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This theory was proposed by Abraham Maslow in the year 1943 in his paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”. This theory is theory of needs, which explains the five levels of human needs. If all these needs are satisfied you can assured to be a highly satisfied and successful person in the society. In this post we will see each level of need in detail and try to understand the true meaning behind it.

“A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning.” - Pat Riley

The 5 major needs identified by Abraham Maslow were Physiological needs, Safety needs, Social needs, Esteem needs and Growth needs. The Physiological need is the most basic need and is mandatory for the survival. This need form the base to other needs. The 4 needs i.e. Physiological, Safety, Social and Esteem are also called us the Deficiency needs or the D-Needs. Shortage in these needs can make the person Anxious and tense. Now let’s see each needs in further details

Physiological Needs :

This is also the most basic need but also the most important need. Physiological need mainly consists of

• Breathing
• Drinking
• Eating
• Sex
• Excretion

The Physiological needs are usually common for all living animals. These are the basic survival needs, I don’t think I need to explain much here. Lets move on to the next need.

Safety Need :

These needs get second priority. This need basically deals with survival. How we survive in our society, work, etc. The Safety need includes safety from

• Personal injuries or health risks.
• Lack of job.
• Shortage of resources.
• Problems in family.

The levels of hierarchy are such that once the lower level of need is met the person moves up the hierarchy to meet the next need. Incase any need from lower need is not met, he gives priority and tries to meet that need first.

Social Need :

If these needs are met, the person is satisfied that he is socially accepted. This need includes the love and affection he needs from his near and dear’s. The human behaviour lot depends on this level of need. A person who is deprived from Social Need in early part of his life can have serious Physiological problems.

This level of need includes

• Love from Friendship.
• Affection of family.
• Sexual Intimacy.

Esteem Needs :

This level determines how he is accepted into the society. Education plays an important role, to fulfill this need. A highly educated man is readily accepted by the society and respected. Self-respect and respect for others determine a person’s esteem. Esteem needs can come in blood if you are born into a Royal Family. In the sense, you are naturally accepted as a person who should be highly respected, just because you were born in a royal family.

Another place where esteem can be a problem is at work. At, work we meet many people of same respect level. A shortage in this respect level can be de-motivating and can create friction among two people.

Growth Need :

This need is the need to excel in the field of intrest. Growth needs are further divided into 3 sub needs

• Cognitive needs
• Aesthetic needs
• Self-actualization

To excel in field of intrest it is human tendency to explore new things and there by updating his level of knowledge. By gaining new knowledge, person becomes more intelligent.  Cognitive need explains why a person always explores the world around him to understand it better. May this need is one of the reason you are reading this post.

Self-Actualization is the instinctual need of humans to make the most of their abilities and to strive to be the best they can. Working toward fulfilling our potential, toward becoming all that we are capable of becoming.

Maslow writes the following of self-actualizing people:

• They embrace the facts and realities of the world (including themselves) rather than denying or avoiding them.
• They are spontaneous in their ideas and actions.
• They are creative.
• They are interested in solving problems; this often includes the problems of others. Solving these problems is often a key focus in their lives.
• They feel a closeness to other people, and generally appreciate life.
• They have a system of morality that is fully internalized and independent of external authority.
• They have discernment and are able to view all things in an objective manner.

The maslow’s theory of need may explain why we do some of the things that we do. As I mentioned previously in the post that a person who can meet all these needs is highly successful . He leads a very fulfilling life that inspires others to follow him.

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