Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational philosophy that provides a hierarchical model of individual needs. Abraham Maslow represented the model as a pyramid of hierarchical tiers. The theory attempts to investigate questions around human motivation. People, according to Abraham Maslow, have a set of incentive mechanisms that are distinct from implicit urges or incentives. As a consequence, this paper presents an overview of human activity based on Abraham Maslow's Philosophy of Human Motivation and various facets of its implementation.
According to the hypothesis
According to the hypothesis, people are motivated to meet specific needs. Besides, it echoes that some of the needs have precedence over other needs and are subsequently fulfilled (Vannelli, 2001). For instance, the need for survival would be the principal motive, and once it is achieved, people move towards achieving the next needs. I agree on this principle as different individuals in various parts of the world often strive to achieve particular desires and once they realize the achievement of such desires, other needs arise, and hence they move to the next steps that would make the attainment of such needs possible. As such, the hierarchy informs human behavior.
Analytical Principle and Context Analysis
Human beings have various needs that they must meet depending on prevailing. Besides, the working environment continues to be dynamic, and hence organizational must look into issues that affect the behavior of their employees. Such behaviors often depend on the existence or lack of certain things that individuals may consider as motivating factors. Notably, every organization often strive to work with its human resources which are the most fundamental components of any existing organization or institution, to meet its goals and objectives. Nevertheless, in most cases, the behavior of such individuals depends on certain variables.
Any leader or any other individual in any setting needs to interact with his/her followers, seniors and peers among other people. They provide essential support to the leader, organization or the peers while meeting certain goals. Therefore, gaining much of such support requires an individual to understand their varied needs to motivate them. As such, understanding and motivating people calls for knowledge of human nature, which is the universal qualities of all individuals. Individual often behave based on particular principles of human nature. Motivating such individuals requires an effective framework of understanding behavior such as Maslow's Theory of Human Motivation (Vannelli, 2001).
It is, therefore, evident that human needs are an essential part of human nature
It is, therefore, evident that human needs are an essential part of human nature and as such, they inform human behavior. Notably, values, customs, and beliefs differ from nation to nation, state to states and even within the group to group. Nevertheless, the most important issue is the understanding that all people have a few basic needs which make them behave in certain ways given the existent of non-existent of such needs.
Needs motivates every individual. Individuals' greatest primary needs come within them, and Abraham Maslow's theory helps in explaining how the needs characterize human behavior. Maslow's Theory of Human Motivation is simple and relevant. He used a diagram to demonstrate different levels of human needs daubed the human 'hierarchy of needs' as outlined in this paper in the subsequent sections.
The Principle
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that people tend to satisfy each need in turn. A hierarchical order of a pyramid characterize the sequence of the needs and shows that the basic needs (bottommost) must be realized before the attainment of higher order needs as the figure below shows (Boeree 2006).
Physiological Needs
The needs are the starting point for motivational drives. They include air, shelter, warmth, sex, food, drink and sleep among others. Any human being missing almost everything in life would consider physiological needs as the major motivating factors. As such, physiological needs only influence human being when there is an extreme desire to fulfill them otherwise; the next level of motivation applies.
Safety Needs
Once physiological needs are met, an individual will strive to meet the safety needs. Safety needs include security, order and law, stability and protection from any harm among others. They are the most exclusive organizers of human behavior. His / her safety needs motivate a normal, healthy and fortunate adult. In most cases, seeking safety needs characterizes the desire to feel free from any possible danger as an individual, employee or family.
Belonging and Love Needs
A fair gratification of both physiological and safety needs leads to an emergence of the needs to feel loved and belong to a particular group. An individual who feels the absence of friends, wife, colleagues or children will hunger for affectionate relations with different individuals. The attainment of such a goal will be an individual's primary motivating variable.
Esteem Needs
Esteem needs include achievement, mastery, high self-esteem, independence, status, prestige, managerial responsibility, and dominance among others. Most individuals often have such desires and are motivated towards fulfilling them. The needs come after the fulfillment of previous needs. The satisfaction of such needs leads to feelings of usefulness, strength, self-confidence, and self-worth.
Self-Actualization Needs
Even after satisfying the above needs, an individual may still feel some form of discontent unless he engages in what he/she likes most. As such, an artist would prefer to do art, a lawyer, law, and a musician, music, among others. The needs include realizing personal potential, peak experiences, self-fulfillment, and seeking personal growth.
Analysis of the Topic
According to Maslow, the human behavior is instigated such that people are always striving to meet various goals (Vannelli, 2001). As the theory states, people tend to satisfy each need in turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious to the last, the motivational factors are not universal but rather based on a hierarchy. Lower needs are more urgent and immediate hence satisfied first since they characterize an individual's initial steps to achieving a goal. From the analysis, no person remains in a particular hierarchy for a prolonged time. Individuals often endeavor to move up the ladder while various variables hinder such movements. Besides, those at the top of the hierarchy also pulled down for a shorter period with factors such as unrealistic desires or ideas (Vannelli, 2001). It is, therefore, evident that human behavior based on Abraham Maslow's Theory characterized different needs that are fulfilled one after the other.
Conclusion
As aforementioned, Maslow's principle of human behavior entails a motivational theory comprising of a five-tier model that relates to different needs of individuals. From the analysis, the theory is a fundamental component of human action and helps in outlining different needs that motivate people. It also helps in understanding the need to assist individuals in obtaining the necessary skills and knowledge that will push them up the hierarchy. The significance of the above analysis characterizes the importance of leadership and management that work toward the realization of individuals' needs based on the discussed principle.
References
Boeree, C. G. (2006). Personality theories. Retrieved from http://www.social-psychology.de/do/pt_intro.pdf.
Vannelli, R. (2001). Evolutionary Theory and Human Nature. Boston, MA: Springer US.
