Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs

NEEDS: a lack of something required or desired.

*Needs motivate us to act!

Abraham Maslow

Background Born April 1, 1908 in

Brooklyn, NY One of seven siblings Married to first cousin Died June 8, 1970

Education

(newworldencyclopedia.org, 2008)

City College of New York Studied Law

University of Wisconsin Bachelor of Arts Degree in

Psychology- 1930 Master of Arts Degree in

Psychology – 1931 PhD Psychology- 1934

Abraham Maslow

Research First to study the

Psychology of Health Human Sexuality Humanistic

Psychology

“What a man can be, he must

be.”

Theory Origin & DescriptionTheory Origin & Description

Influenced by Kurt Goldstein who introduced him to

the idea of self-actualization

His own close encounter with death had an impact on

his outlook on life and self-actualization

Maslow’s humanistic psychology focused on the

development of healthy people

1941

Description of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs Maslow’s theory is based on the idea that some

needs, physical as well as psychological, take precedence over others.

The needs are placed in a pyramid with the most important making the base 

If the basic needs are not met, the base of the pyramid is not formed and the rest of the needs are not achieved.

(Learning-Theories.com, 2008) 

 

The first levels of needs are the deficiency needs, those that if not met cause a deficiency, or lack that motivates a person to strive to achieve the need.

The fifth level, the actualization level, is a growth level.

Few people ever reach the growth level and spend their lives going up and down the pyramid meeting the lower level needs.

Maslow defined a Hierarchy of Human Needs that stated the lower needs must be met before an individual can strive to meet the higher needs.

(Learning-Theories.com, 2008) 

As an individual becomes more

self-actualized, one becomes wiser and

automatically knows what to do in a wide variety of situations

Theory Description

Lights! Camera! Action!

YouTube Video on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s TheoryA hierarchy of important processesthat are critical for development and growth of the total person (McEwen & Wills, 2007).

PHYSIOLOGICAL-necessary for life; unmet, these needs lead to death Food Water Oxygen Sleep Protection from

extreme temperatures Elimination Sensory needs Motor needs

SAFETY/SECURITY

The need to be free from anxiety and fear

The need to be secure in the environment

The need for order and routine

LOVE AND AFFECTION Social acceptance,

friendship, to be loved Need to belong, to

relate to others Sexuality

-a person’s feelings/attitude toward their masculine/feminine nature

Sexuality

-the ability to give and receive love and affection

-reproductive capabilities

ESTEEM

Feeling important and worthwhile – includes respect, approval, appreciation

We engage in activities that bring achievement, success, and recognition

We gain self-confidence and begin to direct our actions toward becoming what we WANT to be

SELF-ACTUALIZATION

Self-realization; obtaining our full potential; becoming confident, eager to express our beliefs, and willing to reach out to others to help them

To meet our human needs

We usually learn what works by trial-and-error Direct methods v. Indirect methods Stress reactions Challenges and responsibilities

DIRECT METHODS

Hard work Setting realistic goals Cooperating with others Evaluating effectively

INDIRECT METHODS

Suppression Projection Denial Rationalization Compensation *Note: These are unhealthy when used too

often, but sometimes allows us to cope!

When defense mechanisms are inadequate, stress reactions develop:

Chronic complaining and demanding behavior

Agitation with manipulative behavior Restlessness Sleeplessness Depression-be alert for potential suicide Withdrawal

Application to Nursing Practice

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is easily applied to nursing practice.

The theory focuses on human potential, “gives hope a chance”.

The theory allows the nurse to highlight the person’s strengths instead of focusing on one’s deficits (McEwen & Wills, 2007).

Basic needs such as air, food, drink and warmth , are the basic needs of human survival and health.

Safety, be it with ambulation or in taking medication, is very important to nursing.

Social needs are met with visiting hours and through the nurse-patient (care-giver) relationship

Esteem and self-actualization may or may not be met in the hospital setting.

The theory provides the blueprint for prioritizing client care according to a hierarchy of needs (McEwen & Wills, 2007).

Personal Nursing PracticePersonal Nursing PracticeKeesha~

“I utilize Maslow’s Hierarchy while caring for patients in the

hospital setting. It’s imperative in this line of work to address our

patient’s individual needs (all of which are listed n Maslow’s

hierarchy). As nurses, our nursing care encompasses finding the

inherent goodness in people. By assisting patients in meeting their

needs, there’s a sense of achievement and satisfaction had by all.

As we satisfy our physiological needs including food, shelter,

water we can better address our safety and emotional needs. When

we meet our esteem needs we are better communicators, listeners,

educators, therefore satisfy our social needs. Self-actualization

needs appear to be more complex for some patients and nurses, but

with time are attainable.”

Criticism

There are many criticisms to Maslow’s theory

There is no explanation for those that put themselves in danger to help another.

There are some cultures that put social needs above other basic needs.

There is no explanation for the “starving artist”, the person who will give up food and drink in deference to their art.

(NetNBA, 2002-2007) 

There’s minimal evidence to suggest that Maslow’s needs are in a hierarchical order

Wahba & Bridwell (1976) claim that Maslow’s definition of self-actualization is difficult to test scientifically and found little evidence for the ranking of Maslow’s needs or any existence of a definite hierarchy

Maslow’s theory has been challenged by other theorists who hypothesize that there are only three levels of human needs