The meaning of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs theory

In 1943, Abraham Maslow's article A Theory of Human Motivation appeared in Psychological Review, which were further expanded upon in his book: Toward a Psychology of Being  In this article, Abraham Maslow attempted to formulate a needs-based framework of human motivation and based upon his clinical experiences with humans, rather than prior psychology theories of his day from leaders in the field of psychology such as Freud and B.F. Skinner, which were largely theoretical or based upon animal behavior.

From Maslow's theory of motivation, modern leaders and executive managers find means of employee motivation for the purposes of employee and workforce management. Nearly every masters degree program, whether it be marketing, psychology, or project management includes a discussion about how Maslow's needs hierarchy impacts their given profession:

• Masters in psychology need to understand this fundamental building block to modern theories of motivation.
• Masters in marketing need to understand the motivation of their target demographic to suitably identify a campaign that approaches their current level of need.
• Masters in project management need to approach their team members and stakeholders with the appropriate motivation to effectively deliver their projects

The basis of Maslow's theory of motivation is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be addressed. Per the teachings of Abraham Maslow, there are general needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) which have to be fulfilled before a person is able to act unselfishly. These needs were dubbed "deficiency needs." While a person is motivated to fulfill these basal desires, they continue to move toward growth, and eventually self-actualization. The satisfaction of these needs is quite healthy. while preventing their gratification makes us ill or act evilly.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Chart

As a result, for adequate workplace motivation, it is important that leadership understands which needs are active for individual employee motivation. In this regard, Abraham Maslow's model indicates that basic, low-level needs such as physiological requirements and safety must be satisfied before higher-level needs such as self-fulfillment are pursued. As depicted in this hierarchical diagram, sometimes called 'Maslow's Needs Pyramid' or 'Maslow's Needs Triangle', when a need is satisfied it no longer motivates and the next higher need takes its place.

Self-Actualization Esteem Needs Social Needs Safety Needs Physiological Needs