HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

Hierarchy of Needs

Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a humanistic theory of motivation based on his observation that humans are a perpetually wanting animal. Maslow proposed five basic needs that become goals that guide human behavior. Lower-level needs are biological and experienced by everyone, whereas upper-level needs are psychological, experienced more rarely, and by fewer people (Maslow, 1958). Typically portrayed as a pyramid (see Figure 1), the five basic needs are inter-related but arranged in order of their relative potency to influence behavior: physiological needs (level 1); safety needs (level 2); love needs (level 3); esteem needs ...