Famous psychologist, Abraham Maslow, developed what he termed as human beings’ hierarchy of needs, showing how and in what order various needs motivate people. From the bottom, they are; physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization needs (McLeod, 2018). Currently, am working through the safety needs, while also trying to achieve self-esteem. My safety needs are not only comprised of physical security, but health and well-being, financial, and emotional security. As such, I am motivated to acquire a well-paying job, as well as being emotionally stable. Maslow categorized esteem needs in two; desire to have a good reputation and respect from other people and individualistic esteem. Currently, I am more interested in the latter than the first, because it is the most important among the two.
Maslow stated that “individuals must satisfy lower level deficit needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs.” (McLeod, 2018). However, this is not the case, realistically and drawing from experiences all over the world. There are many people who are poor and barely satisfy the first needs in Maslow’s pyramid, but they can achieve friendships and intimate relationships. Additionally, others have not achieved security needs, such as homelessness, yet they are self-actualized. Therefore, the ideal statement of human beings’ needs should not be subjective to a single perception. In other words, needs among individuals vary both in content and urgency or order, depending on many factors, such as age, marital status, personal beliefs, among others. At every point in life, people have a particular hierarchy of needs they need to achieve, but the order can always change. This, then, nullifies Maslow’s assertions.
Work Cited
McLeod, S. A. (2018). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
