The author of the hierarchy of needs pyramid is. Maslow's pyramid of needs

Reflection and thoughts regarding human needs were expounded by Democritus of Abdera (ancient Greek philosopher, 400 BC). He considered needs to be the basis of everything we have: intelligence, strength, development. Only many centuries later, Maslow decided to understand in more detail what was behind what. Why do we do what we do. What drives us and what we strive for.

1. What is Maslow's pyramid of needs

Maslow's pyramid of needs is a theory that describes human needs in the form of levels of hierarchy (from primitive to spiritual). The main idea is that a person cannot experience higher level needs until the basic (physical) needs are satisfied. Initially, this hierarchy was called "motivation theory" or "hierarchy theory" (English hierarchy theory)

The American psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) developed his theory in 1950 (the last version was written in the book Motivation and Personality, 1954). But the broad masses started talking about it only in the 1970s. At the same time, the author himself did not present his theory in the form of a "pyramid".

Since then, many marketing publications have cited Maslow's research.

Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs to deal with the different motives for human actions. Moreover, these explanations are more philosophical than practical. On the basis of Maslow's theory, little has been implemented in practice in business (although he did not develop his explanation for this direction).

Maslow's pyramid itself has a stepped structure, thereby reflecting a hierarchy. After satisfying the next step, a person has new needs and tasks. This makes it impossible to jump from one level to another. However, in the opposite direction, you can drop sharply from high to low.

Note

There is an exception when people are ready to be creative when they have no other needs. There are very few of them.

This theory has not gained practical application. Only some conclusions can be drawn, but nothing more.

2. Maslow's pyramid needs levels

1 Physiological Needs. These include: food, sleep, sex, oxygen, water, toilet, health. Everything that is necessary for human existence. It is believed that until these basic needs are provided, a person is not able to think about anything else.

2 Safety . A person is afraid of many things: cold, wild animals, fire. Therefore, we must feel secure in order to live normally. Examples might be: a baby who, after feeding, wants to snuggle up to his mother, because he is afraid in this new world.

3 Love, society. Everyone strives to be loved by someone. Also, we must be in society, otherwise our mental state will be on the verge of collapse. All people are social. Therefore, we must join some community, a group of people.

4 Recognition . The next step is recognition in society of its importance. Each takes his own role and follows certain rules of society in order not to be ostracized. Someone is a leader, someone is a performer, someone is a revolutionary, someone just stands aside and moves by the inertia of the "crowd".

5 Self-improvement, self-actualization. When a person understands why he came to this world and what his purpose is. Also here can be attributed some outstanding achievements, discoveries.

Only 2% of the population reach the last stage (Maslow's data).

3. A more complete version of Maslow's pyramid

Later, a second version of Maslow's pyramid appeared, in which there are two more levels. Its author is unknown. The modified pyramid more clearly reflects the stages of needs.

1. Physiological needs (food, water, sleep, sex)
2. Need for security (security, confidence, comfort)
3. Social belongings (communication, attention, care, support)
4. Needs for respect and recognition (necessity, significance, recognition, self-esteem)
5. Creative needs (creativity, creation, discovery)
6. Aesthetic needs (love, joy, beauty)
7. Spiritual (personality development, self-actualization)

4. Criticism of Maslow's pyramid

The considered hierarchy represents only the theoretical basis of the aspirations of most of us. There are exceptions to every theory, and Maslow's pyramid is no exception.

Surely you yourself have met people who are very successful in career growth, successful, rich, but lonely. The thing is that for them the value is personal growth, than love and attention. They passed this stage, although the theory did not provide for such a situation.

A person's need ceases to be one as soon as he is saturated with it. For example, if we are full, then we are unlikely to want to eat again. Similarly with communication, care, love, safety. A person complains about what he does not have without noticing what he already has.

There have been many controversies and critics of this theory. It has never found practical application among the general public. Yes, and Maslow himself in his last writings abandoned his own theory.

Scientist John Burton (1915-2010) said that for a person all needs are equally important. Such an opinion also holds true for certain citizens, such an approach even more accurately describes their aspirations and values.

5. Pros and Cons of Hierarchy of Needs

• Helps to understand your thoughts, values, to understand at what stage you are now
• Setting values ​​in life
• Choice of direction of activity
• Better understanding of other people in society

• It's just a theory that's hard to put into practice.
• There are always exceptions
• There are other visions of the pyramid of values

See also the video about Maslow's pyramid of needs:

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Maslow's pyramid of needs is a hierarchy of human needs, a well-known theory of motivation, based on the works of a psychologist from America, who became the founder of humanistic versification.

Maslow's pyramid of needs is successfully used in modern economics, and is considered as a model of the needs of the theory of motivation, the behavioral factor of the consumer.

For the first time, Maslow's pyramid of needs appeared in the form of a graphic image "Hierarchy of Needs" in the textbook on marketing and psychology by W. Stopp in 1975, after Maslow's death five years later. In the early 80s of the 20th century, the schedule of needs was replaced by a pyramid-shaped drawing, which his students came up with to better understand Maslow's theory in a visual form.

Maslow's pyramid of needs

1st need: physiological: removal of hunger, thirst, intimacy, sleep, oxygen, clothing.

Sometimes this need is called instinctive, basic, basic. Therefore, a person gives it priority attention, otherwise he will feel uncomfortable.
According to Maslow, the lower physiological needs lay the foundation for all other needs, and without their satisfaction, a person does not move and does not develop further. Even all living organisms have these needs.

Examples:

• Waking up in the morning before work, you want to have breakfast: drink hot coffee and eat a sandwich, and not finish reading the pages of an interesting work.
• The need to visit the toilet will be a priority, instead of finding your place in the theater hall.

The needs of the first stage are very important, but they do not always prevail over the personality. Partial satisfaction is enough to step over to the second step of Maslow's pyramid.

