Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his

1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” in Psychological Review.[2] Maslow

subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity. His
theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which
focus on describing the stages of growth in humans. Maslow used the terms "physiological",
"safety", "belonging and love", "esteem", "self-actualization", and "self-transcendence" to
describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through. The goal of Maslow's
Theory is to attain the sixth level or stage: self transcendent needs.[3]

Maslow studied what he called exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams,
Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglass rather than mentally ill or neurotic people,
writing that "the study of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield
only a cripple psychology and a cripple philosophy."[4]:236 Maslow studied the healthiest 1%
of the college student population.[5]

Maslow's theory was fully expressed in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality.[4] The
hierarchy remains a very popular framework in sociology research, management training[6]
and secondary and higher psychology instruction.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid with the largest,
most fundamental needs at the bottom and the need for self-actualization and self-
transcendence at the top.[1][7]

The most fundamental and basic four layers of the pyramid contain what Maslow called
"deficiency needs" or "d-needs": esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical needs. If
these "deficiency needs" are not met – with the exception of the most fundamental
(physiological) need – there may not be a physical indication, but the individual will feel
anxious and tense. Maslow's theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met
before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher
level needs. Maslow also coined the term "metamotivation" to describe the motivation of
people who go beyond the scope of the basic needs and strive for constant betterment.[8]

The human brain is a complex system and has parallel processes running at the same time,
thus many different motivations from various levels of Maslow's hierarchy can occur at the
same time. Maslow spoke clearly about these levels and their satisfaction in terms such as
"relative", "general", and "primarily". Instead of stating that the individual focuses on a
certain need at any given time, Maslow stated that a certain need "dominates" the human
organism.[4] Thus Maslow acknowledged the likelihood that the different levels of motivation
could occur at any time in the human mind, but he focused on identifying the basic types of
motivation and the order in which they would tend to be met.

Physiological needs

Physiological needs are the physical requirements for human survival. If these requirements
are not met, the human body cannot function properly and will ultimately fail. Physiological
needs are thought to be the most important; they should be met first.

Physiological Needs include:

 Air.
  Water.
 Food.
 Clothing.
 Shelter.
 Sexual instinct.

Safety needs

Once a person's physiological needs are relatively satisfied, their safety needs take
precedence and dominate behavior. In the absence of physical safety – due to war, natural
disaster, family violence, childhood abuse, etc. – people may (re-)experience post-traumatic
stress disorder or transgenerational trauma. In the absence of economic safety – due to
economic crisis and lack of work opportunities – these safety needs manifest themselves in
ways such as a preference for job security, grievance procedures for protecting the individual
from unilateral authority, savings accounts, insurance policies, disability accommodations,
etc. This level is more likely to predominate in children as they generally have a greater need
to feel safe.

Safety and Security needs include:

 Personal security
 Financial security
 Health and well-being
 Safety needs against accidents/illness and their adverse impacts

Social belonging

After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third level of human needs is
interpersonal and involves feelings of belongingness. This need is especially strong in
childhood and it can override the need for safety as witnessed in children who cling to
abusive parents. Deficiencies within this level of Maslow's hierarchy – due to hospitalism,
neglect, shunning, ostracism, etc. – can adversely affect the individual's ability to form and
maintain emotionally significant relationships in general.

Social Belonging Needs include:

 Friendships
 Intimacy
 Family

According to Maslow, humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among their
social groups, regardless whether these groups are large or small. For example, some large
social groups may include clubs, co-workers, religious groups, professional organizations,
sports teams, and gangs. Some examples of small social connections include family
members, intimate partners, mentors, colleagues, and confidants. Humans need to love and be
loved – both sexually and non-sexually – by others.[2] Many people become susceptible to
loneliness, social anxiety, and clinical depression in the absence of this love or belonging
element. This need for belonging may overcome the physiological and security needs,
depending on the strength of the peer pressure.
Esteem

All humans have a need to feel respected; this includes the need to have self-esteem and self-
respect. Esteem presents the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others. People
often engage in a profession or hobby to gain recognition. These activities give the person a
sense of contribution or value. Low self-esteem or an inferiority complex may result from
imbalances during this level in the hierarchy. People with low self-esteem often need respect
from others; they may feel the need to seek fame or glory. However, fame or glory will not
help the person to build their self-esteem until they accept who they are internally.
Psychological imbalances such as depression can hinder the person from obtaining a higher
level of self-esteem or self-respect.

Most people have a need for stable self-respect and self-esteem. Maslow noted two versions
of esteem needs: a "lower" version and a "higher" version. The "lower" version of esteem is
the need for respect from others. This may include a need for status, recognition, fame,
prestige, and attention. The "higher" version manifests itself as the need for self-respect. For
example, the person may have a need for strength, competence, mastery, self-confidence,
independence, and freedom. This "higher" version takes precedence over the "lower" version
because it relies on an inner competence established through experience. Deprivation of these
needs may lead to an inferiority complex, weakness, helplessness etc. .

Maslow states that while he originally thought the needs of humans had strict guidelines, the
"hierarchies are interrelated rather than sharply separated".[4] This means that esteem and the
subsequent levels are not strictly separated; instead, the levels are closely related.

