Albert Maslow's Educational Theory

Erin Hatfield
Overview

Education is a profession that is continually evolving. New ideas on how children learn
and concepts are grasped are always being developed. One of these recent modifications to the
educational world was the introduction of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. In the 1940s, Albert
Maslow took a look at the educational system of his time and saw it was missing something. He
felt that those before him had missed one of the basic human motivators. He wrote a paper, A
Theory of Human Motivation, in 1943 that outlined his belief that every action can be directly
linked to a goal (Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, n.d.). His theory is considered motivational in
nature and seeks to understand the intrinsic nature of learning. Though he sought to explain why
people learn, Maslow did not limit his ideas to the educational world. His theory can be applied
to many situations (Abraham Maslow, n.d.).
Throughout life, people may find themselves at different levels of the hierarchy. Each
new stage of development may have a person questioning their self-esteem. A move to a new
location will create new friendships and opportunity to recreate respect. The pyramid is not a
forward-only movement, but very fluid and varies for each person. Educators have the ability to
assist students as they move from one level to another by posing situations that make students
reflect and think critically (Glisczinski, 2007).
Contributors
At the time Maslow was forming his theory, other great thinkers were publishing their
thoughts on education and human nature as well. Maslow felt that Freud's theories on human
behavior were too negative. This was probably the biggest influence on Maslow's Hierarchy of
Needs. While Freud saw humans acting out of buried subconscious idea of self (Abraham

Albert Maslow's Educational Theory

Erin Hatfield

Maslows, 2011), Maslow saw humans as essentially good and sought to see things through the
goodness of human nature (Abraham Maslow, n.d.).
Major Principles
In Maslow's pyramid of needs, the basic physical needs form the foundation. These basic
needs must be met in order for deeper cognition to occur. These needs include food, water,
shelter, sleep, and other basic needs of life. Someone who is homeless cannot value education,
even if it is free. This can be seen over and over again in educational settings. Children that are
hungry or tired have a much harder time seeing the value of learning. The government instituted
the Free and Reduced lunch program to help meet some these physiological needs.
Once the physical needs are met a person can begin to focus on what Maslow described
as their Safety Needs (Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, n.d.). These needs include employment,
health, and the environment in which a person lives. This is where humans seek out others to
create a safe society to thrive in (Abraham Maslows 2011). These first two levels of the
Hierarchy of Needs create a solid foundation for people to learn and experiment with their own
idea of self. In Maslow's theory, the goal is the development of human potential, dignity and
worth (Abraham Maslow, n.d.). Without these basics, no person can achieve selfactualization.
The next three levels move a person toward this goal of self-actualization, beginning with
Belongingness (Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, n.d.). This is where the ideas of love,
friendship, and family come into play. Maslow believed that in order to truly know ones self, one
had to have a feeling of belonging somewhere. While the foundational levels look similar for
most people, belonging can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some people only need a few

Albert Maslow's Educational Theory

Erin Hatfield

close friends or family, while other thrive in a large family and many friendships.
Esteem is the next level on the pyramid. For Maslow, this is where a person develops
self-esteem, confidence and respect. It is interesting that Esteem comes after Belongingness.
Who a person associates with ultimately dictates what their life looks like. Here is where the idea
that friends create similar habits in one another. However, this is also the level that changes the
most throughout a persons life.
The last level and goal of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is Self-Actualization. Here, a
person truly knows themselves and is completely confident in who they are. They know what
they believe in and are not swayed by the opinions of others (Abraham Maslows 2011). It is
characterized by thinking outside oneself and serving others (Grant & Piechowski, 1999). While
this is the ultimate goal, Maslow understood that this is also difficult to accomplish. He theorized
that many people would stay at this level for years and may never master it completely
(Abraham Maslows 2011).
Applications
Maslow's theory on education and self guides educators in some very fundamental ways.
First, an educator must understand that even small children fall onto this Hierarchy. If their
physiological and safety needs are not being met, they will have a much harder time being
successful in their education. Teachers should take note of these children and fill any holes in
their needs. In this way, school can be a place where students have their physical needs met and
feel safe, so that they can be successful.
While some people may stall at the safety or esteem levels, others may attain the selfactualization level early on, even if only briefly. Gifted children, for instance, may have

Albert Maslow's Educational Theory

Erin Hatfield

confidence in their knowledge and the respect of their peers. However, they may still be very
ego-centered. They need to be challenged by their teachers to move onward toward selfactualization (Grant & Piechowski, 1999). Educators need to show children what it means to
think of others first and problem solve as a group. Many gifted students, while further up on the
hierarchy, need to be taught this skill.
However, this theory does not simply limit itself to the educational experiences of small
children. Even in a higher educational setting, students are seeking to have their needs met. The
challenge for higher education teachers is to make the topics applicable to life. Students in these
situations long for experiences that will transform their thinking (Glisczinski, 2007). They need
to be challenged to think beyond themselves and problem solve for others. These reflective
sessions, and dilemmas posed by teachers have the ability to move students toward the selfactualization goal.

Albert Maslow's Educational Theory

Erin Hatfield
References

Abraham Maslow and the Theory of Humanistic Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2014,
from http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/humanist/maslow.html
Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs in Personality Synopsis at ALLPSYCH Online. (2011,
November). Retrieved October 5, 2014, from
http://allpsych.com/personalitysynopsis/maslow.html
Glisczinski, D. J. (2007). Transformative Higher Education A Meaningful Degree of
Understanding. Journal of Transformative Education, 5(4), 317328.
doi:10.1177/1541344607312838
Grant, B. A., & Piechowski, M. M. (1999). Theories and the Good: Toward Child-Centered
Gifted Education. Gifted Child Quarterly, 43(1), 412.
doi:10.1177/001698629904300102
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs | Learning Theories. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.learningtheories.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs.html