The essence of Maslow's theory of motivation. Abraham Maslow's Theory of Motivation
Abraham Harold Maslow(1908–1970) – American psychologist, founder humanistic psychology, leader of the behaviorist direction of management thought.
A. Maslow was born in Brooklyn. Having received a psychological education, he initially studied the social behavior of primates. A doctorate in psychology was awarded to A. Maslow at the University of Wisconsin. He began his teaching career at Brooklyn College and later became a professor. social psychology and chair of the psychology department at Brandeis University. In 1967–1968 served as president of the American Psychological Association.
Main works:“The Theory of Human Motivation” (1943), “Motivation and Personality” (1954), “Towards the Psychology of Being” (1962), “Eupsychic Control” (1965), “Psychology of Science” (1967).
A. Maslow’s theories were formed under the influence of the achievements of various scientific disciplines: anthropology, biology, clinical psychology and psychoanalysis. According to many scientists, the researcher's main contribution to management science is associated with the development of the theory of the hierarchy of needs, known as the pyramid of needs.
Motivation theory. A. Maslow formulated a new theory of motivation, in which he outlined his view on understanding the mechanisms of human behavior. Unlike school supporters scientific management, he argued that the motives for people’s actions are mainly not economic factors, but various needs that can only be partially and indirectly satisfied with the help of money.
In his theory, A. Maslow proceeded from the fact that motivation is continuous, endless and changeable, it is universal characteristic almost any organismic condition. The only reliable basis for constructing a theory of motivation is the classification of intangible goals and human needs. According to A. Maslow, a person has many different needs. Conventionally, they can be divided into basic and meta-needs.
Basic needs are constant and are arranged according to the principle of hierarchy. They can be divided into five main categories (levels):
1. Physiological needs. They are necessary for a person’s daily existence (needs for food, drink, sleep, clothing, shelter, etc.). Their intensity exceeds the desire to satiate any other needs more high level, but only if they are dissatisfied.
2. Need for security(existential needs). It includes the needs for protection from environmental aggression, stability, order, law and confidence in the future. This need is more clearly manifested in children, and in adults it is, as a rule, hidden character. The need for security rarely acts as an active force; it dominates only in a critical situation.
3. The need for belonging and love(social needs). A person is characterized by a desire to belong to a certain social group and interact with other people included in it. A. Maslow initially defined this level only as the need for love, and later added the need for socialization.
4. Need for recognition(prestigious needs). The needs at this level are divided into two classes. The first includes desires and aspirations associated with the concept of “achievement”: self-esteem, confidence, competence. In the second class - the need for respect from others, recognition of a person’s personal achievements and their high evaluation, gaining high status, fame, career growth and leadership in a team.
5. Self-actualization needs(spiritual needs). Spiritual needs presuppose self-realization of the individual, the fullest use of knowledge and abilities, and the desire for self-expression through creativity.
If the previous lists of needs implied that a person experiencing one of the needs cannot at the same time experience another, then A. Maslow emphasized that the relationship between needs is not subject to the principle of mutual exclusivity. On the contrary, they are so closely intertwined with each other that it is almost impossible to separate one from the other. The hierarchy of basic needs is shown schematically in Fig. 11.1.
Rice. 11.1. Pyramid of needs according to A. Maslow
To satisfy basic needs, according to A. Maslow, several social conditions: freedom of speech, choice of activity, freedom of expression, the right to research activity and obtain information, the right to self-defense, as well as a social structure characterized by justice, honesty and order.
Unlike basic needs, the value of meta-needs is the same, so they do not have a hierarchy. Meta-needs include: the need for justice, well-being, unity social life etc.
A. Maslow pointed out that meta-needs are unity with fundamental, basic needs. The lack of unity of these needs leads to “metapathology”, manifested in a lack of values, meaninglessness and purposelessness of life.
Many scientists have made attempts to classify needs, but only A. Maslow considered groups of motives that are ordered in a value hierarchy according to their role in personality development; in addition, he identified the laws of constructing needs and driving forces motivation. It is not the needs themselves that are the motivators of behavior, but the degree to which they are satisfied. The driving force behind motivation is the fact that people can never fully achieve their goals. As soon as one goal is achieved and any need is satisfied, a new goal arises related to the need to satisfy the newly emerged need, etc.
A. Maslow formulated the basic principles characterizing human nature:
1) people's needs can never be satisfied absolutely;
2) a state of partial or complete dissatisfaction of needs prompts a person to action;
3) there is a hierarchy of needs.
