Maslow's Hierarchy of Basic Needs

Deficiency Needs

The most prepotent need group, physiological needs, relates to the body's need for food (hunger), water (thirst), air (oxygen), sleep (rest), and optimal temperature (comfort) in order to survive and maintain a state of physiological homeostasis or equilibrium. Safety needs, the second most prepotent need group, include needs for security; protection; stability; and freedom from harm, fear, or constant anxiety. Belongingness and love needs, the next level, are described as the need to belong to and feel loved by significant others and one's affiliated groups, such as family, neighbors, friends, fellow job employees, social club or fraternity members, gang members, or, in general, one's own primary group. The esteem needs, the next hierarchical [Page 634]level, have to do with self-esteem and deserved esteem from others, that is, based on one's accomplishments, status, or appearance. Moreover, the esteem needs encompass the need for approval, self-respect, and respect from others.

Figure 1 Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Basic Needs

Growth Needs

Cognitive needs, the first growth need group on Maslow's hierarchy, are described as needs to know, understand, and explore one's environment and world. Aesthetic needs, the second growth need group on the hierarchy, are defined as needs to appreciate, seek, and strive for beauty, symmetry, and order in the world and in one's environment. The highest Maslowian need is self-actualization, which is the need to develop one's common potential and unique talent at the highest possible level of growth and achievement. It is a personal need for growth and fulfillment toward becoming all that one can become—toward becoming ahealthyperson.

The Nature and Dynamics of Maslow's Basic Needs

Maslow theorized that needs explain much (but not all) of human motivation and striving, and that the gratification of basic needs leads to a holistically healthy or self-actualizing personality, whereas a lack of gratification of the basic needs results in psychopathology or sickness. Maslow used the term sick to include biological, psychological, and spiritual illness, or holistic illness vis-à-vis holistic health.

The most prepotent needs of the person occupy a conscious effort and striving for gratification or satisfaction, whereas the less prepotent needs are unconscious, minimized, denied, or suppressed. Therefore, when one need group is satisfied, the next prepotent need group emerges to dominate the drive or conscious motivational efforts of the person. Moreover, the gratification of the four deficiency needs (physiological, safety, belongingness and love, and esteem) are necessary before the human organism can sufficiently focus on self-actualization and other growth needs as a means toward a healthy or superior personality. Gratification of a need does not imply total gratification or 100% satisfaction, but it suggests the sufficient gratification of one need group before the person focuses on the next need level.

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