THE Maslow's Pyramid Or the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a concept created by the American psychologist Abraham H.maslow, which determines the necessary conditions for each human being to achieve their personal and professional satisfaction.
According to Maslow's idea, human beings live to satisfy their needs, with the aim of achieving the dreamed of full self-realization. The scheme described in Maslow's Pyramid deals precisely with the hierarchy of these needs throughout the life of the human being.
Maslow's Pyramid is divided into five hierarchical levels, each formed by a set of needs. At the base of the pyramid are elements that are considered essential for a person's survival, such as hunger, thirst, sex and breathing. To progress in the hierarchy it is necessary to conquer the elementary conditions of the Pyramid, passing to the next levels, one by one, until reaching the top.
See also the meaning of social hierarchy.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Steps
- Physiological needs: this is the base of the Pyramid, where the basic needs of any human being are, such as hunger, thirst, breathing, excretion, shelter and sex, for example.
- Security needs: it is the second level of the hierarchy, where are the elements that make individuals feel safe, from the security at home to more complex means, such as occupational safety, health security (health plans) and etc.
- Social needs: it is the third level of the Pyramid. In this group are the needs to feel part of a social group, such as having friends, starting a family, receiving affection from sexual partners, and so on.
- Status or Estimate Needs: is the fourth stage of the Pyramid of Maslow, which brings together two main needs - that of recognizing the own abilities and to be recognized by other people, due to the adequacy of the individual. That is, it is the need a person has to be proud of themselves, to feel the admiration and pride of other individuals, to be respected by oneself and others, among other characteristics involving power, recognition and pride, for example.
- Self-fulfillment needs: this is the top of the Pyramid, when the individual is able to harness the full potential of himself, with self control of your actions, independence, the ability to do what you like and are able to do, with satisfaction.
There are some peculiarities regarding the steps of the Pyramid of Maslow that must be taken into account:
- A step must be satiated (at least in part) for the individual to move to the next level in the hierarchy.
- The needs of self-actualization are never satisfied, whenever a need is satisfied, new yearnings and goals arise.
- Physiological needs are born with human beings and are the easiest to be satisfied, unlike the other stages.
- When achieving certain elements of a group of needs, the individual is always motivated to achieve more goals.
- Unsatisfied needs, that is, needs that cannot be met, imply negative reactions in the individual's behavior, such as frustrations, fears, anxieties, insecurities, etc.
Maslow also identified, after the construction of the Pyramid scheme, two other needs of the self-fulfilled individual, which were classified as "cognitive".
One of them is the need to know and understand the world around you, how nature, society and the universe work, for example. The other feature is called "need for aesthetic satisfaction"which means the search for perfection, symmetry, art and beauty in general. This element is related to the requirement of human beings to be, as a rule, always within the current standard of beauty in society.
The same principles of the Pyramid of Maslow - the search for better living conditions - are currently adopted as motivation and training tools for employees in companies, or as strategies for planning marketing.
In the professional and work motivation context, the Maslow Pyramid is applied as follows:
- Base: need for flexible hours, physical and mental rest;
- 2nd level: need for job security, good pay and stability guarantees;
- 3rd level: build friendships and good relationships with bosses in the workplace;
- 4th level: keep one feedback with the company, being recognized for the results it presents, receiving promotions and salary increases throughout one's career;
- Top: Influences on decisions, having autonomy at work;
Learn more about the meaning of Motivation.