According to the principle of hierarchy developed by A. Maslow, the needs of each new level become relevant for the individual only after previous requests are satisfied. Unlike previous theories of motivation, in which physiological needs were the starting point of motivation, in A. Maslow they appear to be relatively isolated and are used as “channels” for other, higher or more complex needs. Although the unsatisfied need plays a primary role, after its satisfaction it can no longer dominate, but exists only potentially, with an emphasis on moving forward to higher needs. Moreover, all needs function cyclically: they are repeated after a certain period of time.
The needs of lower levels are inherent in all people approximately equally, and the needs of higher levels are inherent in unequal degrees. Higher needs help differentiate individuals and are of great importance for the formation value orientations person's personality.
The highest human need is self-realization. Self-actualization needs are not well defined and reflect a wide range of cultural and individual differences. According to A. Maslow’s calculations, self-actualizing and self-actualizing individuals make up about 1% of the population. They represent an example of psychologically healthy individuals and serve as a standard for most people. It is self-actualizing individuals who have meta-needs.
Studying the motivation for personal development, A. Maslow formulated 15 main traits inherent in the so-called self-actualizing individuals:
1. Effective perception of reality and comfortable relationship with reality. Self-actualized people are characterized by an adequate perception of reality, free from the influence of current needs, stereotypes and prejudices, and a lack of fear of the unknown and uncertainty.
2. Acceptance (of yourself, others, nature). Self-actualized people accept human nature as it is, do not embellish reality, they are characterized by the absence of artificial, defensive forms of behavior (hypocrisy, hypocrisy, falsehood and pretense), as well as rejection of such behavior on the part of others.
3. Spontaneity, simplicity and naturalness. Self-actualized people are quite spontaneous in their behavior and extremely spontaneous in their inner life, thoughts, while observing established rituals, traditions, ceremonies, but treating them with a good-natured grin.
4. Service. This involves focusing on external problems and solving fundamental issues (life in a global coordinate system). Such people are not busy with introspection, but with their life mission or calling. They often relate their activities to universal values and tend to view them from the perspective of eternity rather than the current moment.
5. Detachment, need for solitude. Such people are characterized by a tendency toward loneliness; they take a position of detachment in relation to many events, including the events of their own lives. This helps them endure troubles relatively calmly and be less susceptible to environmental influences.
6. Autonomy, independence from culture and environment, will and activity. This means high stability under the influence of destructive forces, the ability to self-heal, and independence from the opinions of others. At the same time, autonomy presupposes self-determination, the ability to accept responsibility, and an active search for solutions.
7. Fresh look on things. Self-actualized people simply enjoy life, every time they find something new in what they already know.
8. Mystical experiences and higher experiences. A feeling of disappearance of one’s own “I”, extreme concentration and immersion in the problem.
9. A sense of identification with humanity as a whole.
10. Interpersonal relationships. A self-actualized person is able to completely merge with a loved one and become a part of him. Characterized by the absence of manifestations of hostility in interpersonal relationships.
11. Democratic. This is manifested in respect for any person and a willingness to learn from others.
12. The ability to distinguish means from ends, good from evil. Self-actualizing individuals behave highly morally and have a keen sense of good and evil. They are goal-oriented and know how to enjoy the process.
13. Philosophical sense of humor. Such people treat life in general, their professional activities, and themselves with humor.
14. Creativity. This trait is understood as a way of perceiving the world and interacting with reality; it does not depend on what a person does and appears in all actions of a self-actualizing personality.
15. Resistance to cultural influences, cultural transcendence. Self-actualized people do not unconditionally accept the culture to which they belong; they treat it quite critically, choosing the good from it and rejecting the bad.
Thus, according to A. Maslow, a self-actualizing personality is distinguished by custom installation in relation to the surrounding reality. A. Maslow does not idealize such a person, emphasizing that she is also subject to shortcomings, wrong actions, stubbornness, irritability, and inattention to others.
Hierarchy of needs concept A. Maslow served as the basis for many models of work motivation. According to his teachings, if management takes greater care of its employees, their level of satisfaction will increase, which, in turn, will contribute to increased productivity. Management must identify the needs of the employee and use motivation methods that correspond specifically to these needs.
