would include that one needs to give love, and well as receive it (Cloninger, 2013). The theory describes that sex is an issue at this level, because it is an expression of affection, but is also a physiological need – described in the first level of the

To study age differences in motivation relates to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Goebel and Brown (1981) investigated 111 subjects, ages 9 to 80 years-old, whom were divided into five age groups (children, adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, and old adults). Their results yielded significant developmental differences in four needs, but limited support for Maslow’s theory as a developmental model. The significant findings revealed that children had higher physical need scores than any other age group. Also, in combining the data for all sexes, an emergence of love needs over the period of childhood to young adulthood also showed. Esteem need scores appeared to peak at adolescence, and children scored the lowest in terms of self-actualization. Whereas, young adults had the highest scores for the importance of self-actualization. Lastly, a trend towards age differences appeared, with older people indicating greater security