Abraham Maslow – Holistic- Dynamic
Theory
Biography
 He was an American psychologist
and is known for his concept
"Maslow's hierarchy of needs", he is
considered the founder of
humanistic psychology. His family
life and his experiences influenced
his psychological and sociological
ideas.
 Maslow criticized both
psychoanalysis and behaviorism for
their limited view of humanity.
 Humanistic psychologists believe
that every person has a strong desire
to realize their full potential, to
reach a level of "self-actualization".
 To prove that humans are not simply
blindly reacting to situations, but
trying to accomplish something
greater. Maslow studied mentally
healthy individuals instead of people
with serious psychological issues.
 Maslow’s original theory was “A
Theory of Human Motivation” in
1943, it is a theory that everything
humans do stems from physical
needs.
 Maslow’s later argument was that
humans are not motivated simply by
hunger and thirst but by higher goals
Motivation Metamotivation
refers to the refers to growth
reduction of tension tendencies. It entails B-
by satisfying deficit needs or being needs,
states or lacks. It which arise out of the
entails D-needs or organism’s drive to self-
deficiency needs, actualize and fulfill its
which arise out of inherent potential. B-needs
the organism’s do not stem from a lack or
requirements for deficiency; rather, they
physiological push forward to self-
survival or safety, fulfillment. Their goal is to
such as the need for enhance life by enriching
food or rest. it. Rather than reduce
tension, they frequently
heighten it in their quest
for ever-increasing stimuli
that will bring a life lived
to the fullest.
Human Motivation
Hierarchy of needs
1. Physiological needs - these are
biological requirements for human
survival (ex. air, food, drink, shelter,
clothing, warmth, sex, sleep.)
1.
2. Safety needs - once an individual’s
physiological needs are satisfied, the
needs for security and safety become
salient. People want to experience
order, predictability and control in
their lives. These needs can be
fulfilled by the family and society
(ex. police, schools, business and
medical care).
3. Love and belongingness needs -
after physiological and safety needs
 have been fulfilled, the third level of Transcendence needs - A person is
human needs is social and involves motivated by values which transcend
feelings of belongingness. beyond the personal self (e.g., mystical
Belongingness, refers to a human experiences and certain experiences with
emotional need for interpersonal nature, aesthetic experiences, sexual
relationships, affiliating, experiences, service to others, the pursuit of
connectedness, and being part of a science, religious faith, etc.).
group. (Example of belongingness
needs include friendship, intimacy,
trust, and acceptance, receiving and
giving affection, and love.)
4. Esteem needs - are the fourth level
in Maslow’s hierarchy and include
self-worth, accomplishment and
respect. Maslow classified esteem
needs into two categories: (1) esteem
for oneself (dignity, achievement,
mastery, independence) and (2) the
desire for reputation or respect from
others (e.g., status, prestige).
5. Self-actualization needs - are the
highest level in Maslow's hierarchy,
and refer to the realization of a
person's potential, self-fulfillment,
seeking personal growth and peak
experiences. Maslow (1943) Behavior
describes this level as the desire to
accomplish everything that one can, - Maslow believed that even though
to become the most that one can be. all behaviors have a cause, some
behaviors are not motivated.
Maslow identified three other categories of - In other words, not all determinants
needs are motives. Some behavior is not
caused by needs but by other factors
1. Cognitive needs - knowledge and
such as conditioned reflexes,
understanding, curiosity, exploration,
maturation, or drugs.
need for meaning and predictability.
2. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and Expressive behavior (unmotivated)
search for beauty, balance, form, etc.
3. Neurotic needs – nonproductive, - is often an end in itself and serves no
perpetuate an unhealthy style of life other purpose than to be. It is
and have no value in the striving for frequently unconscious and usually
self-actualization. takes place naturally and with little
effort.
 - It has no goals or aim but is merely
the person’s mode of expression.
- Expressive behavior includes such
actions as slouching, looking stupid,
being relaxed, showing anger, and
expressing joy.
- Expressive behavior is usually
unlearned, spontaneous, and
determined by forces within the
person rather than by the
environment.
Coping behavior (always motivated and
aimed at satisfying a need).
- is ordinarily conscious, effortful,
learned, and determined by the
external environment.
- It involves the individual’s attempts
to cope with the environment; to
secure food and shelter; to make
friends; and to receive acceptance,
appreciation, and prestige from
others.
