In 1943, a paper called A Theory of Human Motivation was published by the U.S. psychologist Abraham Maslow, in which he argued that people had five types of needs coming in a specific order (Kremer and Hammond, 2013). These five human essential needs are physical needs, safety needs, social needs such as belonging and love, esteem and self-actualization. The specific order arranged these needs in a pyramid which Maslow called the hierarchy of needs. At the bottom of the pyramid are basic needs, physical needs, while needs of self-actualization are at the top. According to Sadri and Clarke Bowen (2011), for the purpose of progressing to the higher level, an individual has to satisfy each need. With the great reform and opening, there is an increasingly …show more content…
As it has been mentioned above, Maslow’s theory was published in 1943. It has its own historical background of manufacturing age, which is quite different from present society. In Maslow’s theory, pay is a fundamental factor in order to satisfy individuals’ physiological and safety needs. Consequently, managers may have the perception that emphasis on salary and bonuses can motivate their employees. Also, managers threaten job security to force employees perform well as safety needs are basic in Maslow’s theory (Chen, 2014). However, it has been proved that these measures are oversimplified. According to Chen (2014), after analyzing 12,000 diary entries, Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile and psychologist Steven Kramer pointed out that the most significant motivator for employees at work is “the power of small wins”, which means that employees are highly motivated when they perceive as though they are making headway daily toward an important goal. It can be seen that Amabile and Kramer’s finding contradicted Maslow’s theory. In addition, with the revolutions and innovations of high-technology, the organizations have gradually developed from manufacturing age into information age today. Stum (2001) claims that a sustaining change circle in the organizational life’ nature and the expectations of the labour force result in the …show more content…
In Maslow’s theory, the needs of belongingness, esteem and self-actualization are placed in higher hierarchies of physiological as well as safety needs. In other words, only when people’s basic needs and safety are ensured, will they begin to pursue higher level of needs. Whereas, it is not exactly true. The theory can not apply to the starved poets, the eremites who cut off the contact with society or the mountaineers caring less about security on his way to reach the top (Kremer and Hammond, 2013). All those people can be idealists that disregard physiological and safety needs but care more about self-actualization. It can be seen that people’s needs vary from person to person. Therefore, there is no doubt that Maslow’s theory is proved to be wrong. Also, it is evident that all the human needs are equal. Even if the individuals’ physiological and safety needs are not fulfilled, they still have the strong desire to be loved, receive respect and achieve their life objectives. Tay and Diener (2011) pointed out that whether other needs were satisfied had slight effect on the relevance of subjective well-being (SWB) with the fulfillment of particular needs. To be more specific, in the workplaces, employees work not only for salary to ensure their physiological and safety needs, but also for life evaluation at the same time. If
Abraham Maslow once stated in his theory "when the need of personality is broken, it creates personality disorder". He meant that, when we are in a situation where we completely lose hope and unable to accomplish certain needs to survive, it causes one 's to move up and down on the ladder of his theory. Maslow began his theory during his studies on monkeys. Being a behavior scientist, he knew that these monkeys had a similar reacting to certain situations that cause them to lack in certain needs they try to accomplish for their survival. But when they are motivated by something or someone else, it encourages them to fulfill the needs they 're lacking.
Maslow believed that there was a hierarchy of five innate needs that influence people’s behaviors (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p.246-247). In a pyramid fashion, at the base are physiological needs, followed by safety needs, then belonginess and love needs, succeeded by esteem needs, and finally the need for self-actualization. Maslow claimed that lower order needs must be at least partially satisfied before higher level needs are addressed. Furthermore, behavior is dominated by solely one need
Psychologist Abraham Maslow created the hierarchy of needs, outlining and suggesting what a person need to reach self-actualization and reveal the true potential of themselves. In the model, Maslow propose that a person has to meet basic needs in order to reach the true potential of themselves. Biological/physiological needs, safety needs, love/belonging need, esteem needs according to Maslow is the fundamental frame for reaching the peak of self. The last need to be met on the scale
People have long considered general theories of motivation, and the question regarding the specific motives that direct and energize our human behavior has undergone tremendous speculation. To this day the question still stands: what is it that humans seek most in life? In an effort to answer this question, Abraham Maslow proposed what he called the hierarchy of needs. Maslow theorizes that human beings are motivated to fulfill this hierarchy, which consists of needs ranging from those that are basic for survival up to those that promote growth and self-enhancement (Kassin 300).