2nd security need: stability, defense, dependency, freedom from anxiety, fear and chaos.

Examples:

• A small child is scared, he is afraid of something, so he cries long and hard until he sees his mom or dad. The absence of parents from his field of vision, the child becomes irritable, he does not care what others think of him. He needs protection.
• A believer also needs protection. Arriving at the church, he feels the patronage of higher powers. He calms down and believes only in a good future..

Stability in work, salaries are also related to this need.

3rd need for love and belonging: friendship, family, community.

It is natural for a person to become a part of society, he strives for this. In adolescence, it is necessary to join the environment where there is a leader or an idol in order to take an example of behavior from him.

With increasing age, a person sorts out the circle of his acquaintances, and it narrows. There are a few friends, buddies with the same views on life, work, interests. In any case, people live and become a formed part of society, where they feel their importance and usefulness.

For certain individuals, there is a need to meet a new friend. Some are limited to their family and children.

After satisfying the 3rd need - social, a person strives for the 4th stage of needs: to success.

4th need for recognition and respect: respect in the team, pride in oneself, status, excellent reputation, fame, manifestation of talent.

A person cannot be content with only family, home, children. He wants more. Having received the status of a specialist, they began to respect him in the team. And if he became a businessman, he is proud of himself. And if there is fame about his company, then his reputation rises.

Work becomes more than just work. A person awakens spiritual motivation and a great desire to create, to create much more, better and better. A person automatically moves to the next stage of Maslow's needs.

5th (later 7th) need for self-realization: a person does his job, he does well. His inclinations, abilities help in work.

When everything is fine, life is good. It seems to a person that he has not yet achieved everything, he begins to engage in self-development, self-realization, spiritual needs appear, the realization of his potential. The person is ready to move forward, to fight. Gained life experience: democratic temperament, creativity helps to resist social habits, a person is ready to learn himself and teach others, form new views and convince.

Abraham Maslow's research showed that only 1-3% of humanity reach the fifth (seventh) step of the pyramid, which have an excess of ideas and internal energy.

Scientist Maslow, his research

A little about Abraham Harold Maslow (from the former surname Maslov), was born into a poor family of emigrants (from Tsarist Russia) in 1908 in Brooklyn. He studied well, worked hard and often visited libraries. He became president of the Association for Social Psychology and the Department of Aesthetics. The ten-year period from 1960 to 1970 was a fruitful stage in his life, where most of his works were written.

The scientist believed that the behavior of mankind is motivated only to meet their personal life goals, moving gradually from one achieved need to the next and so on.

Abraham Maslow argued that in a large number of people all needs are like animal instincts, which are either innate or acquired.

Maslow's research proved that any person has five (seven) mandatory needs: from simpler, lower needs to higher needs. Human existence will cease if these needs are not met, and human development will not fully develop.

Additional work on Maslow's pyramid

People heard about the "Theory of Human Motivation" in 1943, which contained Maslow's main ideas about the features in the formation of human needs of successful and creative people. More detailed research was reflected in the book Motivation and Personality in 1954.

Scientist A. Maslow worked on the biography of healthy and active people. These included: Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, who became his ideals when developing the theory of motivation and pyramids.

Maslow's pyramid of 5 steps was and remains the achievement of that time. The scientist constantly improved the pyramid of needs. The works published in the 20th century were "The Psychology of Being" - 62g, and 71g "Far Limits of Nature".

In his writings, Maslow pyramids preserved all the needs: the first four remained in their places, and the fifth moved to the seventh place. Added two steps of the pyramid:

5 need, cognitive: know-be able-to explore.
A person constantly strives to learn a lot of information from smart cognitive programs. Spends a lot of time reading. Skillfully applies his knowledge in practice.

6 need, aesthetic: harmony-order-beauty.
Visiting art exhibitions and museums develops a person's harmony of beauty and inspiration about beauty.

Final thoughts. Examples

Maslow's pyramid has seven main steps. And according to the scientist A. Maslow, the hierarchy of needs is not stable, as it seems at first. But the majority of mankind obey the order of the sequence of the pyramid of needs, depending on their abilities and motivation, as well as on age.

People are divided into different categories, some will be able to neglect the satisfaction of basic needs for the sake of their goal.

Examples:

• First he wants to become a rich businessman, and then arrange a personal life in old age.
• For others, the priority is power and its triumph.
• The third category - enough respect and love in the family.
• The fourth is happy with a piece of bread and a bowl of soup.

Subjects have learned to satisfy their desires in accordance with the necessary needs.

Maslow's pyramid is a seven-level ladder, which presents a simplified version of the idea to satisfy a human need and its successive steps.

Do you want to know what level you are on? Find yourself on the step of the pyramid, if you have not reached your goal, rise higher, accepting the recommendations of the scientist.

The pyramid of needs according to Maslow can be found in textbooks, read on websites. The pyramid reflects human needs. It benefits and teaches how to correctly accept desires and needs. The main thing depends on each person, on the goal in life and the ability to think.

From this article you will learn:

• What is Maslow's pyramid of needs?
• Understanding Need Hierarchy Theory
• Is Maslow's pyramid of needs applicable in marketing?
• What is the alternative to Maslow's pyramid of needs?

In the literature on the topic of psychology and management, one can often find references to this theory about the hierarchy of human needs. There are suggestions that the conclusions of the author, set out in it, are based on the study of the biographies of famous people who have realized themselves in life and creative activity. As you probably already understood, we will talk about Maslow's pyramid of needs.

Maslow's pyramid of needs

In his work "Motivation and Personality" (1954), Abraham Maslow suggested that innate human needs have a hierarchical structure that includes five tiers. These are the following needs:

1. Physiological.

Their satisfaction is necessary in order to ensure survival and existence. Every living being has its own physiological needs. Until the needs of this level are satisfied (for example, in nutrition, sleep), a person will not be able to work or engage in other activities. For example, if he is very hungry, he will not be able to enjoy the contemplation of works of art, admire the views of nature, be interested in the content of fiction, etc.

