Abraham Maslow

and his Hierarchy

of Needs
Biography

• Name: Abraham Harold

Maslow
• Birthdate: April 1, 1908
• Birthplace: Brooklyn,
New York
• Parents: Samuel and
Rose Maslow
• Maslow’s parents were Jewish emigrants from Russia.
• He experienced anti-Semitism from his teachers and
from other children around the neighborhood. He had
various encounters with anti-Semitic gangs who would
chase and throw rocks at him.
• Maslow had various problems within his own home.
• He and his father were constantly at odds.
• His father, Samuel, continually degraded him and pushed
him to excel in areas that were of no interest to him.
• Samuel even publicly announced that his son was
repulsively ugly.
• Maslow’s mother treated him even worse than his
father.
• Maslow deeply loathed his mother and wanted no
interaction with her whatsoever.
• Maslow perceived his mother as being entirely
insensitive and unloving.
• She exhibited no sign of affection or love for anyone
she encountered, even her own family.
• Fortunately, a loving uncle, his mother’s brother,
watched over him in adolescence and showed him what
normality and decency were.
 "I was a little Jewish boy in the non-Jewish
neighborhood. It was a little like being the first
Negro enrolled in an all-white school. I was isolated
and unhappy. I grew up in libraries and among books,
without friends.“
• Maslow described his early childhood as unhappy and
lonely, and he spent much of his time in the library
immersed in books.
• He went to Boys High School, one of the top high schools
in Brooklyn. There, he served as the officer to many
academic clubs, and became editor of the Latin Magazine.
He also edited Principia, the school's Physics paper, for a
year.
• He developed other strengths as well:
As a young boy, Maslow believed physical strength to
be the single most defining characteristic of a true
male; hence, he exercised often and took up weight
lifting in hopes of being transformed into a more
muscular, tough-looking guy, however, he was unable to
achieve this due to his humble-looking and chaste
figure as well as his studiousness.
 Timeline
1926 - At the age of 17, Maslow enrolled at the City College of
New York (CCNY). In an effort to appease his father, he
registered for evening classes at the Brooklyn Law
School.
1927 - He transferred to Cornell University in Ithaca, New
York, but at the end of the semester returned to CCNY
due to poor grades and high costs.
1928 - Transferred to the University of Wisconsin.
December 31, 1928 - Abraham Maslow married Bertha
Goodman, his long-time sweetheart and first cousin. The
couple had two daughters, Ann and Ellen.
1930 - Received his BA from the University of Wisconsin
1931 - Received his MA from the University of Wisconsin
1934 - Received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin.
Maslow’s dissertation involved dominance among a
colony of monkeys. After he received his PhD in 1934,
he continued to teach at the University of Wisconsin.
1935 - Moved to Columbia University to work with Edward
Lee Thorndike; began his research on human sexuality.
Between 1937 and 1942 Maslow published various articles
regarding female sexuality.
1937 - Moved to Old Brooklyn College and taught full time.
1947 - Maslow suffered a heart attack.
1949 - He returned to Brooklyn College where he taught
Abnormal Psychology and The Normal Personality.
1951 - Again, Maslow moved to Brandeis University in
Waltham, Massachusetts to serve as chairman of
Psychology department.
1962 - He founded the American Association of Humanistic
Psychology, also known as the “Third Force”.
July 8, 1966 - Maslow was elected president of the
American Psychological Association.
1967- He had an almost fatal heart attack.
1968 – Because of his failing health, he quit teaching.
June 8, 1970 - While slowly jogging, he suffered a fatal
heart attack. Abraham Harold Maslow died at the age
of 62 in Menlo Park, California.
 Publications and Awards
Received
1954 - Motivation and Personality is published.
1962 - Toward a Psychology of Being is published.
1964 - Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences is published
1965 - Eupsychian Management is published
1966 - The Psychology of Science: A Reconnaissance is
published.
1967 - American Humanist Association Humanist of the Year
1968 - Toward a Psychology of Being is published
• Maslow showed little interest in animal or laboratory
studies of human behaviour. He chose instead to collect
data for his theories by studying outstanding individuals.
His studies led him to believe that people have certain
needs which are unchanging and genetic in origin. These
needs are the same in all cultures and are both
physiological and psychological. Maslow described these
needs as being hierarchal in nature, meaning that some
needs are more basic or more powerful than others and as
these needs are satisfied, other higher needs emerge.
Hierarchy of Needs
• Hierarchy of Needs suggests that people are motivated
to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more
advanced needs.
• This hierarchy is most often displayed as a pyramid. The
lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most
basic needs, while the more complex needs are located at
the top of the pyramid.
 2 Types of Needs
o Deficiency Needs (D-needs)
 Contains the most fundamental and basic four layers
of the pyramid: physiological needs, security or safety
needs, love and belonging, and esteem.
