Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs



Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow developed the Hierarchy of Needs model in 1940-50's; the Hierarchy of Needs theory still remains valid today for understanding human motivation and personal development.

A key aspect of the model is the hierarchical nature of the needs. The lower the needs in the hierarchy, the more fundamental they are and the more a person will tend to abandon the higher needs in order to pay attention to sufficiently meeting the lower needs. For example, when we are ill, we care little for what others think about us: all we want is to get better.

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The five needs:

5] Physiological needs to satisfy hunger, thirst, and sex drives

4] Safety needs to feel secure, safe, and out of danger

3] Belonging needs [“love needs”] affection, friendship, love

2] Esteem needs for a higher position within a group; prestige, success

1] Self-actualization needs are to 'become what we are capable of becoming'; to fulfill one’s unique potential

Three more needs:

Maslow later added three more needs by splitting two of the above five needs.

Between esteem and self-actualization, needs were added:

1] Need to know and understand, which explains the cognitive need of the academic.

2] Need for aesthetic beauty, which is the emotional need of the artist.

Self-actualization was divided into two parts:

Self-actualization, which is realizing one's own potential [as above]

3] Transcendence, which is helping others to achieve their potential.

Using Maslow’s Needs in Writing:

Being able to perceive and subsequently define the general needs of your “subject audience” will allow you to skillfully argue the idea that this audience is capable of other needs [this should be down explicitly within your text]; as well, keep in mind that you will be also persuading your “expert audience” that this subject audience is indeed capable of a shift/change in needs [this should be done more implicitly within your text].  

For example, if trying to persuade parents [“expert audience] that young teenage women [“subject audience”] have self-esteem issues and that validation for self worth comes from group acceptance, you might make the argument that young women, in order to be truly successful in life, need to fulfill their individual potential rather than define success within a social norm/group. [This argument could infer the role of the parent is needed for this self actualization to take place]

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