The concept of enlightened management. Based on A. Maslow's diary entries from the early 1960s. A book was published, which in the first edition was called “Eupsychic Control”. In Russia it was republished under the title “Maslow on Management.” This work presents the scientist’s views on such management problems as: the formation of a new enlightened economy and management, leadership, differences in leadership styles in different levels managerial hierarchy, psychological characteristics of managers and entrepreneurs, social improvement and self-actualization of the individual.
The author noted that as the economy and society develop, the level of education and mental health people are abandoning previous authoritarian forms of management and there is an increasing need to use enlightened management methods, which become the main condition for winning the competition. Eupsychic or enlightened management seemed to him a characteristic sign of the future.
A. Maslow identified 37 characteristic features and principles of enlightened management policy. They can be briefly characterized as follows.
Trust in people, taking into account individual differences of workers.
Providing employees with the most complete and relevant information about the situation in the organization.
The constant desire of employees for improvement and self-actualization. Considering that people in organizations are not limited to satisfying only the need for security. Workers should be given meaningful tasks, so that even the most mundane tasks will be seen as a path towards achieving some meaningful goal.
Refusal of dominant-subordination hierarchy or authoritarianism.
Replacing polarization and dichotomies of any kind with the principle of hierarchical integration. Taking into account the fact that all employees pursue the same management goals and associate themselves with them, regardless of their place in the organization or in the hierarchy.
Forming relationships between members of the organization on the basis of goodwill, rather than rivalry or envy. Emphasis on good teamwork, friendship, team spirit, common interests and love.
Presence of synergy. A. Maslow defines synergy as a culture in which what is useful for the individual is also beneficial for society. Cultures with a high level of synergy are characterized by safety, benevolence and high morality, while the main features of cultures with a low level of synergy are conflict and low morality, in which the success of one turns into failure for everyone else.
Impartiality and objectivity in assessing the abilities and skills of not only employees, but also managers.
Freedom to express disagreement, dissatisfaction and irritation.
The attitude of employees towards their boss is with love (and not with hatred), with respect (and not with contempt). Although most people would like not to be afraid of others, they nevertheless prefer fear to contempt for their boss.
Viewing workers as skilled, strong, capable of handling complex tasks, and preferring responsibility to dependence and passivity. Employees should feel respected and valued by the organization. In organizations that use an enlightened management system, the employee strives to be not just a passive assistant, addition or “tool,” but a driving force in the development of the organization.
However, as A. Maslow notes, this type of people is not universal, therefore the enterprise needs to improve the personnel selection system.
According to A. Maslow, his theory of eupsychic control corresponded to the concept of “advanced human beings Theory Y” by D. McGregor and the modern level of development of the United States. The application of the principles of enlightened management would promote success in a variety of areas, including finance, and would lead to the building of a better society. At the same time, the value of enlightened management methods is determined not only by production behavior, the quantity and quality of the product produced, but also by “side” manifestations. Among the latter, A. Maslow considered the formation of more perfect individuals, ready for altruism, helping others and intolerant of injustice. In essence, he sought to transform his approach into a religious concept in the spirit of modern New Age religion.
In 1968, A. Maslow proposed introducing the concept of “Theory Z” into management theory. He proceeded from the fact that people who have reached a certain level of economic security strive for new values; they want work to allow a person to reveal his creative potential. A. Maslow wrote that “as personality develops, money gradually loses its relative importance, while other, developed forms of reward (meta-reward) begin to acquire increasing importance.” Even in cases where monetary reward continues to retain external significance, it may be associated not with its own meaning, but with its symbolic meaning, which may be a reflection of status, success, self-esteem.”
A. Maslow drew attention to the fact that when hiring qualified and administrative workers, not only money is important for them, but the opportunity to satisfy higher-order needs. For such employees, the high status of the company, good conditions labor, friendly atmosphere, independence, autonomy and possibility of implementation own ideas. In his opinion, the United States is turning into a managerial community, and in the sphere of production there is an increase in the influence of humanistic positions.
A. Maslow insisted on creating organizations in which a person gets the opportunity to fully realize his true potential. The leader must play a big role in this. According to the researcher, power cannot be trusted to a person who seeks power for the sake of power. In most situations the best leader and the leader will be the one who is closer to self-actualization, who has managed to satisfy everything
their basic needs, to achieve recognition and respect.
Leadership theory. A. Maslow proposed a new approach to assessing leadership and its organizing role. He distinguished D-leadership - the desire for power over other people - and B-leadership (second-level leadership, or functional leadership) - the desire for power, which can allow solving a problem. In D-leadership, the individual himself strives to occupy command positions. Typically, the D-manager underestimates or ignores the objective needs of the group, situation, or job.