1. In safety.

A sense of security is essential for people of all ages. Babies feel protected by the presence of their mother. Adults also strive to feel protected: they install good doors with reliable locks in their apartments, buy insurance, etc.

1. In love and belonging.

Maslow's pyramid of needs also includes social needs. It is important for a person to feel belonging to a group of people in order to feel useful and significant. This motivates him to social contacts and interaction with other individuals: he makes new acquaintances, looking for a life partner. A person needs to experience a feeling of love and be loved himself.

1. In recognition.

After the needs included in the previous tiers of the pyramid (in love and in belonging to society) are satisfied, the individual has a desire to earn the respect of others, the desire to ensure that significant people recognize his talents and skills. If these desires are realized, then he gains confidence in himself and his abilities.

1. in self-realization.

This is the level of spiritual needs: the desire for personal development and self-realization, the desire for creative activity, for the development of one's talents and abilities. If the needs included in the previous tiers of the pyramid are satisfied, then at the fifth level a person begins to search for the meaning of existence and study the world around him, he can acquire new beliefs.

This is how the pyramid of needs according to Maslow looks in general terms with examples of desires for each level of the hierarchy. Later, Abraham Maslow included two more tiers in it: cognitive abilities and aesthetic needs.

In its final form, the pyramid has 7 levels.

The scientist believed that the needs of a higher level will manifest themselves if the needs located on the lower tiers are satisfied. According to Maslow, this is quite natural.

However, the researcher noted that this trend may have exceptions: for some people, self-realization is more important than attachments, for others, only the needs of the first levels of the pyramid will be significant, even if all of them seem to be satisfied. Maslow believed that such features are associated with the development of neurosis in a person or they are due to adverse circumstances.

Hierarchy of needs theory

All of the above may lead the reader to wrong conclusions. After all, one might think that the needs included in the higher tiers of the pyramid arise immediately after the needs of the previous levels are realized.

From this, an assumption can be formed that the pyramid according to Maslow implies that the desires of each next step appear only after the complete satisfaction of all previous ones. However, it can be said that practically no modern person has 100% realized basic needs.

To bring our understanding of the hierarchy closer to reality, we should introduce the concept of "Measure of satisfaction of needs". It is assumed that the needs included in the first tiers of the pyramid are always realized to a greater extent than those that are higher. This can be visualized as follows (let's take conditional figures): for example, the physiological needs of an ordinary citizen are satisfied by 85%, his need for security - by 70%, for love - by 50%, for recognition - by 40%, and for self-realization - on 10 %.

The measure of satisfaction of need will give us a better understanding of how the needs of higher levels arise after the desires that are on the previous tiers of the pyramid are realized (according to Maslow). This is a gradual process, not sudden. The transition to all subsequent steps is carried out smoothly.

For example, the second need will not arise if the first is only 10% satisfied. However, when it is closed by 25%, the second need will appear at 5%. If 75% of the first need is realized, then the second one will show itself by 50%.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in Marketing

Marketers often say about the pyramid of needs that it is not applicable in practice. And indeed it is.

First. The fact is that this theory was created by Maslow not for marketing purposes. The scientist was interested in questions of human motivation, the answers to which were not given by either Freud's teachings or behaviorism. Maslow's pyramid of needs theory is about motivation, but it is more philosophical than methodological. Every marketer, advertiser or PR specialist should be familiar with it in order to have an idea of ​​​​the variety of human needs and their complex relationship, but it cannot be considered a guide to action, since it was formed for completely different purposes.

Second. The task of the marketer is to encourage the consumer to act, to influence his decisions. The theory of the pyramid of needs is devoted to the motives of a person, but not their relationship with behavior. It is not suitable for marketers, because it does not explain what motive determines this or that action, saying that one cannot understand motives by external manifestations, that a decision can be due to several reasons.

The third reason why Maslow's pyramid of needs theory is not suitable for marketers has to do with the sociocultural context: in the modern world, people's physiological needs and their need for security are by and large realized.

Therefore, it cannot be said that a product that helps in some way to solve security issues will be more in demand than one that is needed to satisfy desires included in a higher level of the pyramid. For example, a detergent with an antibacterial effect (giving protection) will not be more desirable than a drink that is positioned as a product consumed in a situation of friendly communication (that is, solving certain social problems).

When marketers tried to apply the pyramid of needs in marketing, it didn't work. Which is not surprising, because this is a psychological theory, which is completely incorrect to try to use in those areas for which it was not created. It turns out that the criticism of Maslow's pyramid that it is ineffective in marketing is completely inappropriate, since its goals and objectives were initially completely different.

Maslow's Pyramid- the informal name of the theory of motivation, developed in the 1950s of the twentieth century by an outstanding American psychologist (1908-1970).

At the core Maslow's theory of motivation (pyramids) lies the thesis that human behavior is determined by a number of basic needs that can be built in a certain hierarchy. From Maslow's point of view, these needs are universal, i.e. unite all people regardless of skin color, nationality, lifestyle, habits, demeanor and other external manifestations. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is built on the principle of the urgency of their satisfaction for a person.

1. Physiological needs

The most pressing, most powerful of all needs. A person living in extreme need, deprived of all the joys of life, according to Maslow's theories of motivation, will be driven primarily by the needs of the physiological level. If a person has nothing to eat and if he lacks love and respect, he will first of all seek to satisfy his physical, not emotional hunger. According to Maslow, if physiological urges dominate in the body, then all other needs may not even be felt by a person. The desire to write poetry, to buy a car, an interest in native history, a passion for yellow shoes - against the background of physiological needs, all these interests and desires either fade or disappear altogether, because. a person who feels mortal hunger will not be interested in anything but food.

