Maslow's hierarchy of human needs

 Dear readers and friends, 

Today we will introduce a very interesting concept: Maslow's hierarchy of human needs, another Life Coaching article where we will discover how human needs can be classified and distinguished in a generalized context. As in every context of Life Coaching that we are examining, there are little explanations and lots of questions. Finding these answers is our task, discovering ourselves and then improving ourselves and loving ourselves for who we are is the ultimate goal. As already mentioned in several articles: 

“A question at the right time can change your life or at least the vision you have of it”.

 

Our physiological set of human needs are often the most important to people and will "monopolize conscious decision-making" until they have all been met. Once we reach a level of requirement, we naturally progress towards the pursuit of a higher level, and so on until we are self-actualized (discovered, realized and fully accepted). According to Maslow, this meant that the average human being is commonly partially satisfied and dissatisfied with all the desires of him, all the time” (Maslow, 1943).

In his influential article, "A Theory of Human Motivation," Maslow proposed that humans have a number of motivational needs that are arranged in a hierarchy with some of these needs more primitive or basic than others. The hierarchy of human needs stemmed from Maslow's belief that "the basic desires of human beings are similar despite the multitude of conscious desires" (Zalenski & Raspa, 2006).

This idea gave birth to Maslow's main contribution to humanistic psychology (and to psychological schools of thought in general), his theory of motivation centered on our human hierarchy of needs. In addition to developing the motivational hierarchy of needs, Maslow also co-founded the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (JHP) in 1961 with Anthony Sutich of SAGE Publishing. Maslow co-founded the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology in 1969 and, by publishing these two influential journals in the field of modern psychology, ensured that his name would outlive his famous hierarchy of needs.

“A person who makes full use of his talents, potentials and abilities realizes himself by doing the best he is capable of doing. The accomplished person must find those qualities that make her life rich and rewarding. She must find meaning, self-sufficiency, individuality, and truth. - Abraham Maslow

Although humanistic psychology has passed its zenith of social influence, Maslow's hierarchy is still a significant and well-established aspect of modern applied psychology. Recent psychological studies suggest that Maslow's hierarchy of needs has influenced modern psychology in ways he may not have even initially anticipated.

In "A Theory of Human Motivation", Maslow describes his hierarchy of needs as five basic sets of requirements that motivate and guide human behavior, namely; physiological, security, social, selfish, and  self-fulfilling . He then organized these needs into a pyramid, with physiological needs forming the foundation of the pyramid and self-actualization  peaking at the top.

As you'll be able to decipher from this pyramid, Maslow argued that all of our needs are inherently selfish by nature. 

Many people reach a stage in life where they feel sick of themselves and where they are; they long for change, they want to stop feeling comfortable and safe and start working towards growth instead . 

Then, they start engaging in more meaningful conversations and start asking healthier questions like, "How am I affecting the outcomes I'm experiencing in my life?"  

A mature person is one who is aware of how they are behaving for and with other people and recognizes that the sadness, stress or pressure they experience in life is their responsibility; and he knows he has to change with new strategies and approaches to improve his situation.

THE SELF-ESTEEM

A person's self-esteem needs are often met as they achieve goals, master certain tasks, and receive recognition or respect for their accomplishments.

THE PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS

These basic needs include food, water and shelter. Most people try to get these needs met before any others.

COGNITIVE NEEDS

A person's cognitive needs can be satisfied by the pursuit of knowledge .

SAFETY NEEDS

Security includes feelings of security and stability, living free from fear and being safe from harm.

AESTHETIC NEEDS

It refers to the pursuit of beauty, balance and form. Maslow recognized that artists tended to focus on meeting these needs. Although anyone can achieve self-realization , not all people will, as progress can be disrupted by life's challenges.

According to humanist psychologist N. Goud, "the recent positive psychology movement focuses on themes addressed by Abraham Maslow over 50 years ago" (Goud, 2008). Goud has also hinted in more than one of his articles about him" that Maslow encouraged positive psychology for the advancement of human happiness, flow, courage, hope and optimism, responsibility and civility."

More than anything, Maslow (along with other proponents of positive psychology) was guided by the idea that mainstream psychology schools had abandoned the quest to understand the overall human experience in favor of defining the complexities of what a mental illness is and is not. (Rathunde, 2001).

Maslow's motivational theory makes us know ourselves better. Human needs are common to all. However, we all have personal motivations that we need to understand if we are to meet them. Maslow died in Menlo Park, California on June 8, 1970. His works still fascinate students around the world today.

As always, at the end of the article, I ask for your opinion and your work in this regard. Reading these types of articles is never enough, one must internalize them and use them in living one's life.