In B-leadership, subordinates provide power to the leader voluntarily and consciously, so a trusting relationship is established between the group and the leader. The fact that a person does not strive for leadership speaks in his favor. In a production situation, a B-leader is the one who can do the job better than others or organize the task in the best way. A B-leader must be able to give orders, be strong and authoritative.
The concept of B-leadership is associated with the concept of B-power, i.e. the power necessary to implement the values of the second level (B-values): truth, goodness, beauty, justice, perfection, order, etc. B-power allows you to build better world or make it more perfect. By analogy, A. Maslow introduces the concept of a B-follower - an employee who so identifies himself with the task at hand that he wants to do the corresponding job in the best possible way. In some situations, a B-follower can turn into a B-leader.
The requirements for a B-follower and a B-leader are approximately the same. These include: the ability to do a job better than others, the ability to better monitor the situation and control the progress of work, the presence of a special psychological predisposition, which means the ability to enjoy the successes and self-actualization of other people. A good manager must meet these requirements. In addition, A. Maslow emphasizes the connection between psychological health and the characteristics of the best managers, supervisors, etc.
According to A. Maslow, a good manager must be able to meet the “objective requirements of an objective situation.” This involves building management policies taking into account the behavioral characteristics of various social groups and personality types. This approach extends to the sphere of economics, politics, education, family, friendships, etc. For example, it is unacceptable to fully use American political values and principles of governance in countries with a different history, culture, and with different individuals. Also, in relation to authoritarian personalities, A. Maslow believed that it would be more expedient to use forceful methods of influence, and when the character of the employee really changes and he can work in conditions that imply reliability and independence, then it will be possible to try to use a more democratic management style.
The ideas of A. Maslow have remained popular among management theorists and practitioners for more than fifty years. However, his concepts of motivation, hierarchy of needs, principles of management policy contain a number of controversial and debatable points.
The main provisions of the hierarchy of needs theory have not been confirmed in scientific research. Critics of his theory of motivation point out the following points:
Lack of empirical evidence;
Lack of a clear five-level hierarchical structure of needs;
Insufficient consideration of individual differences of people, the fact that needs manifest themselves differently depending on the gender, age of the employee, his position in the organization, the content of the work, etc.;
Impossibility for an ordinary employee precise definition your own level of needs;
Development complexity for managers effective methods motivation based solely on hierarchy theory
needs;
Insufficient consideration of the influence of organizational, social, economic and political factors on individual behavior;
Dissemination of the results of clinical studies of neurotics to the entire society.
Despite this, from the publication of the concept of motivation in 1943 until approximately the 1970s. A. Maslow was considered a leading theorist in the field of motivation, and most later theories of motivation were also based on his ideas to one degree or another.
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Maslow A. Motivation and personality. St. Petersburg: Eurasia, 1999. pp. 77–101.
Classics of management: translated from English. / ed. M. Warner. St. Petersburg: Peter, 2001. P. 510.
Classics of management: translated from English. / ed. M. Warner. St. Petersburg: Peter, 2001. P. 509.
Maslow A. Motivation and personality. St. Petersburg: Eurasia, 1999. pp. 224–252.
Maslow A. Maslow on management: trans. from English St. Petersburg: Peter, 2003. pp. 53–82.
Right there. P. 164.
Golubev K.I. History of management: the tendency of humanization. St. Petersburg: Legal Center Press, 2003. P. 66.
Maslow A. Maslow on management: trans. from English St. Petersburg: Peter, 2003. P. 121.
Right there. pp. 219–228.
Right there. P. 145.
Output of the tutorial:
Management history: training manual/ E. P. Kostenko, E. V. Mikhalkina; Southern Federal University. - Rostov-on-Don: Southern Federal University Publishing House, 2014. - 606 p.
The history of science knows many attempts to substantiate certain motives of human activity; it seems that this question should generally be considered in the context of “eternal” questions, and put on a par with such as “who am I,” “what am I for,” “what I can" and so on. Among modern concepts that aim to answer the question of the motives of human activity, one can cite Alderfer’s growth theory, the doctrine of acquired needs, developed by McClelland, Herzberg’s concept of two factors and a number of others.
