Theories and Concepts
Hierarchy of Needs
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Maslow's hierarchy of needs organizes human motivation into physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization needs, with lower needs generally, though not rigidly, taking priority over higher ones. Maslow stressed flexibility rather than strict sequencing, and later added a level of transcendence needs above self-actualization.
Facts
Core ClaimHuman motivation is organized into a hierarchy of needs, physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization, that generally, though not rigidly, build on each other. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
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1. Maslow%27s hierarchy of needs
Wikimedia FoundationintroductionQuote, introduction
a conceptualization of the needs (or goals) that motivate human behaviour
1. Maslow%27s hierarchy of needs
Wikimedia Foundationbody textQuote, body text
Maslow stressed that a need does not require being satisfied 100% before the next need emerges
1. Maslow%27s hierarchy of needs
Wikimedia FoundationHistorical Development sectionQuote, Historical Development section
Maslow proposed his hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation
Abraham Maslow
Wikimedia FoundationDeveloped By: Abraham Maslow, intro paragraphQuote, Developed By: Abraham Maslow, intro paragraph
created Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Open Questions (1 open question)
Does Maslow's hierarchy of needs reflect a genuinely universal structure of human motivation, or is it culturally specific to individualistic Western societies?
Critics note the needs and drives of those in individualistic societies tend to be more self-centered than those in collectivist societies, and a 1976 review found little evidence for the theory's specific ranking of needs, undermining its claim to universality.
What would resolve this Controlled cross-cultural studies directly testing whether need-priority sequencing holds across individualist and collectivist societies.
Cross-cultural psychologyMaslow%27s hierarchy of needs
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