Characteristics of self-actualizers:
1. They perceive reality efficiently
and can tolerate uncertainty
- Can detect phonies in others, can see
both positive and negative
- Can discriminate between the
genuine and the fake not only in
people but also in literature
- Self-actualizing people are less
afraid and more comfortable with the
unknown
- Have greater tolerance of ambiguity,
but they actively seek it a feel
comfortable with problems and
puzzles that have no definite right or
wrong solution
- They welcome doubt, uncertainty,
indefiniteness, and unchartered paths
2. Accept themselves and others for
what they are
- They can accept themselves the way
they are
- They lack defensiveness, phoniness,
and self-defeating guilt
- Accept others and have no
compulsive need to instruct, inform,
or convert
- They can tolerate weaknesses in
others and are not threatened by
others’ strengths
- They do not expect perfection in
themselves or in others
- They realize that people suffer, grow
old, and die
3. Spontaneous in thought and action
- They are conventional but not
compulsively so; they are highly
ethical but may appear unethical or
non-conforming
- The similarity between self-
actualizing people and children and
animals is in their spontaneous and
natural behavior
- They are unpretentious and not
afraid or ashamed to express joy,
awe, elation, sorrow, anger, or other
deeply felt emotions
4. Problem-centered (not self-
centered)
- Their interest in problems outside
themselves
- Non-self-actualizing people are self-
centered and tend to see all the
world’s problems in relation to
themselves, whereas self-actualizing
people are task-oriented and
concerned with problems outside
themselves
- This allows self- actualizing to
develop a mission in life, a purpose
 for living those spreads beyond self-
aggrandizement
- Concerned with eternal problems
and adopt a solid philosophical and
ethical basis for handling these
problems
- Their realistic perception enables
them to clearly distinguish between
the important and unimportant issues
in life
5. Need for privacy
- They have a quality of detachment
that allows them to be alone without
being lonely
- They can find enjoyment in solitude
and privacy
- They have a global concern for the
welfare of others without becoming
entangled in minute and insignificant
problems
- Self-movers, resisting society’s
attempts to make them adhere to
convention
6. Autonomy
- Autonomous and depend on
themselves for growth even though
at some time in their past they had to
have received love and security from
others
- No one is born autonomous, so no
one is completely independent of
people
- Can only be achieved through
satisfactory relations with others
- Confidence that one is loved, can be
a powerful force in contributing to
feelings of self-worth
- Autonomy that allows them to be
unperturbed by criticism as well as
unmoved by flattery
7. Continued Freshness of
Appreciation
- They are keenly aware of their good
physical health, friends and loved
ones, economic security, and
political freedom
- Unlike other people who take their
blessings for granted, self-actualizing
individuals see with a fresh vision
such everyday phenomena as
flowers, food, and friends
- They have an appreciation of their
possessions and do not waste time
complaining about boring,
uninteresting existence
8. Peak experiences
- a moment of awe, ecstasy, or sudden
insight into life as a powerful unity
transcending space, time, and the
self. (ex. being love)
9. Concerned for the welfare of
humanity (Gemeinschaftsgefuhl)
- Community feeling, or a sense of
oneness with all humanity
- Identify with all other people and
have a genuine interest in helping
others and strangers as well as
friends
- They may become angry, impatient,
or disgusted with others; but they
retain a feeling of affection for
human beings in general
10. Establish deep satisfying
interpersonal relationships with a
few people
- Related to Gemeinschaftsgefuhl, is a
special quality of interpersonal
relations that involves deep and
profound feelings for individuals
- They have a nurturant feeling toward
people in general, but their close
friendships are limited to only a few
- Choose healthy people as their
friends and avoid intimate
 interpersonal relationships with
dependent or infantile people
11. Democratic Character Structure
- They could be friendly and
considerate with other people
regardless of class, color, age, or
gender, they are quite unaware of
superficial differences among people
- They have a desire and an ability to
learn from anyone - They fight
against evil people and evil behavior
12. Discrimination between means and
ends
- Clear sense of right and wrong
conduct and have little conflict about
their basic values
- They set their sights on ends rather
than means
- What other people consider to be a
means; self-actualizing people often
see as an end in itself
- They enjoy doing something for their
own sake and not just because it is a
means to some other end
13. Philosophical sense of humor
- They amuse, inform, point out
ambiguities, provoke a smile rather
than a guffaw
- Spontaneous rather than planned
- One must “be there” to appreciate an
experience
14. Creativeness
- Creativity and self-actualization may
be one and the same
- All are creative in their own way
- They have a keen perception of
truth, beauty, and reality ingredients
that form the foundation of true
creativity
15. Resistant to enculturation, but not
purposely unconventional
- Have a sense of detachment from
their surroundings and are able to
transcend a particular culture
- They are neither antisocial nor
consciously non-conforming
- Rather, they are autonomous,
following their own standards of
conduct and not blindly obeying the
rules of others
- They don’t waste energy fighting
against insignificant customs and
regulations of society
- They accept conventional style and
dress; they are not too different in
appearance from anyone else
The term self-actualization means to become
everything that one can become, to actualize
or fulfil all of one’s potentials. When people
can accomplish this goal, they become more
unique, more heterogeneous, and less
shaped by a given culture
Note: Maslow defined self-actualizing persons
as those who are “fulfilling themselves and
doing the best that they are capable of doing”
Love, Sex, and Self-Actualization
- Before people can become self-
actualizing, they must satisfy their
love and belongingness needs
- It follows then that self-actualizing
people are capable of both giving
and receiving love and are no longer
motivated by the kind of deficiency
love (D-Love) common to other
people
- Self-actualizing people are capable
of B-love, love for the essence or
“being” of the other.
- B-Love is mutually felt and shared
and not motivated by a deficiency or
incompleteness within the lover
 - Self-Actualizing people do not love
because they expect something in
return
- They simply love and are loved
- It is the kind of love that allows
lovers to be relaxed, open, and no
secretive
Jonah Complex
- is the fear of being or doing one’s
best.
- stops personal growth, self-
actualization, and individuation
through self-sabotage
Note: The Jonah Complex, the fear of success, is
not the same as fear of failure.

Psychotherapy
- the aim of therapy would be for
clients to embrace the B-values, that
is, to value truth, justice, goodness,
simplicity, and so forth.
- To accomplish this aim, clients must
be free from their dependency on
others so that their natural impulse
toward growth and self-actualization
could become active.
- They should be directed at the need
level currently being thwarted, in
most cases love and belongingness
needs.