 These needs arise due to deprivation.
 The satisfaction of these needs helps to “avoid”
unpleasant feelings or consequence.
o Growth Needs
 It is also known as being needs or B-needs.
 Growth needs do not come from a place of “lack”, but
rather from a desire to grow as a person.
 Contains the highest level in Maslow’s pyramid: self-
actualization.
 Physiological Needs
• These include the most
basic needs that are vital
to survival, such as the
need for water, air
(oxygen), food, and
sleep/rest.
• Maslow believed that
these needs are the most
basic and instinctive needs
in the hierarchy.
 Safety o Security Needs
• Includes a desire for steady
employment, health care,
safe neighborhoods, and
shelter from the
environment.
• These needs have to do with
man’s yearning for a
predictable, orderly world in
which injustice and
inconsistency are under
control. FAIRNESS
 Love and Belonging
• It involves emotionally-
based relationships in
general, such as
friendship, sexual
intimacy, acceptance and
having a supportive and
communicative family.
 Self-Esteem Needs
• It includes the need for things
that reflect on self-esteem,
personal worth, social
recognition, and
accomplishment.
• People need to engage
themselves to gain recognition
and have an activity or
activities that give the person
a sense of contribution, to feel
accepted and self-valued, be it
in a profession or hobby.
Revised Hierarchy of Needs
 Cognitive Needs
• Needs to increase
intelligence and thereby
chase knowledge.
• Cognitive needs is the
expression of the natural
human need to learn,
explore, discover and
create to get a better
understanding of the
world around them.
 Aesthetic Needs
• This is the desire to appreciate symmetry, beauty,
balance and order.
• This need is a higher level need to relate in a beautiful
way with the environment and leads to the beautiful
feeling of intimacy with nature and everything beautiful.
 Self-Actualization
• Self-actualization is the
instinctual need of humans
to make the most of their
abilities and to strive to
be the best they can.
• Need for growth,
development and
utilization of potential,
becoming all that one can
be, self-fulfilment.
 Transcendence
• The need for helping
others to self-actualize.
• This need when fulfilled,
leads to feelings of
integrity.
 Suggested Applications of Maslow’s
Theory to Education
 Physiological Needs  Safety Needs
 free breakfast or lunch  Controlled classroom
programs behaviour
 correct room  Fair discipline
temperatures
 bathroom breaks  Attitude of teacher:
 drink breaks accepting & non-
judgemental, pleasant,
nonthreatening
 Love and Belonging
 teacher personality: empathetic, considerate, patient,
fair, supportive
 provide positive comments & feedback rather than
negative
 get to know students (likes, dislikes, concerns)
 be available for students in need
 listen to students
 show that you value students thoughts, opinions &
judgments
 show trust to students by providing situation where it is
necessary (e.g. running errands, classroom leader)
 be available & approachable so that students having
difficulties feel comfortable coming for help
 Encourage social affiliation. Games, group work and
teamwork exercises are a way to apply this stage of the
hierarchy because interaction helps students feel more
involved.
 Self-Esteem
 Respect from others
• develop a classroom environment where students are positive &
non-judgmental
• star of the week
• recognition programs for special effort (e.g. helpful citizens of
the week)
• employ cooperative learning in such a way as to develop trust
between group members
• involve students in activities of importance & worthiness (e.g.
cleaning up the environment, carrying out a food drive for the
needy)
 Cognitive Needs
 provide lessons that are intellectually challenging
 use a discovery approach to learning whenever possible
 provide opportunities for philosophical thought &
discussion
 get students involved in intellectually challenging
programs (e.g. Battle of the Wise, Quiz Bee)
 Aesthetic Needs
 organize classroom materials in a neat & appealing way
 display student art work in an appealing manner
 put up interesting & colorful wall hangings
 create varied appealing & interesting learning centers
 rooms painted in pleasing colors
 well maintained physical surroundings (ex. keeping walls
painted, desks and chairs are cleaned & repaired etc.)
 fresh smelling and clean rooms
 Self-actualization
 expect students to do their best
 give students freedom to explore & discover on their own
 make learning meaningful--connect to "real" life
 plan lessons involving metacognitive activities
 get students involved in self-expressive and creative
projects
 References
-Abraham Maslow — History of Psychology Department at Carthage — Psychology —
-Carthage College.htm
-Abraham Maslow - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.htm
-Abraham Maslow Biography.htm
-Educational Psychology Interactive Maslow's hierarchy of needs.htm
-Hierarchy of Needs.htm
-How to Apply Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to Education _ eHow.htm
-Maslow’s eight basic needs and the eight stage devlopmental model _ The Mouse
Trap.htm
-Maslow's hierarchy of needs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.htm
-PSED516DiversityProject - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in an Inclusion Classroom-
By Kaitlin Lutz.htm
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