2. The need for security

After satisfying the physiological needs, their place in the motivational life of the individual is occupied by the needs, which in the most general form can be combined into the category of security (the need for stability, protection, freedom from fear, anxiety and chaos, in order, law, restrictions). According to Maslow's theories of motivation, these desires can also dominate the organism and usurp the right to organize human behavior. As Maslow notes, the need for security of a healthy and successful member of our culture is usually satisfied. In a normal society, in healthy people, the need for security manifests itself only in mild forms, for example, in the form of a desire to get a job in a company that provides its employees with social guarantees, etc. In its most general form, the need for security and stability reveals itself and in conservative behavior (most people tend to prefer familiar and familiar things). In turn, as Maslow points out, the unexpected threat of chaos in most people causes a regression of motivation from its higher levels to the level of security. The natural and predictable reaction of society to such situations are calls to restore order, and at any cost, even at the cost of dictatorship and violence.

3. Need for belonging and love

After the needs of the physiological level and the needs of the safety level are satisfied, according to Maslow's theories of motivation the need for love, affection, belonging is actualized. A person, as never before, acutely begins to feel the lack of friends, the absence of a loved one, a wife or children, and longs for warm, friendly relations. He needs a social group that would provide him with such relationships. It is this goal that becomes the most significant and most important for a person. The rapid development in the modern world of various groups of personal growth, as well as interest clubs, according to Maslow, is to some extent dictated by the unquenched thirst for communication, the need for intimacy, belonging, the desire to overcome the feeling of loneliness. The inability to satisfy the need for love and belonging, according to Maslow, as a rule, leads to maladjustment, and sometimes to more serious pathology.

4. Need for recognition

Each person, according to Maslow, (with rare exceptions associated with pathology) constantly needs recognition, a stable and, as a rule, high assessment of his own merits. Each of us needs both the respect of the people around us and the opportunity to respect ourselves. Maslow divided the needs of this level into two classes. The first class includes desires and aspirations associated with the concept of "achievement". A person needs a sense of his own power, adequacy, competence, he needs a sense of confidence, independence and freedom. In the second class of needs, the author included the need for reputation or prestige, i.e. in gaining status, attention, recognition, fame. Satisfaction of all these needs, according to Maslow's theories of motivation, generates in the individual a sense of self-confidence, self-worth and strength. An unsatisfied need, on the contrary, causes a feeling of humiliation, weakness, helplessness, which, in turn, serve as the basis for despondency, trigger compensatory and neurotic mechanisms.

5. The need for self-actualization (self-realization)

Even if all of the above needs are satisfied, according to Maslow, a person will soon feel dissatisfied again - because he is not doing what he is predisposed to. If a person wants to live in peace with himself, he must be what he can be. Maslow called this need the need for self-actualization. In Maslow's understanding, self-actualization is a person's desire for self-embodiment, for the actualization of the potentialities inherent in him. This desire can be called the desire for idiosyncrasy, for identity. This is the highest human need, according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. As a rule, a person begins to feel the need for self-actualization only after he has satisfied the needs of all lower levels.

In his later writings, published in the 1960s and 70s, Maslow does not classify the need for self-actualization as a basic need, but as a higher category of needs, which he described as "needs of (personal) growth" (also called "value" needs). or "existential needs" or "meta-needs"). This list also includes the need for understanding and cognition (cognitive need) and the need for beauty (aesthetic need), which were previously mentioned outside the main hierarchy, as well as the need for play.

Prerequisites for satisfying a need th

Maslow identifies a number of social conditions necessary to satisfy basic needs: freedom of speech and self-expression, the right to research activity and information, the right to self-defense, as well as a social order characterized by justice, honesty and order. These conditions, in his opinion, cannot be classified as final goals, but people often put them on a par with basic needs. As Maslow writes, people fight fiercely for these rights and freedoms precisely because, having lost them, they risk losing the ability to satisfy their basic needs.

Hierarchy rigidity measure

Maslow points out that hierarchy of needs not at all as stable as it might seem at first glance. The basic needs of most people, in general, follow the order described, but there are exceptions. For some people, for example, the need for self-affirmation manifests itself as more urgent than the need for love. This is the most common case of reversion.

Need satisfaction measure

It is a mistake to think that the emergence of a new need is possible only after one hundred percent satisfaction of the underlying one. As Maslow writes, the process of actualization of needs is not sudden, not explosive, but rather one should speak of a gradual actualization of higher needs, of their slow awakening and activation. For example, if the underlying need A is only 10% satisfied, then a higher level need B may not be detected at all. However, if need A is satisfied by 25%, then need B is “awakened” by 5%, and when need A receives 75% satisfaction, then need B can reveal itself by all 50% and so on.

FORMATTA remarks and comments

Was there a pyramid?

The image of the pyramid, widespread throughout the world to illustrate Maslow's theories of motivation, is in fact far from certain. Maslow himself does not mention the pyramid in his works (either in verbal or in pictorial form).

On the contrary, in the works of Maslow there is a different visual image - a spiral (Maslow writes about the transition of an individual to the needs of a higher level: "the motivational spiral begins a new round"). The image of the spiral, of course, better reflects the basic postulates of Maslow's theory of motivation: dynamism, development, smooth "flow" from one level to another (as opposed to the static and strict hierarchy of the pyramid).

The article is an abstract presentation of the book by Abraham H. Maslow. Motivation and Personality (2nd ed.) N.Y.: Harper & Row, 1970; St. Petersburg: Eurasia, 1999, terminological correction by V. Danchenko, Kyiv: PSYLIB, 2004. Quotations are given without quotes, as close as possible to the original.

The article discusses in detail the needs of a person on the example of the famous pyramid of Abraham Maslow. All stages of the formation of needs are described in detail.

