Understanding the Tenets of Human Motivation Essay

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MASLOW'S HEIRACHY OF NEEDS

ANALYSIS OF MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

Analysis of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

During the 20th century, dominant psychology theories were Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis and Watson and Skinner's behaviorism theories. In both of these theories, they portrayed human beings as faulty machines. Freud's view saw human beings as being driven entirely by primitive urges like aggression and sex. Therefore, while living together in a civilized society, the ever-present impulses must be managed, and it leaves many people hopelessly conflicted at an unconscious level. The view of the behaviorists sees humans are oversized lab rats - programmed to behave the way they do by factors that are beyond their control. Since people are like programmed machines, they can be manipulated into doing anything. From here, Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) became dismayed by attempts made to reduce human psychology to simple mechanisms. Therefore, he wanted to understand and know what constituted positive mental health and happiness and not only mental misery and illness. It is through these assumptions that Maslow was inspired to start a completely new movement in psychology, which he called third wave -- humanistic psychology.

Maslow's theory acknowledged human or existential urge to grow, seek fulfillment and happiness and live to their potential. In essence, Maslow concluded that various factors drive human beings at different times and the forces are hierarchical hence, we start at the bottom layer and work up to the top of the pyramid. The model is called the Hierarchy of Needs. It captures different levels of human motivation propelled into action by factors like biological drives, psychological needs, and higher goals. Maslow's research reveals that to achieve full potential humans need to be interdisciplinary people and thinkers. Self-actualization growth requires personal growth and discovery present throughout a persons' life. The measurement of self-actualization is through the concept of peak experiences and occurs when a person experiences the world entirely. As such, self-actualization is a process that is continuous of becoming. In some instances, Maslow's assumption of lower needs being satisfied before a person achieves their potential and self-actualize is not always the case. As such, Maslow's hierarchy of needs has been falsified in some aspects.

Basic (Physiological) needs

Basic psychological needs are those found at the starting point for the motivation theory. Recent research lines make it necessary to revise conventional notions and the first us the development of the concept of homeostasis and second is the finding that appetites are a somewhat useful indication if actual needs. Homeostasis is the body's natural efforts to maintain a constant, healthy state of the blood stream and described by Canon as the water, salt, sugar, protein, fat, calcium, oxygen contents, constant hydrogen-ion level and a constant temperature of the blood. Examples include sexual desire, sheer activity and sleepiness, and material behavior in animals. Appetite work has been summarized in its relation to body needs, and examples include food, drink among other basic life needs (Maslow, 1943). According to Maslow, these needs are the most instinctive because all needs become secondary until the basic needs are met.

In the field of psychology, Maslow's model is used by building on theoretical and empirical developments at the interface of evolutionary anthropology, biology, and psychology. The revision made has seen the retention of several genuine needs such as physiological, safety and esteem and basic human motives is examined at three different levels of analysis. They are often conflated in Maslow's work. Concerning physicians, social media a modified hierarchy of needs is used and at the bottom level is Security. This level has managed to help physicians to use social media while protecting patient privacy and we understand the behaviors that jeopardize our careers (Chretien & Kind, 2014, p. 1318).

For example, water is a basic need that every individual need in his/her life especially for those working under extreme temperatures. There was a time when I was doing my research, and it involved walking for long distances to gather information. I became very thirsty and needed water to drink, and this need was so urgent that little mattered for the rest of the journey until I had something to drink. Therefore, this level of needs is vital for any human being and in my life, without the basic essential needs, it is most difficult for one to continue living. From this experience, I was able to appreciate the basic nutrition, air and temperature regulation that exist under the basic requirements. Moreover, sexual reproduction is an essential component of this level of needs because it results in the propagation of species.

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If I had died of thirst, I would not have propagated my species to succeed me in future.

Safety needs

These are the need for security and protection. When physiological needs for water and food are met, the safety needs to dominate our behavior. Safety needs all have to do with people's natural desire for a predictable, orderly world that is within our control. In the present world, safety needs manifest themselves as a savings account, job security, financial security, insurance policies, health, and well-being. Safety and security needs concern keeping people safe from any harm, and if an individual does not feel safe in a given environment, they seek to find safety before they attempt to meet higher-level needs in the pyramid. The security needs are essential components for survival, but they are less important than the basic physiological needs.

According to Chretien and Kind (2014), security for the social media and medicine landscape gave focus to the unprofessional online behaviors, and this resulted in the development of social media policies and educational interventions (p. 1319). The educational efforts involved critical reflections of trainees' online presence and explored issues such as personal boundaries and the development of professional identity. Kenrick, Griskevicius, Neuberg and Scaller's article looks at security concerning self-protection and safety motives (2010, p. 296). In the article, they assert that human beings have motivational systems that deal with threats and the systems include rapid learning of associations for stimuli that would most likely have threatened our ancestors. Moreover, it looked at attentional systems that are attuned to the angry expression on the faces of unknown males who posed as a great threat.

The idea of securing a bright future all entails finding a job and through that job, an individual obtains health insurance and health cover. The first time I got a job I decided to make some savings towards my children's future and hence, the money was deposited into a savings account. The motivation that made me do the savings was to move into a safer neighborhood, and this action was motivated by the security and safety needs.

Love and belonging needs

After meeting all the above-stated levels of hierarchical needs, then individuals are motivated to meet the needs represented at higher levels of the pyramid. Through solid relationships, they the love and belonging needs are met such as relationships with family members, peers, teachers, friends and other people individuals interact. A satisfactory relationship is an acceptance by others and after meeting their physiological and security needs, people decide to venture out and seek relationships for which their need for love and belonging are met.

Affiliation and belonging motives are in the next levels; Maslow treats the needs for affection, love and belongingness in one category. The social motivations in this level differ from the first two levels because they are not necessary for the survival of individuals. For example, many other animals have managed to live solitary lives outside their mating season. Nonetheless, for humans, this is not the case because they are exquisitely sensitive to cues of social rejection (Kenrick, Griskevicius, Neuberg & Scaller, 2010). When we talk of trade-offs, solitary life will avoid costs such as competition for local resources, socially transmitted diseases, and exploitation by other group members. However, the benefits to social life and human groups involve the extensive sharing of resources, parenting chores, and knowledge with other group members.

A relationship between romantic partners and even family members is governed by distinct affective states and cognitive decision biases. Sexual jealousy and arousal are distinctly designed to deal with arising opportunities and threats in such relationships, but they do not exist in family relationships. The uneven distribution of costs and benefits that are taken for granted by children and parents triggers emotional reactions associated with the injustices that occur between friends, and they could be grounds for friendship termination. Different developmental periods relate to friendship, romantic love, and familial bonds, but they are worthy to distinguish them in the hierarchy of motives. Another example would be that of hunter-gatherer societies where food sharing within groups is provided as an essential survival policy: this would provide an essential insurance policy for survival.

Esteem needs

After meeting the more basic needs of humans, esteem needs to become important to individuals. After individuals meet their need for belonging and love, they can begin to develop positive feelings of self-esteem and self-worth. The esteem….....

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