Maslow's Theory

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Theorist’s Biography
Abraham Harold Maslow, the founder of humanistic psychology, was born in New York City on April 1, 1908 and died at home in California in 1970 (Maslow, Abraham Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Biography, 2010) (Abraham H. Maslow: a Bibliography: Professional biography, 1970). He received his AB, MA, and PhD in psychology from the University of Wisconsin (1970). His work as a United States (U.S.) psychologist started in 1932 after he started working as a teaching fellow (1970). Maslow also taught at Brooklyn College from 1937 to 1951 and at Brandeis University from 1951 to 1961, where he was appointed Chairman of the Psychology department (2010). He made research contributions in psychology every year until his death (1970).
Abraham H. Maslow’s psychological concepts (Abraham H. Maslow: a Bibliography: Professional biography, 1970) that he introduced and were later standardized are the needs hierarchy, self-actualization, and peak experience (Maslow, Abraham Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Biography, 2010). Maslow’s most popular contribution to psychology is the hierarchy of needs theory (Butts & Rich, 2011). His work on Motivation and Personality are understood through his humanistic model (2010).
Theory Development
Abraham Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs is fundamentally based on the concept that physiological needs dominate one’s thinking, causing one to be motivated to fulfill the need in order to move up the hierarchy and reach self-fulfillment (Zalenski & Raspa, 2006). Maslow developed this theory at a time when behaviorism and cognitive theories had dominance in psychology (Butts & Rich, 2011). Resentment towards dominance of psychoanalysis and lack of attention towards human emotions led him to...

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...ealth. (2014, January 28). Maslow Theories [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://positivementalhealth foundation.com/life-questions/abraham-maslow-hierarchy-of-needs/
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Tse, M., Leung, R., & Ho, S. (2012). Pain and psychological well-being of older persons living in nursing homes: an exploratory study in planning patient-centered intervention. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 68(2), 312-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05738.
Zalenski, R. J., & Raspa, R. (2006, 13 October). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: A framework for achieving human potential in hospice. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 9(5), 1120-1127. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2006.9.1120

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