Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow proposed this theory in psychology in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation and expressed it fully in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality.
The hierarchy is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid, with the largest and most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-actualization at the top. Maslow's theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs.
Despite the popularity of the hierarchy, several researchers have questioned what evidence exists for the ranking of needs Maslow described, or even for the existence of a definite hierarchy at all. The order in which the hierarchy is arranged (with self-actualization as the highest order need) has been criticised as being ethnocentric, neglecting the difference between people raised in individualistic societies versus those raised in collectivist societies.
For more, see:
- Wikipedia: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