Motives are based on needs - the states that arise in a person when he needs something necessary for his existence. Thus, needs are the source of the activity of the individual. A person is a willing being, and in reality one can hardly imagine a situation where all needs are completely satisfied: as soon as a person acquires something that he needed, a new need immediately comes to the fore.

Perhaps the most well-known theory of needs in psychology is the concept of Abraham Maslow. He not only created a classification of needs, but also suggested that any person has a certain hierarchy: there are basic needs, there are higher ones. All people on earth experience needs of all levels, and the following law applies: basic needs are dominant, and needs of a higher level can “declare themselves” and become motives for behavior only if the needs “underlying” are satisfied.

The famous "Maslow pyramid" looks like this:

As we can see, at the base of the pyramid are the most basic needs - physiological. They are followed by security needs, the satisfaction of which provides a person with survival and a sense of constancy, stability of his living conditions. We can say that until all these needs are satisfied, man is a wolf to man: the main motives of behavior are those aimed at survival. When a person receives everything necessary to ensure his physical well-being, he has the opportunity to feel the needs of a higher level: he feels the need to unite with his own kind, the need for belonging and love manifests itself - that other people recognize him as “one of their own”.

Satisfying the needs of this level gives the “green light” to the next in the hierarchy - the needs of self-esteem: it is not enough for a person to be fed, clothed, protected from external threats and loneliness - he needs to feel “worthy”, to know that he is worthy of respect in some way. Finally, at the very top of the pyramid are the needs for self-actualization, that is, for unlocking one's potential: A. Maslow explained the ego as the need to "become who you are."

It is assumed that all these needs are innate and common to everyone and everyone. At the same time, it is obvious that people differ greatly from each other in terms of their motivation. For a variety of reasons, not everyone manages to climb to the very top of the pyramid: many people throughout their lives are not clearly aware of their own need for self-actualization, carried away by the endless satisfaction of needs at lower levels.

The neglect of one's higher needs, however, causes unconscious, but significant discomfort: the reason for it is not clear to a person, and yet, no matter how many obvious needs he saturates, he still lacks something to achieve spiritual harmony.

Thus, the higher a person rises in the hierarchy of his needs, that is, the higher the needs he is aware of and seeks to satisfy them, the brighter his individuality, truly human qualities are manifested, and the stronger his mental health.

We all know examples of violations of the sequence described above in meeting needs. Probably, if only well-fed, physically healthy, and completely safe people experienced the highest spiritual needs, the very concept of humanity would lose its meaning. Suffice it to recall besieged Leningrad, in which there were people in conditions of the most severe dissatisfaction with all basic needs - and quite a few people! - able to paint pictures, poems and symphonies, to show constant active concern for relatives and strangers - always to the detriment of their own needs - to make sure: the theory of hierarchical organization of needs is full of exceptions.

This, however, was recognized by its creator, noting that there are always people in the world whose ideals are so strong that they are more likely to endure hunger, thirst and other hardships, up to the readiness to die, for the sake of preserving these ideals. Maslow believed that, due to certain features of the biography, a person can form his own hierarchy of needs, in which, for example, the desire for self-esteem will be stronger than the need for love and acceptance from other people.

It is also important to clarify that needs are never satisfied on an “all or nothing” basis: if this were the case, then physiological needs would be saturated at some point once and for all, and a person would move to the next level of the pyramid, never returning below. There is no need to prove that this is not the case at all.

Human behavior is always motivated by the needs of the levels: acting under the influence of the desire for self-respect, we do not cease to experience hunger and thirst, the need for security and good treatment of others. Some of our needs are met to a greater extent, some to a lesser extent - in all this complex interweaving, motivation as a whole is concluded.

Let us consider in detail each of the levels of the pyramid.

Physiological Needs

At the lowest level of the pyramid are the needs that ensure the physical survival of the individual. Accordingly, they are the most urgent and have the most powerful motivating force. They must be satisfied at least minimally so that a person has the opportunity to feel the needs of higher levels.

Physiological needs include:

1. food and drink;

2. oxygen;

3. sleep;

4. extreme temperature protection;

5. physical activity;

6. sensory stimulation.

Unfortunately, the history of the human race is replete with evidence of exactly how people behave in conditions of dissatisfaction with physiological needs: no matter what millennium stands in the yard, always here and there, for one reason or another, someone survives, being deprived of the most necessary . And for many people, the motives associated with the saturation of basic needs remain leading.

However, we have already mentioned the obvious fact: physiological needs cannot be satisfied once and for all, they motivate our behavior all the time, it’s just that if we respond to them in a timely manner, they do not become dominant: a person gets enough sleep, eats, and switches to more important things.

But the influence of physiological needs can always be traced in our behavior - and not only in conditions of a severe crisis, a serious threat to survival. It's just that the human body always strives to maintain a stable state: a constant body temperature, a constant content of essential nutrients and oxygen in the blood, etc. Maintaining this constancy is called homeostasis. This very homeostasis often determines our behavior, while we are looking for some more complex psychological explanations for our own actions.

One typical example is the failure of many women to lose weight by dieting. Very often, events develop according to a well-known scenario: you sit down on the most fashionable and effective diet, diligently adhere to all recommendations and pretty soon begin to enjoy the results: extra pounds go away. But for some reason, happiness turns out to be short-lived - the appetite increases even compared to the “pre-diet”, the desire to eat becomes simply irresistible. And pretty quickly return all the lost pounds. Scientists believe that any organism has its own "balance point" - the optimal weight (which women often consider "excessive"). Dieting can cause the weight to fall below this equilibrium point, and the body will inevitably strive to return to normal. In this case, human behavior will be determined by the needs of homeostasis - and not at all by "weak will", "indulgence of one's own weaknesses", etc.

