These are human needs according to Abraham Maslow

Abraham Maslow’s theory of human needs is based on the existence of a series of demands that concern every individual and that are organized into five hierarchical levels, ranging from the most basic needs to the highest and most complex.

This is because, according to Maslow, our actions are born from motivation directed towards the objective of meeting a series of needs, which are ordered according to their importance for our well-being. Each level must be satisfied before a person can advance to the next level in the pyramid.

The graphic representation of this hierarchy is through a pyramid, hence this theory is also known as Maslow’s pyramid. Let’s see it in detail.

Structure of the theory of human needs

In your article A theory of human motivation In 1943, Maslow formulated a hierarchical structure that argues that, As the most basic needs are satisfied, human beings develop higher desires. These goals are categorized into five levels.

1. Physiological needs

These constitute the highest priority of the individual, since they are related to its survival and reproduction. At this level we find needs such as homeostasis, the body’s effort to maintain a normal and constant state that maximizes its life.

Additionally, they are also found here the need for food, thirst, maintaining a temperature proper body, sex and breathing.

If these needs are not met, the human body cannot function optimally. Maslow considers physiological needs to be the most important, since all others become secondary until these are met.

2. Security needs

With their satisfaction, the creation and maintenance of a state of order and security is sought. At this level we find the need for stability, to have employment, resources, health and protection, among others. These desires are related to individuals’ fear of losing control over their lives, and are linked to fear, mainly, of the unknown.

Once the physiological needs are covered, Human beings need to feel safe. To do this, you need to have a place that allows you to shelter from inclement weather and the cold. You also need to ensure your health as much as you can, having access to healthcare when necessary.

Another important aspect within this section is access to educational resources. In addition, the need to protect material assets would also be included.

3. Social needs

Once the physiological and safety needs are satisfied, motivation focuses on the social sphere.. Within this level we have communication with other people, having friends, expressing and receiving affection, living in a community, belonging to a group and feeling accepted by it.

The human being is a social animal and requires interpersonal relationships. As a rule, you enjoy being part of a family or community. Furthermore, a large percentage of people seek fulfillment through love by creating a deep bond with another human being.

Other very important links are those that They are established by creating deep friendships or belonging to some social organization or community with which the person feels identified. This may include, for example, cultural, religious, sporting or recreational activities.

4. Esteem or recognition needs

The desires of this fourth level lie in the need to be appreciated, have prestige and stand out within a social group. Likewise, self-worth and self-respect are also included.

In his book, Motivation and personality, Maslow highlights that «All people in our society (with a few pathological exceptions) have a need or desire for a generally high evaluation of themselves, with a firm and stable basis; They have a need for self-respect or self-esteem, and the esteem of others.

He described two basic types of needs related to self-esteem. On the one hand, that relating to the person himself, as self-respect, self-confidence or being independent. Furthermore, he emphasized the relationship with others. Thus, they would be important dignity, respect, being recognized or loved.

5. Self-actualization needs

They are the most complex goals to achieve. At this level, the human being wants to transcend his own mortality, leave his mark, carry out his own work, develop his talent to the maximum. They are needs related to spiritual and moral development and the search for a mission in life.

Self-actualization is, in the words of Maslow (1943): «the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything one is capable of becoming. It would include such diverse aspects of personal development as acceptance, gratitude or leadership. In addition, it would also include others such as promoting the sense of justice, beauty or the meaning of truth.

“Deficiency Needs” vs. “Growth Needs”

This five-stage model can be divided into deficiency and growth needs. The first four levels are often called deficiency needs and the top level is known as growth needs.

deficiency needs

They arise due to deprivation and are said to motivate people when they are dissatisfied. Furthermore, the motivation to satisfy such needs will grow stronger the longer they go unmet.

Originally, Maslow said that people must satisfy lower-level deficiency needs before moving on to growth needs. However, He later clarified that the satisfaction of a need is not an “all or nothing” phenomenon: rather it would be a matter of degree.
When a deficiency need has been “more or less” satisfied, it will disappear and our activities will be oriented towards the next set of needs that are to be met. These now become our main needs. In this sense, we always have something to cover.

Growth needs

They do not come from the lack of something, but from the desire to evolve as a person. Once these growth needs have been reasonably met, one can reach the highest level, called self-actualization.

Every person is capable and has the desire to ascend the hierarchy towards a level of self-realization. Unfortunately, progress is often interrupted because meeting lower-level needs demands many of our resources. On the other hand, different experiences and experiences can cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy.

Therefore, Not everyone will move through the hierarchy in a unidirectional manner, but they can move back and forth between different types of needs. In fact, Maslow noted that The order in which these needs are met does not always follow this standard progression. For example, he argued that for some people self-esteem is more important than love. For others, creative fulfillment can replace even the most basic needs.

Beyond Maslow’s pyramid

Maslow himself was the first to admit that the positions in this particular pyramid are not static, due to changes that occur in the circumstances around us. Additionally, over the years he identified three other categories of needs not included in the original pyramid. These needs were the following:

aestheticscognitiveself-transcendence

This rectified version of Maslow’s pyramid would include a richer and more complex vision of the human being. However, the theory that has transcended over the years is the simplified version, that of the five basic needs.

Criticisms of Maslow’s theory of needs

Therefore, and although many research and studies support Maslow’s theory of human needs, there are many others that do not seem to follow the same line and that have criticized this model.

For example, in the article Maslow reconsidered: A Review of Research on the Need Hierarchy Theory (1976), Mahmoud A. Wahba and Lawrence G. Bridwell did not find evidence either that the order of needs could be extrapolated to the entire population, or that the hierarchy of needs proposed by Maslow existed.

Another criticism leveled at him is how abstract his concept of self-actualization is. There are those who affirm that, even without having the most basic needs covered, those related to self-realization and recognition are also important.

Methodological problems

The main problem with Maslow’s pyramid of needs theory lies in his research method. Maslow based his theory on the analysis of the biographies and works of 18 individuals whom he considered self-actualized. From these resources, he developed a series of characteristics that he observed as common in this particular set of individuals.

From a scientific point of view, this methodology presents several difficulties. One of the problems is that the biographical approach can be very subjective, since it depends on the interpretation of the researcher. This decreases the reliability and consistency of the data collected. Consequently, Maslow’s definition of self-actualization should not be taken as irrefutable scientific fact.

Besides, Maslow’s biographical study focused on a specific and biased group of self-actualizing individuals, limited to well-educated white men. Although he did include women in his study, they represented a minority. This limited selection makes it difficult to generalize his theory. Likewise, the idea of ​​self-actualization proposed by Maslow is very complicated to verify empirically.

Likewise, some critics point out that this theory universalizes human needs based on a single cultural model: American society. It would be relevant to investigate whether this hierarchy remains intact in other cultures and whether it has undergone changes over time.

Applications of Maslow’s theory of human needs

In addition to being an important theoretical reference in the field of motivation, Maslow’s theory of needs has impacted areas such as marketinghuman resources administration and sports psychology.

The possibility of organizing needs in a clear and hierarchical manner allows the generation of motivational strategies aimed at specific achievements. In the same way, individual particularities and the place of subjectivity in achieving goals are also understood.

So…