Maslow’s Human Needs Pyramid
Psychologist Abraham Maslow first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in 1943. This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs.
This hierarchy is most often displayed as a pyramid, as shown below. The lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are located at the top of the pyramid. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once these lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety and security
Types of Needs
Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a major role in motivating behavior. Physiological, security, social, and esteem needs are deficiency needs (also known as D-needs), meaning that these needs arise due to deprivation. Satisfying these lower-level needs is important in order to avoid unpleasant feelings or consequences.
Maslow termed the highest-level of the pyramid as growth needs (also known as being needs or B-needs). Growth needs do not stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person.
Five Levels of the Hierarchy of Needs
There are five different levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:
Physiological Needs
These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, such as the need for water, air, food, and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met.
Security Needs
These include needs for safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health insurance, safe neighborhoods, and shelter from the environment.
Social Needs
These include needs for belonging, love, and affection. Maslow considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments, and families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance, as doe’s involvement in social, community, or religious groups.
Esteem Needs
After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs becomes increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and accomplishment.
Self-actualizing Needs
This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested fulfilling their potential.
Human Needs Activity 1:
List the levels and specific Maslow’s human needs required by the following cases
Human Needs Activity 2:
Match the specific needs with the five levels by writing the level number in front of each need.
5
3
3
3
2
5
4
5
4
1
2
5
3
2
3
Human Needs Activity 3:
Working in groups, discuss and answer the following questions:
Does every human being have the rights to reach the top of the Maslow pyramid?
-yes, they have the right.
Does every human being have the capability of reaching that level?
-no because some of them have mental problem .
What are the opportunities are needed to get to the higher level?
-they have to work, live in a good environment and reach to the first level and then they can reach to the higher level.
What are the obstacles could stand in the way of reaching these levels?
safety needs, psychological needs and love needs.
What could you do to help others to reach the higher levels?
-advice and support them as much as possible, encouragement, donations and
motivation.