Once in a generation, and only a few rare instances in a millennia, a certain designation of academic and/or scientist enters into the pursuit of knowledge that captures the epitome of makeup and living -the dynamic of life- to such a prolific magnitude that the world is revolutionized in their wake. Abraham Maslow so completely documented and achieved a level of understating of the causes of human events that his work effectively captivates the struggle of human life and achievement. His theories on the constitution of human needs provide an explanation as to just exactly why people do the things they do, and demonstrate the integral forces behind human behavior. His pyramid is an ubiquitous reference to the needs of human beings, and serves as a guide to those in positions of authority and influence when carrying out their duties for their constituents/charges. It also serves as invaluable doctrine for any and all who wish to take the necessary steps to take care of themselves, and learn the appropriate steps by which to lead fulfilling and successful lives, by outlining the empirical needs of the individual, and in which order they need be addressed. Furthermore, his observations regarding these steps constitute a guide by which to achieve a panacea for the difficulties of life’s struggles: from everyday petty grievances, to even the most arduous of scenarios- ending with (assuming the first levels have been met) a state of sublimity and enlightenment, also known as self-actualization. However, to confine Maslow’s accomplishments to his work in the “Pyramid/ hierarchy of needs” would hardly be sufficient, rather, a gross misrepresentation of a lifetime of work on behalf of humanity, and an account, while even unable to do...
Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfil the next one, and so on. The earliest and most widespread version of Maslow's (1943, 1954) hierarchy of needs includes five motivational needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
In the analysis of this paper, the author believes that the model of Abraham Maslow (2009) can be very helpful. This model is called the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. According to Maslow (2009), people have needs...
This paper looks specifically at the life of Abraham Maslow, and his hierarchy of needs theory of which he is most known for. Along with describing his theory, there are a number of other significant terms created and used by Maslow which are also defined in this paper. The important terms are bolded throughout the paper and will comprise of the following:
The author of this paper claims that managers can help their employees to be more motivated, if they look and work with Maslow's stages.
Similarly, Maslow's theory also reflects that humans have an internal force to reach their highest potential (Maslow, 1968). Maslow examined the hierarchy of basic human needs and developed a pyramid of requirements which motivates human beings and shapes their personality. At the bottom of his pyramid are found the basic physiological motivations which are necessary for survival such as food and shelter. The next level incorporates the need for safety, both physical and psychological. This is followed by love and belongingness which relate to receiving and giving affection. Presuming the love need is met, the next level up is the need for esteem which includes the feeling of self-esteem and self-respect. At the top of the pyramid stands the complex need for self-actualization which is a meta-need as per Maslow (1964) and we can reach it through peak experiences. It is the highest level of growth when someone reached her or his capacity to the fullest. Maslow estimated that only 1 percent of people ever really fulfil this need (Maslow,
Abraham Maslow did studies of the basic needs of human beings. He put these needs into a hierarchical order. This means that until the need before it has been satisfied, the following need can not be met (Encyclopedia, 2000). For example, if someone is hungry they are not thinking too much about socializing. In the order from lowest to highest the needs are psychological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. The first three are classified as lower order needs and the last two are higher order (Hierarchy, 2000). Without meeting these needs workers are not going to be as productive as they could otherwise. The first three are considered to be essential to all humans at all times. The last two have been argued but are mostly considered to be very important as well.
Furthermore, there are three theories which explain the different factors in how employees are motivated based on their needs. The first theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, was proved by Abraham Maslow in the years of 1943 and 1954 (McLeod, 2013). Maslow believed that society developed their motivations depending on their needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory in which five motivational needs( self-actualization,esteem, belongingness and love, safety, and psychological) are demonstrated in a hierarchy pyramid. The five motivational needs are divided into three categories(basic, psychological, and
Self-actualization is an idea originating from the Humanistic psychological theory and particularly created by Abraham Maslow. The humanistic school of thought in psychology is the third force in psychology that attempts to regain the self, supporting that individuals do have free will and has the power to change for the better. Humanistic psychology was developed as a response to psychoanalysis and behaviorism focusing on individuality, personal growth and the concept of self-actualization. While early schools of thought were mostly concentrated on abnormal human behavior, humanistic psychology is different because of its emphasis on helping individuals achieve and fulfill their potential. The two main contributors to this school of thought
Two of the earlier on some of the most widely discussed theories on motivation were proposed by psychologists Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg. Maslow introduced his Hierarchy of needs in 1943 and later fully developed it in 1954. This model consists of 5 levels of basic needs, often portrayed in a pyramid or triangular shape. The most fundamental needs are at the bottom of the pyramid and the person cannot accomplish the second need until the first need has been fulfilled, nor the third need until the second need is satisfied and so on (Simons, Irwin & Drinnien 1987). Maslow´s needs from the bottom to the top are as follows: physiological (breathing, food, water, etc.), safety (security of health, family, property, etc.), love/belonging (friendship, family, sexual intimacy, etc.), esteem (confidence, achievement, respect by and of others, etc.) and self-actualisation (creativity, problem solving, spontaneity, etc.) (Maslow 1954).
Human behavior is caused by the various needs. What drives us humans to pursue these needs and goal is a terminology called Motivation. But how do we define our needs? Eventually, a scientist named Abraham Maslow developed his model on 5 levels of biological needs, as motivators called Hierarchy of need; which is defined as self-actualization, esteem needs, belongingness, safety needs, and physiological needs. In this case, if I was a manger applying this terminology to motivate my employees would help bring out their best overall performance.