Abraham Maslow
Abraham Harold Maslow (April 1, 1908 - June 8, 1970) was an American psychologist who founded humanistic psychology, often referred to as the "third force" in psychology. He proposed the hierarchy of needs theory, which posits that psychological health is achieved by fulfilling innate human needs, ultimately leading to self-actualization. Maslow held positions as a psychology professor at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research, and Columbia University. He emphasized the importance of focusing on individuals' positive qualities rather than viewing them merely as a collection of symptoms. In a 2002 survey published in the Review of General Psychology, Maslow was ranked as the tenth most cited psychologist of the 20th century.
Maslow's contributions
Founder of humanistic psychology
Before Maslow, most psychologists focused on abnormalities and illnesses, but he was interested in understanding what constituted positive mental health. Humanistic psychology spawned various therapeutic approaches, all grounded in the belief that individuals inherently possess the inner resources for growth and healing. The goal of therapy, according to this perspective, is to assist individuals in overcoming obstacles that hinder their personal development.
Peak experiences
Beyond the fulfillment of basic needs, Maslow conceived of moments of exceptional experience called "peak experiences". These are profound moments of love, understanding, happiness, or ecstasy during which individuals feel more complete, alive, self-sufficient yet connected to the world, and more attuned to truth, justice, harmony, and goodness. Self-actualizing individuals are more prone to having these peak experiences. In essence, these peak experiences or states of flow reflect the realization of one's human potential and signify the pinnacle of personality development.
B-values
In his examination of peak experiences, Maslow identified a mode of thinking he termed "being-cognition" (or "B-cognition"), which is holistic and accepting, contrasting with the evaluative "deficiency-cognition" (or "D-cognition"). He also outlined values he referred to as "Being-values".
These values include:
Truth: honesty, reality, simplicity, richness, oughtness, beauty, purity, cleanliness, completeness, essentiality.
Goodness: rightness, desirability, oughtness, justice, benevolence, honesty.
Beauty: rightness, form, aliveness, simplicity, richness, wholeness, perfection, completion, uniqueness, honesty.
Wholeness: unity, integration, tendency towards oneness, interconnectedness, simplicity, organization, structure, transcending dichotomies, order.
Aliveness: process, spontaneity, self-regulation, full functioning.
Uniqueness: idiosyncrasy, individuality, incomparability, novelty.
Perfection: necessity, just-right-ness, inevitability, suitability, justice, completeness, "oughtness".
Completion: ending, finality, fulfillment, destiny, fate.
Justice: fairness, orderliness, lawfulness, "oughtness".
Simplicity: honesty, essentiality, abstract, essential skeletal structure.
Richness: differentiation, complexity, intricacy.
Effortlessness: ease, lack of strain or difficulty, grace, perfect, beautiful functioning.
Playfulness: fun, joy, amusement, gaiety, humor, exuberance, effortlessness.
Self-sufficiency: autonomy, independence, self-determination, transcending environment, separateness, living by its own laws.
Hierarchy of needs
Maslow described human needs as arranged in a hierarchical order—a more pressing need must generally be satisfied before attention shifts to the next higher need. However, since the initial publication of his theory in 1943, Maslow also recognized that human needs can be fluid, with many needs coexisting within an individual at the same time. The hierarchy of human needs model suggests that needs are fulfilled sequentially, one level at a time.
According to Maslow's theory, as individuals progress through the hierarchy and fulfill these needs, they may eventually reach self-actualization. However, later in his life, Maslow concluded that self-actualization is not an automatic consequence of fulfilling other needs.
Maslow's hierarchy of human needs includes:
- Physiological needs: These are the basic needs for human survival, such as food, water, sleep, sex, homeostasis, and excretion.
- Safety needs: Including security, order, and stability, these needs are crucial for physical survival.
- Love and belonging: Once physiological and safety needs are met, individuals seek to connect with others emotionally and socially.
- Esteem: This level involves the need for self-esteem, achievement, respect, and recognition from others.
- Cognitive needs: This level pertains to intellectual stimulation and the desire to learn, explore, and understand.
- Aesthetic needs: Involving the appreciation of beauty, harmony, and order.
- Self-actualization: At the pinnacle of the hierarchy, this is the need to fulfill one's potential and achieve personal growth and fulfillment through engaging in meaningful activities aligned with one's values and interests.
Self-actualization
Maslow defined self-actualization as the realization of one's fullest potential, utilizing talents and interests to their utmost—a pursuit to "become everything that one is capable of becoming". As suggested by its name, self-actualization is deeply personal, embodying Maslow's belief in the individual's sovereignty and inviolability, affirming the right to one's own preferences, beliefs, and values.
Maslow and Positive Psychology
Maslow termed his approach "positive psychology." Since 1968, his ideas have influenced the evolution of positive psychotherapy, a transcultural, humanistic psychodynamic method used in mental health and psychosomatic treatment developed by Nossrat Peseschkian. Since 1999, Maslow's ideas have become more popular again, especially among leaders in the positive psychology movement like Martin Seligman. This movement is all about exploring the best parts of human nature. Positive psychology focuses on studying what goes well and how people thrive, rather than always looking at what goes wrong or being negative.
For contributions to psychology
Abraham Maslow made significant contributions to psychology, solidifying his legacy as one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. His contributions include:
Shifting the focus of psychology towards exploring the positive aspects of human nature. While many psychologists of his time studied abnormal behaviors, Maslow emphasized the study of mental health from a positive perspective.
Influencing our understanding of mental health by exploring human potential, peak experiences, and personal growth. His insights into these areas have had a lasting impact on the field of psychology.
His work remains influential in contemporary psychology, continuing to shape how we perceive and approach mental health and personal development.
Publications
- A Theory of Human Motivation (1943)
- Hierarchy of Needs: A Theory of Human Motivation (1943)
- Motivation and Personality (1954)
- New Knowledge in Human Values (1959)
- Toward a Psychology of Being (1962)
- Religions, Values, and Peak-Experiences (1964)
- Maslow on Management (1965)
- Self-Actualization (1966)
- The Psychology of Science: A Reconnaissance (1966)
- The Farther Reaches of Human Nature (1971)
- The Maslow Business Reader (2000)
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