Abraham Maslow - A Brief Biography

Abraham Maslow was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents, Samuel and Rose, were Jewish immigrants from Russia. He grew up poor and uneducated. Fortunately, his father took action and started a barrel-making business that helped improve his family's situation. Eventually, he moved his family out of the slums and into a lower-middle-class neighborhood.After graduating from high school, Maslow pursued further studies. In 1925, he enrolled in City College of New York. His first choice of major was law, and he wanted to become a lawyer. However, he soon became bored and had poor grades. As a result, he dropped out of school in the second semester.As a young man, Maslow suffered from abuse. He was persecuted by local gangs. He hated his mother and was emotionally troubled. He was diagnosed by a New York psychologist as "mentally unstable." His parents believed that higher education would provide an avenue for escape. They sent him to City College in Brooklyn, where he met Bertha, whom he would later marry.Maslow was a prominent psychologist who helped shape the field of humanistic psychology. His theories grew out of his experiences, and his hierarchy of needs is a well-known foundation for humanistic psychology. His hypothesis explains how people react to various situations. He also notes that certain human needs are more important than others. As a result, he divided human needs into five general categories: physiological, safety, belonging/love, esteem, and self-actualization.Maslow defined self-actualization as the need to become all that one is capable of. Maslow argued that an individual could not be truly happy until he or she became everything that he or she was meant to be. For example, a singer must sing in order to be fulfilled, and a poet must write to be happy. These activities are essential components of self-actualization. It is important to do what you love to do and are passionate about.In the 1940s, Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs, a theory of human motivation. He integrated many existing approaches to understanding human motivation, but argued that they did not account for the big picture of personality. His theory states that human beings are driven by certain needs, and these needs are mapped out in a pyramid. Each level represents a specific need. After graduating from high school, Maslow pursued further studies. In 1925, he enrolled in City College of New York. His first choice of major was law, and he wanted to become a lawyer. However, he soon became bored and had poor grades. As a result, he dropped out of school in the second semester.The model he developed is widely used today. It is a standard part of many introductory psychology courses. It has been adapted to a variety of fields and has been applied to the needs of entire communities. As a result, Maslow's work has influenced many aspects of psychology in ways he may have never dreamed of. They sent him to City College in Brooklyn, where he met Bertha, whom he would later marry.