Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's (1954, 1968) needs hierarchy is perhaps the most widely known theory relating in­dividual needs to motivation. The theory attempts to show how the healthy personality grows and develops over time and how that personality comes to manifest itself in motivated behavior.

Maslow (1954) contends that people are wanting beings whose needs guide behavior. Ac­cording to Maslow, a need influences a person's activities until it has been satisfied. Further, his theory holds that an individual's needs are arranged in a hierarchical fashion, from the very fundamental (e.g., food, shelter) to the most advanced (e.g., self-fulfillment). Individu­als, it is hypothesized, attend to needs in a sequential fashion, moving from the bottom of the hierarchy toward the top, as lower-level needs are satisfied. According to Maslow, lower- level needs must be satisfied, in general, before higher-level needs are activated sufficiently to drive behavior. Further, only unsatisfied needs can influence behavior; those that are sat­isfied do not motivate.

Maslow (1968) distinguishes between two basic categories of needs: deficiency needs and growth needs. He posits that if the individual is to be healthy and secure, deficiency needs must be satisfied. "Needs for safety, the feeling of belonging, love and respect (from others) are all clearly deficits" (Maslow, 1954, p. 10). The individual will fail to develop a healthy personality to the extent that these needs are not met. In contrast, growth needs are those that relate to the development and achievements of one's potential. For Maslow the idea of growth needs is more vague than the concept of deficiency needs: "Growth, individuation, autonomy, self-actualization, self-development, productiveness, self-realization are all crudely synony­mous, designating a vaguely perceived area rather than a sharply defined concept" (Maslow, 1968, p. 24).

According to Maslow, individuals are motivated by five general needs that may be clas­sified into either the deficiency or the growth categories.

Deficiency Needs

1.  Physiological: The most basic needs in Maslow's hierarchy center around needs related to survival and include the needs for oxygen, food, water, sleep, and so on. In the work­place, such needs are reflected in the individual's concern for basic working conditions (e.g., moderate temperature, clean air).
2. Safety and security: The second level of needs is associated with the safety and security of one's physical and emotional environment. These needs include a desire for stability, order, security, freedom from threats of emotional harm, and protection against acci­dents. At work, such needs may be represented by a concern for safe working conditions and job security.
3. Belongingness: The third level consists of those needs related to one's desire for accept­ance by others, friendship, and love. In organizations, interacting frequently with fellow workers or experiencing employee-centered leadership may help to satisfy these needs.

Growth Needs

1. Esteem and ego: These are the needs for self-respect, self-esteem, and respect and esteem for others. In the workplace, these needs may be reflected in a concern for jobs with higher status and a desire for recognition for the successful accomplishment of a particular task.
2. Self-actualization: The highest need category consists of the need for self-fulfillment. People with dominant self-actualization needs are concerned with developing to their full and unique potential as individuals. In organizations, these needs may be reflected in the desire for work assignments that challenge one's skills and abilities and that allow for cre­ative or innovative approaches.

According to Maslow, individuals move up the needs hierarchy through a dynamic cy­cle of deprivation, domination, gratification, and activation (Steers and Black, 1994). That is, when the individual experiences deprivation (i.e., an unfulfilled need) at a particular level in the hierarchy, the unsatisfied need will direct the individual's thoughts and actions. For example, a person who is concerned about physical safety will ignore or disregard higher-order needs and devote all of his or her energies to securing a safer environment. However, once this need is met, or gratified, it will cease to dominate the person's con­sciousness. Instead, needs at the next level in the hierarchy will be activated (in this case, belongingness needs). This cycle is repeated at each level in the hierarchy until the indi­vidual reaches the level of self actualization.