Self-actualization

Main article: Self-actualization

"What a man can be, he must be."[4]:91 This quotation forms the basis of the perceived need
for self-actualization. This level of need refers to what a person's full potential is and the
realization of that potential. Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish
everything that one can, to become the most that one can be.[4]:92 Individuals may perceive or
focus on this need very specifically. For example, one individual may have the strong desire
to become an ideal parent. In another, the desire may be expressed athletically. For others, it
may be expressed in paintings, pictures, or inventions.[4]:93 As previously mentioned, Maslow
believed that to understand this level of need, the person must not only achieve the previous
needs, but master them.

ntrinsic motivation
See also: Flow (psychology) and Ikigai

Intrinsic motivation has been studied since the early 1970s. Intrinsic motivation is the self-
desire to seek out new things and new challenges, to analyze one's capacity, to observe and to
gain knowledge.[9] It is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within
the individual rather than relying on external pressures or a desire for consideration. The
phenomenon of intrinsic motivation was first acknowledged within experimental studies of
animal behavior. In these studies, it was evident that the organisms would engage in playful
and curiosity driven behaviors in the absence of reward. Intrinsic motivation is a natural
motivational tendency and is a critical element in cognitive, social, and physical
development.[10] The two necessary elements for intrinsic motivation are self-determination
and an increase in perceived competence.[11] In short, the cause of the behavior must be
internal, known as internal local of causality, and the individual who engages in the behavior
must perceive that the task increases their competence.[10]

Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in the task willingly as
well as work to improve their skills, which will increase their capabilities.[12] Students are
likely to be intrinsically motivated if they:

 attribute their educational results to factors under their own control, also known as
autonomy or locus of control
 believe they have the skills to be effective agents in reaching their desired goals, also known
as self-efficacy beliefs
 are interested in mastering a topic, not just in achieving good grades

An example of intrinsic motivation is when an employee becomes an IT professional because

he or she wants to learn about how computer users interact with computer networks. The
employee has the intrinsic motivation to gain more knowledge.[13] Art for art's sake is an
example of intrinsic motivation in the domain of art.

Traditionally, researchers thought of motivations to use computer systems to be primarily

driven by extrinsic purposes; however, many modern systems have their use driven primarily
by intrinsic motivations.[14] Examples of such systems used primarily to fulfil users' intrinsic
motivations, include on-line gaming, virtual worlds, online shopping[15], learning/education,
online dating, digital music repositories, social networking, online pornography, gamified
systems, and general gamification. Even traditional management information systems (e.g.,
ERP, CRM) are being 'gamified' such that both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations must
increasingly be considered.

Not only can intrinsic motivation be used in a personal setting, but it can also be implemented
and utilized in a social environment. Instead of attaining mature desires, such as those
presented above via internet which can be attained on one's own, intrinsic motivation can be
used to assist extrinsic motivation to attain a goal. For example, Eli, a 4-year-old with autism,
wants to achieve the goal of playing with a toy train[16]. To get the toy, he must first
communicate to his therapist that he wants it. His desire to play is strong enough to be
considered intrinsic motivation because it is a natural feeling, and his desire to communicate
with his therapist to get the train can be considered extrinsic motivation because the outside
object is a reward (see incentive theory). Communicating with the therapist is the first,
slightly more challenging goal that stands in the way of achieving his larger goal of playing
with the train. Achieving these goals in attainable pieces is also known as the goal-setting
theory. Advantages: Intrinsic motivation can be long-lasting and self-sustaining. Efforts to
build this kind of motivation are also typically efforts at promoting student learning. Such
efforts often focus on the subject rather than rewards or punishments.

Disadvantages: Efforts at fostering intrinsic motivation can be slow to affect behavior and
can require special and lengthy preparation. Students are individuals, so a variety of
approaches may be needed to motivate different students. It is often helpful to know what
interests one's students in order to connect these interests with the subject matter. This
requires getting to know one's students. Also, it helps if the instructor is interested in the
subject.[17]
Extrinsic motivation
See also: Goal orientation

Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain a desired

outcome and it is the opposite of intrinsic motivation.[9] Extrinsic motivation comes from
influences outside of the individual. In extrinsic motivation, the harder question to answer is
where do people get the motivation to carry out and continue to push with persistence.
Usually extrinsic motivation is used to attain outcomes that a person wouldn't get from
intrinsic motivation.[18] Common extrinsic motivations are rewards (for example money or
grades) for showing the desired behavior, and the threat of punishment following
misbehavior. Competition is an extrinsic motivator because it encourages the performer to
win and to beat others, not simply to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. A cheering
crowd and the desire to win a trophy are also extrinsic incentives.[19]

Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards can lead to
overjustification and a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation. In one study
demonstrating this effect, children who expected to be (and were) rewarded with a ribbon and
a gold star for drawing pictures spent less time playing with the drawing materials in
subsequent observations than children who were assigned to an unexpected reward
condition.[20] However, another study showed that third graders who were rewarded with a
book showed more reading behavior in the future, implying that some rewards do not
undermine intrinsic motivation.[21] While the provision of extrinsic rewards might reduce the
desirability of an activity, the use of extrinsic constraints, such as the threat of punishment,
against performing an activity has actually been found to increase one's intrinsic interest in
that activity. In one study, when children were given mild threats against playing with an
attractive toy, it was found that the threat actually served to increase the child's interest in the
toy, which was previously undesirable to the child in the absence of threat.[22]

Motivation
Advantages

 Increased productivity
 Higher quality - higher customer satisfaction
 Lower labour turnover
 Lower recruitment and selection costs
 Better communication and teamwork with each other.
 Better customer service

Disadvantages

 Motivational rewards may become expected, so when employees achieve them it does
not motivate them, and if they don't acheieve them it can be de-motivating
 May be de-motivating for other employees if they are not motivated as much as other
employees.
 Financial motivation such as piece rate quality may suffer as they are trying to rush.
 Non-financial motivation such as job rotation lacks specialisation and is time-
consuming to change between roles.