Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

What is It?

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological concept describing human motivation in terms of our need to get more basic (or low-level) needs met before we try to meet more high-level needs.

Before describing this, it should be noted that this is an idea and not the result of scientific studies. This doesn’t mean that it is or is not accurate or useful (as we’ll discuss further down).

The needs as described by Maslow are (in order of priority):

• Physiological Needs (such as food, water, sleep)
• Safety Needs
• Love Needs (or friendship, companionship)
• Esteem Needs
• Self-Actualization

The general idea here is that if a person is starving then they will care about solving their hunger problem without any consideration for their self-esteem (for example). Also, once one’s physiological needs are met, they are wont to address their safety needs right away (if those are unmet). One won’t notice being lonely if one is starving or in dire danger, but once those are dealt with then loneliness can set in.

Artwork for Maslow’s Hierarchy (as it is often called) generally depict some sort of triangle that seems to imply that one need must be fully met before another one would be addressed, but the triangle is a later addition and Maslow’s original paper specifically calls out that the lines between those needs have some overlap.

“We have spoken so far as if this hierarchy were a fixed order but actually it is not nearly as rigid as we may have implied.” Abraham Maslow

Maslow understood that mild hunger is not the same as utter starvation in its impact on ones attention to other areas of the hierarchy.

It is also important to note that, according to Maslow, a person is motivated based on their perception of the urgency of a need rather than any objective measurement of it. So, if someone has a psychological limitation that causes them to believe that they are unloved, then this will be a prime motivator, regardless of how much objective evidence there is that they are loved.

Once all of the other needs are met, then one will pursue self-actualization. Maslow, describes that pithily:

“What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization.” Abraham Maslow

What is the Evidence?

My friend, Don Hockenbury says (along with his co-authors) in "Discovering Psychology": "Maslow’s concept of self-actualization is very vague and almost impossible to define in a way that would allow it to be tested scientifically."

This is an interesting statement as Maslow’s Hierarchy comes from the realm of Psychology, but this suggests it is more of a philosophical notion than a true psychological principle.

The book continues later: "But in general,Maslow’s notion that we must satisfy needs at one level before moving to the next level has not stood up (Sheldon & others, 2001)."

The short answer here is that the psychological evidence does not tend to support Maslow’s Hierarchy. At the same time, Maslow would likely counter that he argued for a gradual progression of satisfaction instead of complete satisfaction of needs. At this point, however, we must return to the earlier statement about the vague nature of the principle which takes it away from something that lends itself to being testable.

Where is it Useful?

Although Maslow hedges his bets quite a bit in his article by describing that needs can overlap, individual differences can drive occasional reorderings of needs, and that cultural differences can have an impact, still there is potential value in Maslow’s Hierarchy.

If scientific evidence were to be found to support it, then it could be useful in guiding public policy decisions.

For example, if a non-profit is going to teach a class on self-esteem (or, worse, self-actualization) in an area where the residents are often starving, then we could safely guess that such an effort is likely to be a waste.

Given the lack of evidence for Maslow’s Hierarchy in rigorous study, however, we should be cautious in how much we allow the principle to direct our efforts in this way.

Even so, this could still be useful to consider in some contexts.. Keeping in mind the potential pre-potency of needs can be helpful to direct efforts to help those in the area where they need help. A child who is urgently hungry or thirsty or doesn’t feel safe can hardly be expected to concentrate on their homework.

Final Thoughts

As this is a concept often discussed both in conversation and in the media, it is useful to know what is being referenced when it is mentioned. It is also useful to understand that Maslow’s original conception is somewhat more nuanced and flexible than it is originally portrayed.

At the same time, we should be cautious not lean to heavily on an idea whose merits have not been supported by rigorous experimentation.