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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs
NEEDS: a lack of something required or desired.
*Needs motivate us to act!
Abraham Maslow
Background Born April 1, 1908 in
Brooklyn, NY One of seven siblings Married to first cousin Died June 8, 1970
Education
(newworldencyclopedia.org, 2008)
City College of New York Studied Law
University of Wisconsin Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Psychology- 1930 Master of Arts Degree in
Psychology – 1931 PhD Psychology- 1934
Abraham Maslow
Research First to study the
Psychology of Health Human Sexuality Humanistic
Psychology
“What a man can be, he must
be.”
Theory Origin & DescriptionTheory Origin & Description
Influenced by Kurt Goldstein who introduced him to
the idea of self-actualization
His own close encounter with death had an impact on
his outlook on life and self-actualization
Maslow’s humanistic psychology focused on the
development of healthy people
1941
Description of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs Maslow’s theory is based on the idea that some
needs, physical as well as psychological, take precedence over others.
The needs are placed in a pyramid with the most important making the base
If the basic needs are not met, the base of the pyramid is not formed and the rest of the needs are not achieved.
(Learning-Theories.com, 2008)
The first levels of needs are the deficiency needs, those that if not met cause a deficiency, or lack that motivates a person to strive to achieve the need.
The fifth level, the actualization level, is a growth level.
Few people ever reach the growth level and spend their lives going up and down the pyramid meeting the lower level needs.
Maslow defined a Hierarchy of Human Needs that stated the lower needs must be met before an individual can strive to meet the higher needs.
(Learning-Theories.com, 2008)
As an individual becomes more
self-actualized, one becomes wiser and
automatically knows what to do in a wide variety of situations
Theory Description
Lights! Camera! Action!
YouTube Video on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s TheoryA hierarchy of important processesthat are critical for development and growth of the total person (McEwen & Wills, 2007).
PHYSIOLOGICAL-necessary for life; unmet, these needs lead to death Food Water Oxygen Sleep Protection from
extreme temperatures Elimination Sensory needs Motor needs
SAFETY/SECURITY
The need to be free from anxiety and fear
The need to be secure in the environment
The need for order and routine
LOVE AND AFFECTION Social acceptance,
friendship, to be loved Need to belong, to
relate to others Sexuality
-a person’s feelings/attitude toward their masculine/feminine nature
Sexuality
-the ability to give and receive love and affection
-reproductive capabilities
ESTEEM
Feeling important and worthwhile – includes respect, approval, appreciation
We engage in activities that bring achievement, success, and recognition
We gain self-confidence and begin to direct our actions toward becoming what we WANT to be
SELF-ACTUALIZATION
Self-realization; obtaining our full potential; becoming confident, eager to express our beliefs, and willing to reach out to others to help them
To meet our human needs
We usually learn what works by trial-and-error Direct methods v. Indirect methods Stress reactions Challenges and responsibilities
INDIRECT METHODS
Suppression Projection Denial Rationalization Compensation *Note: These are unhealthy when used too
often, but sometimes allows us to cope!
When defense mechanisms are inadequate, stress reactions develop:
Chronic complaining and demanding behavior
Agitation with manipulative behavior Restlessness Sleeplessness Depression-be alert for potential suicide Withdrawal
Application to Nursing Practice
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is easily applied to nursing practice.
The theory focuses on human potential, “gives hope a chance”.
The theory allows the nurse to highlight the person’s strengths instead of focusing on one’s deficits (McEwen & Wills, 2007).
Basic needs such as air, food, drink and warmth , are the basic needs of human survival and health.
Safety, be it with ambulation or in taking medication, is very important to nursing.
Social needs are met with visiting hours and through the nurse-patient (care-giver) relationship
Esteem and self-actualization may or may not be met in the hospital setting.
The theory provides the blueprint for prioritizing client care according to a hierarchy of needs (McEwen & Wills, 2007).
Personal Nursing PracticePersonal Nursing PracticeKeesha~
“I utilize Maslow’s Hierarchy while caring for patients in the
hospital setting. It’s imperative in this line of work to address our
patient’s individual needs (all of which are listed n Maslow’s
hierarchy). As nurses, our nursing care encompasses finding the
inherent goodness in people. By assisting patients in meeting their
needs, there’s a sense of achievement and satisfaction had by all.
As we satisfy our physiological needs including food, shelter,
water we can better address our safety and emotional needs. When
we meet our esteem needs we are better communicators, listeners,
educators, therefore satisfy our social needs. Self-actualization
needs appear to be more complex for some patients and nurses, but
with time are attainable.”
Criticism
There are many criticisms to Maslow’s theory
There is no explanation for those that put themselves in danger to help another.
There are some cultures that put social needs above other basic needs.
There is no explanation for the “starving artist”, the person who will give up food and drink in deference to their art.
(NetNBA, 2002-2007)
There’s minimal evidence to suggest that Maslow’s needs are in a hierarchical order
Wahba & Bridwell (1976) claim that Maslow’s definition of self-actualization is difficult to test scientifically and found little evidence for the ranking of Maslow’s needs or any existence of a definite hierarchy
Maslow’s theory has been challenged by other theorists who hypothesize that there are only three levels of human needs