In the mid-fifties of the last century, the theory caused a significant resonance in the scientific world Maslow's motivation, which the scientist developed, initially focusing on the need to form modern management systems for socio-economic behavior in
As the starting points of his doctrine, A. Maslow proceeded from the adoption of such provisions, which then became the prerequisites for the formulation of the main ideas of the theory of motivation.
So, Maslow argued that human needs are an objective fact, while various stages of his existence he can experience first one of them, then another. Moreover, some of them may be present throughout life, while others may occur episodically. On this basis, the scientist concludes about the existence of a certain hierarchy in and, consequently, about the motives that are formed by them. As Maslow's theory of motivation states, in the course of life, needs that are not satisfied encourage activities aimed at satisfying them.
Further, if some of them are already satisfied, then they, in turn, form the motives for “taking” a higher level. Based on this ranking, A. Maslow’s classification took the form of a pyramid, at the base of which he put needs, the satisfaction of which is the primary task. These are physiological: in food, rest, sleep and other factors of the elementary physical life support of the individual. According to Maslow, needs that have already been satisfied do not motivate a person to be active, and, in addition, their structure is dynamic - some that are already satisfied are replaced by others that are unsatisfied.
According to A. Maslow, it contains five levels (or steps).
At the first stage there are those that provide a person with basic survival in natural environment as a biological being. These are the needs for a clean atmosphere, water, shelter, food, rest and so on.
The second stage is occupied by needs, on the basis of which motives for ensuring one’s own safety are formed, and here Maslow’s motivation includes not only aspects of a physical nature, but also social ones - these are motives that encourage good work in order to have higher earnings, live more comfortably, receive medical care etc.
The most ordinary person-in recognition, in communication, maintaining partnerships and friendships, in organizing and maintaining collective forms of life are located in the middle of A. Maslow’s pyramid.
At the fourth stage, Maslow’s theory of motivation provides for the location of needs that mediate and determine motives of a high social level - inducing activities that provide social recognition, achievement of power status, claims for public recognition of a person’s services to society.
The fifth stage is occupied by needs that initiate motives of personal social significance. Here a person is motivated to achieve high creative indicators and their recognition by society.
Since Maslow’s theory of motivation assumes that the connections in the pyramid are dynamic, that is, the achievement of one need forms a new one, and then the motive to satisfy it, it is important to imagine and be able to answer the question of what happens when a person reaches the fifth, the last, top step?
A. Maslow answers this question in such a way that achieving such a level does not mean at all that there is a disappearance or some weakening of the effect of needs on the formation of motives for activity.
According to Abraham Maslow, carefully described in his works “Motivation and Personality”, it has found wide application in the field of personnel management, in the art of product promotion, and in psychology.
It is curious that at one time, when the author himself presented his vision of the driving forces in every person, his theory was received with hostility by the intellectual elite. There is still no clear opinion. Someone puts Maslow’s theory of motivation as the cornerstone in their practical activities, and someone still doesn’t trust her...
The brief essence of this theory is presented in the article: below you can download the original “Motivation and Personality”, in which you will never even encounter the word “ Pyramid"(but thoughts about the hierarchy of needs can be seen very clearly). The author devoted 16 years to studying human needs, despite the general criticism of authorities in the field of psychology, and rethought his works several times...
Therefore, it is very difficult to make a grimace, a consistency from his works, and compress it all into one article.
To visually represent his theory and understand the essence, it is enough to understand his super short version in the form of a pyramid, link above...
But still, I will try, firstly, to list the most important theses from his theory of motivation, and secondly, I will announce the very interesting thoughts of A. Maslow.
Maslow's theory of motivation
A person is motivated in his life by needs, so below are the needs themselves from primary and dominant to high-level:
1. Physiological needs
Physiological needs are expressed in urges, unconscious, semi-conscious or explicit, aimed at ensuring the vital activity of the human organism (body) as a whole.
In most (but not always), this is a motivation to satisfy hunger, thirst, the need for sleep... etc.
First of all, a person strives to satisfy these very needs. Because they are paramount, he will not think about love while he is very hungry, until the body satisfies its physiological needs for its normal functioning.
The thoughts and actions of a person whose physiological needs are not satisfied will be aimed entirely at satisfying them. The entire psychology of the individual as a whole will be affected. So such a person will fulfill exactly this need in his life. But as soon as he satisfies it, his attention will shift to satisfying a “higher” need...
2. Need for security
This is the next level of need after satisfaction physiological needs.
