MASLOW AND MC CELLAND’S THEORY OF MOTIVATION.

Motivation is often defined as the reason why an individual might act in a

certain way or the reason why an individual might be portraying any sort
of behavioral patterns. There are many other experts who define
motivation as the willingness of an individual to achieve any particular
goal or aim. Psychologists have always been interested in the topic of
motivation. There have been studies conducted on this topic. And many
other psychologists have also given a range of theories on the topic of
motivation. Out of all those theories on motivation, two of the most
popular theories on motivation are the motivation theory by Maslow and
the motivation theory by McClelland.

Hierarchy of Needs by Maslow

Motivation is defined as the willingness or the reason behind any action

or behavioral pattern which might be displayed by an individual. Maslow
was also intrigued by this concept and he came up with his theory of the
hierarchies of need. However, before proceeding to discuss the theory in
detail, it is important for readers to learn about the life of Abraham
Maslow. The complete name of Abraham Maslow was Abraham Harold
Maslow and he was an incredibly famous American psychologist.
Abraham Harold Maslow was born on 1 April 1908 and he died on 8 June
1970. He is best known for his theory on motivation and he also worked
as a psychology professor at Alliant International University, New School
for School Research, Columbia University, Brooklyn College, and
Brandeis University. As a psychologist, he believed that one should
always focus on the positive qualities of people instead of viewing
individuals as ‘bags of symptoms’. In 2002, Abraham Harold Maslow was
also ranked as the 10th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.

Hierarchy of Need is a motivation theory which consists of five different

levels. These levels represent the model of human needs and are
popularly depicted in the shape of a pyramid. Maslow clearly stated in his
theory that the needs which are mentioned at the lower level of the
pyramid need to be satisfied first before the needs of the upper levels
can be satisfied. The five needs which were given by Abraham Harold
Maslow from bottom of the pyramid to the top are:

1. Physiological Needs

This level refers to the most basic needs which an individual can have.
These are also commonly known as the biological needs of an individual.
For example, drink, food, shelter, air, clothing, sex, sleep, and warmth. It
is important for readers to remember that if these needs are not met
then an individual cannot survive and all the other needs of the hierarchy
take a secondary position.

2. Safety Needs

If the physiological needs of an individual are met then the individual is

motivated to work hard to achieve his or her safety needs. These needs
refer to the requirement of an individual to seek protection from
elements, order, law, security, stability, and freedom from fear.

3. Belongingness and Love Needs

This is the third level of needs and this level of needs basically refers to
the requirement of an individual to be loved or have interpersonal
relationships with the other members of the society. Some common
examples of those types of needs are trust, friendship, acceptance, giving
affection, giving love, being part of a group, and many other things.

4. Esteem Needs

According to Abraham Harold Maslow, esteem needs can further be

divided into two types. And those two types of esteem needs are esteem
for oneself and the desire for respect or reputation from others. This
particular need is especially important for children and adolescents. In
the case of children and adolescents, these needs can even precede
actually dignity and self-esteem.

5. Self-Actualization

This is the last level of need. And this level basically refers to a condition
in which an individual ends up receiving the highest personal potential
and a sense of self-fulfillment. At this level, an individual seeks to get
peek experiences and personal growth.

These are all five levels of motivation in Abraham Harold Maslow’s

hierarchy of needs.

The McClelland Motivation Theory

In this section, readers will be able to learn about the McClelland

Motivation Theory. However, before proceeding to that discussion, it is
important for readers to learn about the author of this theory. David
Clarence McClelland was an American psychologist. He was born on 20
May 1917 and he died on 27 March 1998. He is most popularly known
for his theory of motivation and has also developed a number of works
between the 1950s and 1990s. He is also known for the new scoring
system which he developed for the Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT). In
2002, David Clarence McClelland was also attributed as the 15th most
cited American psychologist of the 20th century.

David Clarence McClelland was intrigued by the topic of motivation and

how an individual satisfied his or her needs. According to him, everybody
has motivating drivers. These motivating drivers are present in all
individuals regardless of age, culture, race, or sex. He further identified
four different types of motivational needs. Those four different types of
motivational needs are:
 1. Need for Achievement

This need basically refers to the fact that all individuals want to achieve
something in their life. Those long-term goals can be different for
everybody. There are also certain characteristics which are consistent
with individuals who are in pursuit of achieving something. And some of
those characteristics are complexity, responsibility, high performance,
and creativity.

2. Need for Power

This need basically refers to the fact that all individuals wish to acquire
status, power, reputation, and recognition. These needs are perceived to
be vital for all individuals as it allows one to influence other individuals.
There are also two types of powers which an individual might wish to
have. And those two types of power are personal power and institutional
power.

3. Need for Affiliation

Human beings are social creatures and all individuals desire to belong to
a group. This need can both be high and low. When this need for
affiliation is high then an individual is more likable and makes efforts to
follow the desires and behavior of the entire group.

4. Need for Avoidance

This is the last need which was added later by David Clarence
McClelland. According to him, this particular need ends up surfacing
when an individual wish to avoid a situation and not attract any attention
towards him or herself.

These are the four different types of motivational needs, according to

David Clarence McClelland.