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In his esteemed paper from 1943, Maslow pointed out that people are motivated to achieve specific needs, and when one is fulfilled, they will move on to achieving the next one.
However, a person is never static in these terms. People move between being motivated to satisfy different needs.
The basic needs behave in the same way in terms of motivating people. They motivate when they are unmet.
One must satisfy lower-level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher-level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may reach the highest level called self-actualization.
Furthermore, the motivation to fulfill the basic needs will become stronger the longer that they are denied. An example of this would be someone desperate for food or affection.
Though he initially thought that one must, for example, satisfy their need for nourishment before making friends (higher up in the hierarchy), he later realized that a need doesn't have to be 100% satisfied before moving on to the next need.
As each person is unique, the motivation for self-actualization leads people in different directions.
The center tier in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs represents social needs, such as belongingness, affection and love, family, friends, and romantic relationships.
Self-actualization represents being motivated to realize personal potential by self-fulfillment, personal growth, and peak experiences.
For example, someone will not be looking to become self-actualized before meeting their need for shelter.
Self-actualization is not understood to be a perfect state that someone reaches, but rather a continual process.
Unfortunately, people's ability to progress in life to feeling high self-esteem is often disrupted by failure to meet lower-level needs.
The kinds of behavior that lead to self-actualization include being motivated by experiencing life as a child, with complete absorption and concentration.
Maslow also noted that people's ability to become fully self-actualized is hindered by the societies we live in. For example, in Western culture we reward people for having a fancy car and not how well they treat their kids.
The second-lowest tier in the hierarchy represents safety needs, including security, order, law, and stability.
Some of the behaviors of someone who is self-actualized include having an unusual sense of humor.
Another tendency for someone who is self-actualized is having strong moral/ethical standards.
Some other behaviors leading to self-actualization are being motivated by listening to your feelings, being individual in your views, and taking responsibility.
Another tendency of someone who is self-actualized is that they can appreciate the simple things in life. Other tendencies include people being creative, not needing to be popular, and looking at life objectively. It should be noted that not everyone that is self-actualized will have all of these traits, and this is more of a rough guide.
In self-actualization, a person comes to find a meaning to life that is important to them.
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who was most interested in what motivates people. He believed that we all have a set of motivational systems unrelated to the rewards of unconscious desires.
The second-highest tier in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is esteem, such as achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, and respect from others.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a valuable academic tool in understanding the motivations behind why people do what they do but is, as most psychological theories are, incomplete. As people’s lives are not static, it can be viewed as a mode of identifying needs by which people are motivated and not the be-all and end-all of reasons why people behave why they do.
Sources: (York University)(Simple Psychology)
For example, this may mean being a good mother for one person and being the fastest runner for someone else. It’s about self-fulfillment.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
The lowest tier of needs on the hierarchy is biological and physiological needs, which represent air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, and sleep.
People fluctuate between being motivated to satisfy needs in different tiers due to their life experiences (such as divorce, economic recessions, etc.).
The bottom four tiers can be labeled as basic needs, and the top level is often described as growth needs.
One way of understanding how people are motivated to work (and by abstraction, motivated to do things in general) can be through the consideration of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. First published by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper 'A Theory of Human Motivation,' it is still a bedrock in its field today.
If you’re interested in why people are motivated to work and how you may strive to become, as Maslow put it, “actualized,” click through this gallery to find out more.
Another behavior leading to self-actualization is being motivated by trying new things.
Why are we motivated?
Understanding motivation
LIFESTYLE Psychology
One way of understanding how people are motivated to work (and by abstraction, motivated to do things in general) can be through the consideration of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. First published by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper 'A Theory of Human Motivation,' it is still a bedrock in its field today.
If you’re interested in why people are motivated to work and how you may strive to become, as Maslow put it, “actualized,” click through this gallery to find out more.