Abraham H Maslow was a psychologist who developed a theory that sought to explain human behaviour in terms of basic needs for survival and growth. (www.enotes.com. 2002). This paper will define Maslow’s theory (a ‘hierarchy of needs’) and explain how differences in priorities influence and inform upon consumer behaviour.
Maslow developed his ‘hierarchy of needs’ in an attempt to describe patterns of human behaviour, and to try to understand the processes behind the actions of consumers. In essence, his theory centres on the idea of ‘motivation’, which he sees as a driving force in a person’s movement from one level of need priorities to the next.
The above diagram, though not of Maslow’s own design, suggests the hierarchy of needs starts at the bottom with ‘physiological needs’, and continues up the pyramid, finishing with self-actualisation. Maslow’s theory identifies that there are general types of needs also described as basic needs they are the simple things in life that we must have to survive, such things as food, water, shelter and good health. These are known as your physiological needs. Safety needs represent the ability to feel safe and be away from danger, not being in a dangerous relationship or living free from abuse. Social needs are the ability to be loved and feel a sense of belonging in a society. Esteem needs refer to the individual having a good self-esteem and being in a health state of mind. These four categories of needs are known as ‘deficiency needs’, and Maslow suggests as long as we are ‘motivated’ to satisfy these needs, we are moving towards growth, and leading to self-actualisation. (mason.gmu.edu. 2004). At the top of the diagram is self-actualisation, which Maslow sa...
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Abraham Maslow arranged human needs into a hierarchy of five needs, starting with the most important needs which are physiological needs such as, hunger, thirst, and warmth. He then went all the way up to the least important which is self-actualization that is known as the fulfillment of unique potentials. His hierarchy of needs is depicted in a pyramidal form with the most important needs at the bottom as a base and the least important towards the top. According to Maslow, self-actualization is becoming what we believe we are capable of being he also believed that self -actualization is as important as physiological needs. Many people desire to reach self-actualization because
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is shaped like a pyramid. The first level or “base” of the pyramid consists of Physiological needs, such as: breathing, food, water, and sleep. The second level is labeled as Safety, involving security of body, resources, morality, family, and property. The third level includes Love for self, friends, and family, and the fourth level is titled Esteem such as: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, and respect of and by others. The fifth and final level is called Self-Actualization, and consists of creativity, morality, lack of prejudice and spontaneity. Maslow states that to fulfill these needs, you must start from the very bottom and work your way up, and that if your most basic
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).
In 1954 an American psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed that all people are motivated to fulfill a hierarchical pyramid of needs. At the bottom of Maslow's pyramid are needs essential to survival, such as the needs for food, water, and sleep. The need for safety follows these physiological needs. According to Maslow, higher-level needs become important to us only after our more basic needs are satisfied. These higher needs include the need for love and 'belongingness', the need for esteem, and the need for self-actualization (In Maslow's theory, a state in which people realize their greatest potential) (All information by means of Encarta Online Encyclopedia).
He had many concerns; he believed that every human being and certainty in newborns is an active will toward health, growth, and actualization. Maslow came up with five different needs, starting with the first one “The Physiological needs”. This includes food, water, shelter, sex, and sleep. He believes that physical needs should enhance your health, energy, euphoria, and physical contentment. He also believes that receptors and effectors are the intelligence, memory, and habit of hunger-gratifying tools (Tribe, 1970.) Another major essential that human beings need is “Safety Needs”. This particular need is based on security, stability, dependency, protection, freedom from fair, anxiety, and chaos. According to Maslow this statement came out to be true. He speaks about how children come into play and seem to strive better under a system that has a set schedule and routine (Tribe,
The first type of need in Maslow 's theory is Self-actualization. In this stage, you begin to fulfill your potential, accept reality, and solve problems and being more creative. The second type of need in Maslow 's theory is Self-Esteem. In this stage, you begin to have confidence in yourself, respect others and others respect you. The third type of need in Maslow 's theory is the Belonging Need. In this stage, you feel like being accepted, loved by others, friendship, sex and other things. The fourth stage of need in Maslow 's theory is the Safety Need. In this stage, you are to have the feelings of protection, security and safe from dangers. And the last type of need in Maslow 's theory is the Physiological needs. this needs to refer to the physical things one needs to survive and they include; food,
The first type of need in Maslow 's theory is Self-actualization. In this stage, you begin to fulfill your potential, accept reality, and solve problems and being more creative. The second type of need in Maslow 's theory is Self-Esteem. In this stage, you begin to have confidence in yourself, respect others and others respect you. The third type of need in Maslow 's theory is the Belonging Need. In this stage, you feel like being accepted, loved by others, friendship, sex and other things. The fourth stage of need in Maslow 's theory is the Safety Need. In this stage, you are to have the feelings of protection, security and safe from dangers. And the last type of need in Maslow 's theory is the Physiological needs. this needs to refer to the physical things one needs to survive and they include; food, water, shelter and
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
"How does Maslow’s theory of human needs explain conflict in human society?” Maslow’s model of what the five basic needs are for humans to advance, as described by Urwiler, R.N. (2008) are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem needs and self-actualization needs. Once an individual is missing any of the basic physiological needs to survive such as “oxygen, food, water and warmth”, then the behavior changes. “If one or more of these basic needs is lost, the priorities of a person immediately shift to satisfying the missing need” (p.83). Maslow, A. H. (1948) also found that meeting these needs could also address other conflicts in society. Humans need food, water, clothing and shelter to survive.
Unlike many of his colleagues at the time who were focusing on psychopathology, or what is wrong with individuals, he focused on how individuals are motivated to fulfill their potential and what needs govern their respective behaviors (McLeod)). Maslow developed the hierarchy over time, adjusting from a rigid structure where needs must be met before being able to achieve a higher level, to where the individuals can experience and behave in ways across the hierarchy multiple times daily depending on their needs. The hierarchy is comprised of 5 levels; Physiological, Safety and Security, Love and Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. The bottom two levels are considered basic needs, or deficiency needs because once the needs are met they cease to be a driving factor, unlike psychological needs. Loving and Belonging and Esteem needs are considered psychological needs, and are different from basic needs because they don’t stem from a lack of something, but rather the desire to grow. Maslow theorizes that individual’s decisions and behavior are determined based on their current level of needs, and the ideal level to achieve full potential culminates in self-actualization; however, operating on this level cannot be achieved until the preceding levels of needs have been
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory that includes a five level pyramid of basic human
In conclusion, it is evident that Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs can no longer be applied to today’s consumer behaviour. Yes, consumer behaviour can be classified and categorized, but it cannot be placed in a specific order in which the consumer will feel each class and category. There are too many factors to consider and cannot be measured through a hierarchy. To this day, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory that has yet to be proven to predict consumer behaviour, but rather predict
Abraham Maslow wrote the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. This theory was based on fulfilling five basic needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. Maslow believed that these needs could create internal pressures that could influence the behavior of a person. (Robbins, p.204)
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.
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a theory of basic human needs: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. His theory suggests that embedded in the very nature of each human being are certain needs that must be attained in order for a person to be whole physically, psychologically, and emotionally. First, there are phys...