The desires of the individual (all the efforts of the mind) will be aimed at ensuring the protection of his life and interests.
Typically, this includes: the very need for human safety in general (protection from adversities associated with life), the desire for stability and constancy (freedom from fears and anxieties), the need for structure, order, law... etc. (based, in part, , like the first need - on the so-called self-preservation instincts)
It will dominate over all other needs only in the most critical situations, when a person realizes a high degree of danger as a threat to his life.
3. The need for belonging and love (social needs)
This is the next level of a person’s desire (his motivation) after satisfying the need for security.
The goals in the life of such a person are: not to be lonely, to be loved and accepted by society. To be understood by him, to find a soul mate, or his soul mate (although this case may contain other needs). The desire to belong to a group, a nation...
Maslow speaks of social needs as herd instincts - the underlying basis of this need.
If it is not satisfied, it can lead to disastrous psychological trauma and consequences... And if it is successfully satisfied, the individual gains confidence in his abilities, in his significance...
4. The need for self-actualization
Having satisfied all the above needs, a person seeks an environment and activity in which he can express himself, express his full potential, which is different from the abilities and talents of other people. This is self-actualization.
This can happen differently for each individual. Some people want to achieve great heights, but for others, little is enough. Some connection is observed with the intelligence of the individual himself. The more intellectual this person is, the more pretentious his desires, the more unique his needs for self-actualization.
Desire, craving for freedom, democracy are manifestations of such a need. Because only in a free environment, with freedom of speech and action, can one express oneself sufficiently flexibly.
5. Need for knowledge and understanding
It can be expressed differently - as curiosity and the desire to satisfy it, a desire to systematize and generalize information. The next step after satisfying the needs listed above.
On the one hand, curiosity is the desire to find new information, which would help satisfy lower needs or improve their quality. Such cognition is a feature of all highly evolved mammals.
On the other hand, the process of learning and accepting new things is in itself not connected with other needs, it is emotionally rich, causing emotional and sensitive experiences.
If the previously described needs: may occur in certain moment- the moment of saturation, then the need for knowledge and understanding is not limited both in time and in achievement.
6. Aesthetic needs
A little-studied need, in other words, the need for beauty and correctness, truth, truth... It is very problematic to clearly separate it from other needs. Circumstantial evidence points to its existence.
Maslow: Motivation and personality, interesting thoughts from his works
There are quite a lot of interesting thoughts; you can download the book itself below. But the most interesting thoughts in the context of the blog are worth voicing.
Man never will not understand the needs of other people if he himself has never experienced them before.(who grew up in abundance of food, can be extremely cruel to poor people who are in dire need of food).
Having satisfied a need, especially a lower one, the focus of a person’s attention shifts to the desire to satisfy a higher need, at the same time, the person himself may already experience apathy (indifference) to disgust (disgust) towards a recently satisfied need.
A person values what can satisfy his basic needs, and ceases to appreciate what has already been satisfied, but at some stage a reverse may occur - a return to the old need (we don’t value what we have, and when we lose it, we cry)
All positive human values (kindness, generosity, goodness, mutual assistance... etc.) are in fact the basic primary needs of a person.
A. Maslow “Motivation and Personality” (2nd edition)
November 15, 2013
Abraham Harold Maslow (1907-1970) was a representative of behaviorists, one of the most prominent founders of humanistic psychology. The main book of Maslow's theory is Motivation and Personality, published in 1954. It was subsequently revised and supplemented by the author in 1970.
Maslow divided all human needs into five groups and called them basic needs. That is, according to Maslow’s theory, people have a large number of different needs, but he also believed that they can be divided into five main categories.
In Maslow's theory, the famous pyramid of needs shows that all of them are satisfied by the individual in a hierarchical order: from lowest to highest, that is, from the base of the pyramid to its top.
Maslow's theory states that at any given moment in time a person will satisfy the need that is most important and strong for him. But when a person develops as a person, his potential capabilities expand. Therefore, the highest need, the need for self-expression, can never be fully satisfied. And if so, then the process of motivating a person through his needs is an endless process.
The first level needs according to Maslow's theory are physiological needs
These are the needs for food, sleep, shelter, etc. According to Maslow's theory, until a person satisfies these needs, he will not develop new ones. From the point of view of labor motivation, these needs are material. These include the need for a stable salary, as well as other monetary rewards. Satisfying the needs of this group is possible through methods of material incentives.The second level according to Maslow's theory is safety needs.