Another physiological need that strongly influences behavior is the need for sensory stimulation, that is, sensory sensations. This need for stimuli is expressed in people in very different ways. Psychologists distinguish two types of personality depending on the need for sensations: types "T" and "t".

People belonging to the T-type need thrills, risk, strong feelings: they are lovers of extreme attractions and sports, adventure seekers, strong emotions, who prefer danger and conflict to a serene existence. t-type people have a low need for stimulation: they feel comfortable in stable conditions, prefer peace, and are very difficult to tolerate even mild stimuli.

Most people belong to the "golden mean", that is, they do not need very strong sensory stimulation, but they do not react painfully to any stimuli from the outside world.

It is especially important to pay attention to the development of children with a pronounced belonging to one of the extreme types. Children of the t-type require a particularly careful attitude, it is pointless and harmful to teach them to be “bold”, “brave”, “more open”. Noisy crowded events, any situations rich in incentives should be avoided (children's parties with many participants and sometimes quite annoying animators, water parks and amusement parks, all kinds of light and music shows, even "walks" in shopping centers). An obsessive desire to “dip” such a child “into life” will certainly lead to the rapid development of a neurosis.

No less important is a competent approach to a T-type child. Here it is important to identify the propensity for risk as early as possible and to choose an activity for the child that allows you to direct this propensity in a constructive, and most importantly, safe direction. These can be active sports, theater studios, etc. Under favorable conditions, T-type children show noticeable creative talent, but the lack of proper guidance on their impulses can already lead to very undesirable consequences by adolescence: socially deviant behavior, the use of psychoactive substances and etc.

Security and Protection Needs

The next level of vital (that is, vital, ensuring survival) needs are the needs of safety and protection, the needs for:

1. freedom from threat (external negative impact, illness, fear, chaos);

2. stability, organization, order;

3. predictability of events.

It can be said that if physiological needs are associated with the survival of the organism at any particular moment, then the needs of security ensure the long-term survival of the individual.

Of course, these needs are most pronounced in the most helpless people, especially in very young children. We have already discussed the significance of the fact that the human baby after birth is entirely dependent on the caregivers of adults. This vulnerability explains the fact that the behavior and development of a young child is to a large extent determined precisely by how fully his needs for protection and safety are met.

This is not just about basic baby care - this care provides the saturation of physiological needs, but the child needs much more than timely feeding, warmth and physical comfort. Psychologists say that young children are pronounced conformists, that is, adherents of a certain order. Changes in the regime, in the environment, they usually perceive negatively, preferring to stick to the usual order of things.

Studies show that adherence to the regimen (the path is not very hard, but still constant) has a beneficial effect on the development and mental state of the baby: if sleep, feeding, walks occur “out of schedule”, then the child develops anxiety, distrust, behavioral disorders. His world is unpredictable, that is, one of the basic needs suffers - the need for security, there is no confidence that the world is reliable and one can navigate in it, cope with its requirements.

The needs of this level also affect the behavior of adults: we strive to have a secure job with a stable salary, save money “just in case”, insure apartments and health, put strong locks and bars on windows, constantly try to make some kind of forecasts for the future .

According to many scientists, to a large extent, it is precisely these needs that explain the existence of a system of religious or philosophical beliefs of a person: faith in higher powers, to which one can turn for help and protection, also gives a person a stronger sense of security and protection.

Needs of belonging and love

The next level in Maslow's pyramid - the need for belonging and love - is associated with a person's desire to avoid loneliness, to be accepted into the community of people. Motives of this kind become dominant when the vital needs of the previous two levels are satisfied.

A lot of our behavior is determined by these needs: it is vital for us to feel included in relationships between people, to be "one of" - whether we are talking about family, friends or professional circles, or society as a whole. A small child needs love in the same way as the satisfaction of physiological needs and a sense of security.

The needs of belonging and love are especially pronounced in adolescence: during this period, the motives that grow out of these needs become leading. Psychologists talk about the typical features of adolescent behavior: the main activity at this age is communication with peers, and the search for an authoritative adult (teacher, mentor, leader) is also characteristic. Teenagers passionately want to be “like everyone else” (although different children mean different things by “everyone”): hence the strong susceptibility to fashion, belonging to one or another subculture (these can be rockers, bikers, extreme people, pacifists, or, conversely, nationalist groups and etc.).

If a teenager is fond of some kind of musical direction, the main motive is not so much love for such music as belonging to the fans of a particular group or singer; if he is engaged in some kind of sport (or in general some kind of “extracurricular” activity) - then again, the focus of his interests is usually not so much classes as such, but the fact that they are joint, unite him with other young people.

As we grow older, the needs of belonging and love are focused on more selective, but also deeper relationships: they push people to build a family, not the number of connections, but their quality, depth, becomes more important. Adults usually do not have as many friends as teenagers, but they are already really close people, connections with which are very important for mental well-being.

The needs of belonging, acceptance are expressed to varying degrees in different people: even in adulthood, someone strives to maintain a very wide circle of communication, someone needs only two or three very close attachments. Wanting to explore differences in the need for belonging, the American psychologists Crown and Marlow designed and conducted a curious experiment.

Using a specially designed test to measure the need for social approval, they divided the subjects into two groups. Then the participants of each group were given the task to put twelve coils into a box, and it was required to take them strictly one at a time. After that, the subjects were required to empty the coils from the box and reassemble them. Participants in the experiment with low to moderate scores on the need for social approval test found this task to be very boring and pointless (which, of course, it was!).

But people with a strong need for approval, not only rated this task as interesting and important, but also assured that this experiment allowed them to learn something and would certainly benefit science.

People with a high need for acceptance and social approval are quite recognizable: their conformity, that is, adherence to generally accepted norms, is noticeable both in their demeanor and in their willingness to follow the rules - while they act not forced, but with sincere enthusiasm. Often they do not just dress and comb their hair “like everyone else”, but also try to outwardly emphasize belonging to a group. Let's remember the "form" of football fans: scarves and other accessories of "team" colors are not at all evidence of a great love for the sport, but a sign of unity, a unifying symbol for all "fans".

The need for belonging is very actively exploited by the creators of advertising. The character, not accepted by society, has dandruff and sparse hair, bad breath, acne and tooth decay, he is lonely and confused. But as soon as he acquires all the advertised means, he turns into a popular and sociable person, "fresh breath" facilitates his relationships with others, and "thick hair" ensures success with the opposite sex. No wonder commercials are replete with appeals like “Join in!”, “Join!”, “Participate!”

In modern life, people are quite disunited, despite the development of all kinds of virtual means of communication. Today we do not feel like members of the community - at best, our belonging is limited to a family of three generations, but many are deprived of this. Dissatisfaction with the need for belonging leads to a variety of psychological disorders. At the same time, people who have experienced a lack of intimacy since childhood often experience a strong fear of it in adulthood. On the one hand, they really need close relationships, on the other hand, they neurotically avoid them, fearing to lose their integrity.

A. Maslow singled out two possible types of love (meaning by it not only love between a man and a woman, although, first of all, her, but also other very close, intimate relationships - between parents and children, closest friends):

1. Deficit love (D-love) - the desire to make up for the lack of something vital. The source of this kind of love is unsatisfied needs: protection, self-respect, acceptance. This is selfish love, motivated by the filling of internal gaps, forcing a person only to take, but not to give. Alas, very often at the heart of relationships between people - including long-term ones, for example, marital ones - is precisely deficit love: the participants in such an alliance can live together all their lives, but much in their relationship is determined by inner hunger. Hence dependence, jealousy, fear of losing and the desire to subdue, constant attempts to “pull the blanket over yourself”, suppress and subjugate the partner in order to tie him closer to himself.

2. Existential love (B-love) is a feeling based on the recognition of the unconditional value of another, not for any of his merits or qualities, but simply because he exists. Of course, existential love also satisfies our needs for acceptance, but there is no possessiveness component in it, the desire to take away from another what you yourself need. A person who is capable of experiencing existential love does not try to remake, correct, change a partner, but only encourages all the best in him, supports his desire for growth. Maslow described B-love as a healthy, tender relationship between people based on mutual respect, trust, and admiration.

Speaking about the possibility of such a complex and rare feeling as existential, that is, not selfish and not possessive love, A. Maslow described it as follows: “You can revel in a picture without stealing it from a museum, enjoy a rose without tearing it from a bush, admire a baby without stealing him from his mother, listen to the songs of the nightingale without putting him in a cage. But in the same way, you can admire and enjoy another person without asserting your dominion over him.

Self Esteem Needs

Although this level is designated as self-esteem needs, A. Maslow singled out two types of needs here: the need for self-esteem and the need for respect from other people. However, they are very dependent on each other, and sometimes it is difficult to separate them. However, it can be clarified that the first type of needs includes needs for:

1. feeling of their competence;

2. confidence;

3. achievements;

4. independence and freedom in decision-making.

5. The second type of needs include needs for:

6. prestige;

7. recognition;

8. status;

9. reputation;

10. acceptance.

The need for self-esteem is the desire of a person to know that he is able to cope with the tasks and requirements that confront him, to feel that he is a person. The need for respect from others is the desire to be sure that the people around us recognize and appreciate what we do.

If these needs are not met, there is a feeling of inferiority, dependence and weakness, the meaninglessness of one's own existence. The stronger these experiences, the weaker the ability of a person to actually act effectively - one of the many psychological vicious circles that can be caught in due to a lack of satisfaction of certain needs.

A very important point: self-esteem is healthy and provides psychological stability only when it is based on real respect from other people, and not flattery, pity, status and position in society.

The attitude of those around us, although it depends on our qualities and actions, is by no means absolute; too much of it is caused by factors that we cannot control. Simply put, this attitude is determined not only (and even not so much) by ourselves, but also by the personal characteristics of other people, stereotypes accepted in society, and a variety of influences from the external situation. Therefore, it is very dangerous to build your self-esteem mainly on the assessment of other people.

The need for respect depends on the age of the person: it is assumed that it is most pronounced in young people (who have just formed as a person, are still in search of their professional niche, are establishing family relationships), and becomes less intense in mature years. Psychologists explain this for two reasons.

First, an adult already has a fairly realistic assessment of his true significance and value, based on life experience. Secondly, in most cases, by adulthood, people already acquire the experience of respect, have some confidence in their abilities and qualities - and therefore the needs of self-esteem, although they do not disappear completely, cease to be dominant: the status is more or less established, knowledge of one's own capabilities and potential are present, and the way is opened for higher needs - the needs for self-actualization (see below).

One of the most common and influential needs of this level is the need for achievement, which is given great importance in Western society. A highly developed need for achievement is considered one of the key factors in success in life.

People with a high need for achievement prefer tasks that require effort to solve, but it is important that the task be solvable in principle, that is, satisfaction is not brought by the process of solving, but by the achieved result. For these people, it is important to be able to independently plan their work, set goals and objectives, and rely on their own efforts to solve them, and not instructions from superiors.

Since the need for achievement refers to the level of self-esteem and respect of other people, the main motive here is not so much the practical result of the activity (for example, material reward), but rather the approval of others. People who are motivated to succeed and achieve can work on "bare enthusiasm", if only their work is appreciated, they themselves will receive the much-needed recognition.

Closely related to a strong need for achievement is motivation for success, while people who are less striving for achievement often prefer to act on the basis of the desire to avoid failure.

Features of the need for achievement are laid down in childhood, under the influence of parental attitudes. If parents themselves have this need, they, as a rule, require independence and initiative from their children. Those who have a weak need for achievement tend to overprotect children, give them less freedom, and as a result, children grow up less confident in themselves and their abilities, prefer to rely on guidance, authorities, rather than make their own decisions and take responsibility for themselves.

The need for achievements can also be distorted: wanting to receive respect, approval, recognition from others, a person is nevertheless not ready to make efforts to realize these desires. The general race for achievements often "infects" people who do not have the necessary energy and self-confidence. It is not uncommon for people to attribute to their accomplishments what is really just a game of chance, such as winning a game of chance.

This kind of success creates the illusion of an increase in status, allows a person to feel “wealthy”. So, one of the leading motives of gambling behavior is by no means a thirst for material enrichment, as is commonly believed, and not a desire for risk, but a distorted need to be recognized, to earn the respect of others.

Needs of self-actualization

Finally, the highest level in the pyramid - the need for self-actualization - Maslow defined as the desire of a person to become what he can become: “Musicians play music, artists paint, poets compose poetry if they, in the end, want to be at peace with themselves. People should be what they can become. They must be true to their nature."

One should not think that self-actualization is possible only for artistically gifted people - artists, musicians, etc. Everyone has their own creative and personal potential. Each person has his own calling, and the need for self-actualization means the desire to find this calling in yourself and achieve the opportunity to do exactly this, your favorite thing. Ways and forms of self-actualization are very diverse, and it is at this highest level of needs that people's motivation and behavior are most individual and unique.

Maslow argued that the desire to maximize their potential, in principle, is inherent in all people. Nevertheless, there are very, very few people who are guided by precisely these needs, that is, those whom the scientist called self-actualizing (according to Maslow, who conducted a special study, there are no more than 1% of the total population). Why do the needs inherent in the psyche of each person become motivating stimuli so rarely?

Maslow pointed to three reasons for this unfortunate situation:

1. Ignorance about one's capabilities and misunderstanding of the benefits of self-improvement (doubts about one's own abilities, fear of success).

2. The pressure of social and cultural stereotypes (a person’s potential may run counter to what society as a whole or his immediate environment requires of him: for example, stereotypes of “masculinity” and “femininity” can prevent a young man from becoming a talented dancer or makeup artist, and a girl from achieving success in some "non-female" profession).

3. Opposition to security needs (self-actualization processes sometimes require risky actions, actions without a guarantee of success, readiness to acquire new experience).

What are the people who are guided in life by the needs of this level? For a detailed acquaintance with the topic, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the works of A. Maslow himself, who collected many “portraits” of self-actualizing people and described them very vividly.

We will confine ourselves to a brief enumeration of the qualities that are characteristic of these "best representatives" of human society.

1. A better understanding of reality is the ability to see reality as it is, and not as one would like to see it.

2. Acceptance of oneself, other people and nature - freedom from excessive pressure of shame, anxiety, guilt, harmony not only with one's soul, but also with one's body; the ability to treat with understanding the weaknesses of other people, without the desire to correct and remake them; admiration for nature and an understanding of the fact that laws beyond human control operate in it.

3. Immediacy, simplicity and naturalness - the absence of the desire to produce an effect, to present oneself as someone else, and at the same time, the readiness to behave in accordance with the demands of the situation, if this is of course necessary.

4. Focus on the problem - commitment to some business, vocation, duty; business is perceived above immediate personal needs.

5. Independence and the need for solitude - the need for communication with oneself, the ability for creative, constructive loneliness.

6. Independence - independence from culture and environment, reliance on internal sources of strength and development, the ability to self-control and the absence of exposure to external conditions.

7. Freshness of perception - the ability to notice and appreciate even the most ordinary phenomena, the enjoyment of what is given by nature, fate, other people.

8. Peak experiences - the culminating moments of "enlightenment", a feeling of absolute harmony with the world and nature, going beyond the limits of one's "I".

9. Public interest - a feeling of deep closeness, belonging to the human race, compassion and love for all mankind as a whole.

10. Deep interpersonal relationships - the social circle is small, but the relationship with each of the close people is very close, deep and serious.

11. Democratic character - freedom from class, racial, gender, age and other prejudices, willingness to learn from others.

12. Separation of means and ends - the end never justifies the means; adherence to moral and ethical standards (although not necessarily religiosity); the ability to enjoy various activities for the sake of the pleasure of the activity itself (enjoyment of the means), and not for the sake of achieving the goal (for example, the pleasure of physical exercise as such, and not the desire for the goal of "becoming healthy", etc.).

13. Philosophical sense of humor - the pleasure of that humor that causes a smile rather than laughter, not from those jokes that make fun of someone in particular or hit "below the belt", but rather stupidity and absurdities in human life in general (illustrative an example is the difference between some of the "momentary" jokes of M. Zadornov and the philosophical humor of M. Zhvanetsky).

14. Creativity - spontaneous and natural ability to create, similar to a child; not necessarily creativity in art, but a fresh and free from templates, enthusiastic approach to any business that a person is engaged in.

15. Resistance to cultivation - independence in maintaining one's own values ​​and ideals, disobedience to dogma.

Even this brief description may contribute to the impression that self-actualizing people are some kind of “superhumans”, soaring alone above a huge gray mass. Maslow repeatedly emphasized that this is not at all the case. Yes, in many respects they are exceptional people and form a certain special layer in human society: “These individuals, who themselves are an elite, also choose an elite as friends, but this is an elite of character, abilities and talent, and not blood, race, birth, youth, family, age, name, fame or power."

And these people are by no means angels, devoid of all human shortcomings. They can be difficult to communicate, stubborn, quarrelsome, conceited and quick-tempered. To many, they may seem cold and indifferent, and sometimes indeed behave with a "surgical coldness", especially in situations of conflict resolution. Like all other people, they suffer from insecurity and doubt, or they annoy and offend others.

And yet, they serve as clear evidence that the potential for human growth and development is far greater than most of us are satisfied with.