Abraham Maslow

1
Abraham Maslow

• Email Address
• http//www.utoledo.edu/homepages/ddavis/maslow.htm
  
• http//www.hee.hawaii.edu/hccinfo/facdev/Maslow.ht
  ml
• http//www.educ.washington.edu/building/article_ma
  slow.html
• http//www.wynja.com/personality/meeds.html
• http//www.valdosta.peachnet.edu/whuitt/psy702/re
  gsys/maslow.html

2
Who is Maslow?

• Member of the Chicago dynasty of psychologists
  and sociologists
• Published theory of human motivation in 1943
• Known as a humanistic psychologist
• Humanists focus upon potentials

3
Maslow, a humanistic psychologist

• 1. Humanist do not believe that human being are
  pushed and pulled by mechanical forces, either of
  stimuli and reinforcements (behaviorism) or of
  unconscious instinctual impulses
  (psychoanalysis).
• 2. Humanist focus upon potentials.
• 3. They believe that humans strive for an upper
  level of capabilities.
• 4. Humans seek the frontiers of creativity, the
  highest reaches of consciousness and wisdom.

4

• Physiological needs-also known as biological
  needs. Consists of oxygen, food, water, constant
  body temperature.
• Physiological are the strongest needs

5

• Safety Needs-Security and Protection from
  physical and emotional harm
• Adults have little awareness for safety needs
  except in times of emergency

6

• Belongingness Love needs- people seek to
  overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation.
• Involves giving and receiving love affection and
  a sense of belonging

7

• Needs for esteem-involves both self-esteem and
  esteem a person gets from others
• Humans need self-respect and respect of others
• When these needs are satisfied person feels
  self-confident and valuable
• When not met people feel inferior, weak,
  helpless, and worthless

8

• Needs to Achieve Self-Actualization
• Cognitive to know, to understand, to explore
• Aesthetic-to find symmetry, order and beauty

9

• Self actualization characteristics
• Problem focused
• Incorporate an ongoing freshness of appreciation
  of life
• Concerned about personal growth
• Ability to have peak experiences

10

• Transcendence to help others find
  self-fulfillment and realize their potential

11

• Maslow recognized that not all personality types
  followed this hierarchy
• Suggested that flow through the heirarchy can
  occur at any level at any time and many times
  simultaneously.

12
Maslow states in his book, Motivation and
Personality, 1954, concerning Self Actualization

• A musician must make music, an artist must
  paint, a poet must write, if he is to be
  ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can
  be, he must be.

13
Maslow on Self Actualizationcontinued

• Maslow points out that the hierarchy is dynamic
  the dominant need is always shifting
• Example
• The musician may be lost in the self
  actualization of playing music, but eventually
  becomes tired and hungry so he or she has to
  stop.

14
Maslow on Self Actualizationcontinued

• Moreover, a single behavior may combine several
  levels.
• Example
• Eating dinner is both physiological and social.
• The hierarchy does not exist by itself, but is
  affected by the situation and the general culture

15
Maslow on Self Actualizationcontinued

• Finally, he notes that a satisfied need no longer
  motivates.
• Example
• A hungry man may be desperate for food, but once
  he eats a good meal, the promise of food no
  longer motivates him.

16
Educational Implications

• Teach people to be authentic
• Teach people to become world citizens
• Help people to discover their vocation in life
• Teach people that life is precious, there is joy
  in life
• We must accept the person and help them find
  their inner self
• We must see that basic needs are satisfied
• We should refreshen consciousness

17
Educational Implications

• Teach people that controls are good, complete
  abandon is bad
• Teach people to transcend the trifling problems
  and tackle the serious problems of life
• Teach people to make good choices