That is, it is not just the need for food and shelter, but also the confidence that he can satisfy this need every day. From the point of view of social and labor relations, this is pension and social security, which can be obtained subject to good reliable work, a social package, various types social insurance.The third stage according to Maslow's theory is social needs, the need for communication.
How less people communicates with his own kind, the more he degrades. And vice versa. And when a person communicates, he wants others to accept him, a feeling of social interaction and support arises.These needs are expressed in the presence of a permanent place of work, attachment to one’s team, and warm relationships with work colleagues. People get used to one place of work, and even if they have the opportunity to get a higher-paying job, they still don’t quit.
It makes sense for an employer to take measures to meet the social needs of employees. For example, to meet the social needs of workers in the process of collective work, the following activities should be carried out:
- give employees work that would provide them with the opportunity to communicate during the work process;
- hold business meetings with employees from time to time;
- try not to destroy informal groups that have arisen if they do not cause real damage to the enterprise;
- create conditions for social activity of employees of the organization outside its framework;
- create a team spirit locally.
The fourth stage according to Maslow's theory is the need for respect and recognition.
This is, first of all, the need for self-respect, recognition from others, pride in one’s achievements. To meet the recognition needs of his employees, a manager can apply the following measures:- offer employees jobs that highlight their value;
- provide positive feedback on the results achieved (praise, certificates, prize competitions);
- highly evaluate and encourage the work results achieved by subordinates;
- involve employees in making important decisions;
- delegate additional rights and powers to subordinates;
- provide training and retraining that improves competence.
And the fifth, highest level according to Maslow’s theory is the need for self-realization and personal growth.
According to Maslow's theory, only after satisfying lower needs does a person begin personal growth, his formation as an individual. To meet the self-expression needs of employees, you should:- provide employees with training and development opportunities that enable them to fully utilize their potential;
- delegate complex and important work, requiring their full commitment and increasing their importance;
- stimulate and create conditions for the development of creative abilities among employees.
Application of Maslow's theory
Maslow's theory is widely used in management, but is also the subject of criticism.
First, Maslow's theory has been criticized for not taking into account individual differences in people and the preferences they develop based on past experiences.
Secondly, in fact, there are enough historical examples, when a person turned away from physiological needs in favor of some high ones. For example, many Christians in ancient times were martyred for their religious values. Even animal studies have proven that physiological needs do not dominate their decision making.
I tried to give an answer to the inconsistency of Maslow's theory.
"Maslow's Pyramid"- the unofficial 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 theories of motivation (pyramids) lies the thesis that human behavior is determined by a number of basic needs that can be arranged 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 urgent, the 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, first of all he will strive to satisfy his physical rather than emotional hunger. According to Maslow, if physiological urges dominate in the body, then all other needs may not even be felt by the person. The desire to write poetry, buy a car, interest in native history, passion for yellow shoes - against the background of physiological needs, all these interests and desires either fade or disappear altogether, because a person feeling mortal hunger will not be interested in anything other than food.
2. Need for security
After satisfying physiological needs, their place in the motivational life of the individual is taken by needs that are general view can be combined into the category of security (the need for stability, protection, freedom from fear, anxiety and chaos, order, law, restrictions). According to Maslow's theories of motivation, these desires can also dominate the body 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, among 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 give preference to 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 highest levels to the level of security. The natural and predictable reaction of society to such situations is calls to restore order, at any cost, even at the cost of dictatorship and violence.
3. The 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 theory of motivation, the need for love, affection, and belonging is updated. A person, more than ever, begins to acutely feel the lack of friends, the absence of a loved one, wife or children, and craves warm, friendly relationships. 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 personal growth groups, as well as interest clubs, according to Maslow, is to some extent dictated by an unquenched thirst for communication, the need for intimacy, belonging, and the desire to overcome the feeling of loneliness. The inability to satisfy the need for love and belonging, from Maslow’s point of view, usually leads to maladjustment, and sometimes to more serious pathology.
4. Need for recognition
Every person, according to Maslow, (with rare exceptions associated with pathology) constantly needs recognition, a stable and, as a rule, high assessment own merits. Each of us needs both the respect of those 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 feeling 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. Satisfying 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, serves as a basis for despondency and triggers 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 again feel dissatisfied - because he is not doing what he is predisposed to. If a person wants to live at peace with himself, he must be who 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 potentials 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 works, published in the 1960s and 70s, