Hierarchy of Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs: Uses and Critics

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a model for understanding the motivations of human behavior. It maps different motivations onto a pyramid, with each level representing a different human need. These include physiological needs, security, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow created this model. He believed that people couldn’t focus on the needs higher up the pyramid until they got most of the needs from the lower levels. Maslow also believed that fulfillment in life results from the ability to meet the needs of all five levels.

Keep reading to learn more about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and its applications, as well as what happens when needs aren’t met and critiques of the theory.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory of what drives human behavior and what makes humans feel satisfied. It represents five key human needs that people must meet to achieve well-being. They are:

physiological needssecuritylove and belongingesteemself-actualization

Maslow mapped these needs on a pyramid diagram, with each need occupying a different level of the pyramid. The lowest and highest levels represent the basic and highest priority needs that are essential for survival.

The smaller and higher sections represent self-esteem and self-realization, which are essential for fulfillment or emotional well-being.

The pyramid diagram shows how Maslow believed that human needs are hierarchical, meaning some take precedence over others. According to his theory, people cannot satisfy the needs at the top of the pyramid until they take care of those at the bottom. Maslow argued that only after meeting all five needs can humans truly thrive.

Maslow published the Hierarchy of Needs in 1943. Researchers regard it today as one of the most impactful insights in the science of personality and the psychology of motivation.

Starting from the bottom of the pyramid, the five needs are:

Psychological needs

These include the physical needs humans must meet to survive, such as:

Security needs

These include things that make humans feel safe. Order, predictability and a sense of control can help.

Safety can come from the actions of an individual or their family or community. Depending on the person, this may include:

live or work in a safe environment have a stable and sufficient source of income feel protected from crime or abuse be in good physical health without serious illness

Many people in the United States live in physically or emotionally dangerous environments. Feeling unsafe in childhood can affect mental health in adulthood.

Needs for love and belonging

Love and belonging needs include feeling connected to others, belonging to a group, and having secure relationships. People meet these needs by:

making friendsgiving and receiving affectionemotional intimacyfeeling accepted by loved onesesteem needs

Esteem is admiration and respect. Maslow divided this part of the pyramid into two subcategories: the esteem a person has for themselves, or self-worth, and the respect they desire from others.

Self-esteem involves a healthy and positive outlook on oneself. Things a person needs to have good self-esteem include:

self-esteem, which is when a person feels they are worthy;

Esteem from others can involve earning:

respect from peersrecognition of achievementsstatus or prestigefame or reputation

However, Maslow noted that the healthiest form of esteem that comes from others must be earned. Fame and short-lived recognition cannot meet a person’s long-term esteem needs.

Self-realization

The highest need on Maslows’ pyramid is self-actualization, which involves a person knowing themselves, understanding their full potential, and reaching for it.

This is different from the esteem needs in the previous section. According to Maslow, thriving people find their motivation in growth and opportunity rather than trying to get something they lack. They see things that they or their community could achieve, and they pursue them whether or not it translates into an external reward.

Other characteristics that Maslow believes self-actualized people possess include:

realistic perception of reality acceptance of imperfections flexibility and spontaneity in pursuing goals autonomy and responsibility consistent and strong morality appreciation of life creativity

Being self-actualized does not mean that a person has no problems and is always happy. Maslow described self-realization as an ongoing process rather than the end point of a journey.

People have applied Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to many fields of study, industries, and societal issues. Below are some examples:

Education

Education experts sometimes use the hierarchy of needs to help children reach their learning potential.

For example, in 2020, the Institutes of Educational Sciences applied the theory to children receiving homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children in this situation face unique challenges and may feel unsafe due to the changes happening around them. The authors explain how caregivers can meet their physical, safety, social, esteem and personal growth needs, even in difficult circumstances.

Health care

In an older study from 2014, researchers say applying Maslow’s theory to caring for people in an intensive care unit (ICU) may have benefits.

People in intensive care tend to be oversedated and immobilized. The authors argue that while these measures are necessary for a minority of patients, they are not essential for the majority. In fact, they can have a negative effect on mental health and cognitive function.

To avoid this, the authors propose modifying care in the intensive care unit so that it takes into account the overall quality of life and not just physical recovery. They advocate using less sedation and promoting mobility whenever possible.

Unmet needs in each category can have specific effects, such as:

Maslow’s theory suggests that people’s needs at one level must be largely, but not completely, met before they can progress to the next level. He believed that unmet needs occupy the mind, preventing the pursuit of higher needs in the pyramid.

So, according to the theory, if a person is striving to meet their basic physiological and security needs, they will not be able to pursue higher needs for love, esteem, and self-actualization.

Here are some critiques of Maslow’s theory:

The order of needs within the hierarchy is arbitrary

A 2015 study notes that a critique of Maslow’s theory involves the order of needs within the hierarchy. Some critics say that while it makes sense to put physiological needs first and self-actualization last, people don’t necessarily pursue or obtain the needs in that order.

For example, some argue that a healthy relationship with oneself is an important condition for having healthy relationships with others. Maslow himself encountered people who valued self-esteem more than love.

However, Maslow did not consider the exact order of needs to be rigid.

Self-actualization is not linear

In his early works, Maslow argued that a person could only achieve self-realization once he had met his basic needs. However, an older article from 2015 notes that sometimes not being able to meet basic needs helps people identify their goals for self-fulfillment.

For example, a person may have a stable career for many years, meeting their security needs. However, if they lose their job, they may realize that their old career was unsatisfying. Needing another source of income might inspire them to pursue the job they really want.

Maslow also recognized that unmet needs could be a motivation for self-realization in his later work.

The teaching of self-realization is not generalizable

Another criticism of the concept of self-actualization is that Maslow based his ideas largely on the biographies of notable historical figures, most of whom were educated white men. As such, the traits he observed in these successful individuals may not apply to everyone.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory of what motivates and fulfills humans. The theory includes five needs, each of which forms a section on a pyramid. At the base of the pyramid are physiological and safety needs. In the middle are social needs, like love and belonging. At the top are self-esteem and self-realization.

People have applied the hierarchy in various ways, including in education, child development, and health care. Psychologists can also use it to understand things that can contribute to mental health issues.

However, there are misconceptions and criticisms of Maslow’s theory. It is important to remember that the progression from one level of the pyramid to the next is not necessarily linear.

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