In 1943, Abraham Maslow’s article A Theory of Human Motivation appeared in Psychological Review, which were further expanded upon in his book: Toward a Psychology of Being In this article, Abraham Maslow attempted to formulate a needs-based framework of human motivation and based upon his clinical experiences with humans, rather than prior psychology theories of his day from leaders in the field of psychology such as Freud and B.F. Skinner, which were largely theoretical or based upon animal behavior.
From Maslow’s theory of motivation, modern leaders and executive managers find means of employee motivation for the purposes of employee and workforce management. Nearly every masters degree program, whether it be marketing, psychology, or project management includes a discussion about how Maslow’s needs hierarchy impacts their given profession:
- Masters in psychology need to understand this fundamental building block to modern theories of motivation.
- Masters in marketing need to understand the motivation of their target demographic to suitably identify a campaign that approaches their current level of need.
- Masters in project management need to approach their team members and stakeholders with the appropriate motivation to effectively deliver their projects
The basis of Maslow’s theory of motivation is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be addressed. Per the teachings of Abraham Maslow, there are general needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) which have to be fulfilled before a person is able to act unselfishly. These needs were dubbed “deficiency needs.” While a person is motivated to fulfill these basal desires, they continue to move toward growth, and eventually self-actualization. The satisfaction of these needs is quite healthy. while preventing their gratification makes us ill or act evilly.
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Self-Actualization
Self-actualization is the summit of Maslow’s motivation theory. It is about the quest of reaching one’s full potential as a person. Unlike lower level needs, this need is never fully satisfied; as one grows psychologically there are always new opportunities to continue to grow.
Self-actualized people tend to have motivators such as:
- Truth
- Justice
- Wisdom
- Meaning
Self-actualized persons have frequent occurrences of peak experiences, which are energized moments of profound happiness and harmony. According to Maslow, only a small percentage of the population reaches the level of self-actualization.
Esteem Needs
After a person feels that they “belong”, the urge to attain a degree of importance emerges. Esteem needs can be categorized as external motivators and internal motivators.
Internally motivating esteem needs are those such as self-esteem, accomplishment, and self respect. External esteem needs are those such as reputation and recognition.
Some examples of esteem needs are:
- Recognition (external motivator)
- Attention (external motivator)
- Social Status (external motivator)
- Accomplishment (internal motivator)
- Self-respect (internal motivator)
Maslow later improved his model to add a layer in between self-actualization and esteem needs: the need for aesthetics and knowledge.
Social Needs
Once a person has met the lower level physiological and safety needs, higher level motivators awaken. The first level of higher level needs are social needs. Social needs are those related to interaction with others and may include:
- Friendship
- Belonging to a group
- Giving and receiving love
Safety Needs
Once physiological needs are met, one’s attention turns to safety and security in order to be free from the threat of physical and emotional harm. Such needs might be fulfilled by:
- Living in a safe area
- Medical insurance
- Job security
- Financial reserves
According to the Maslow hierarchy, if a person feels threatened, needs further up the pyramid will not receive attention until that need has been resolved.
Physiological Needs
Physiological needs are those required to sustain life, such as:
- Air
- Water
- Food
- Sleep
According to this theory, if these fundamental needs are not satisfied, then one will surely be motivated to satisfy them. Higher needs such as social needs and esteem are not recognized until one satisfies the needs basic to existence.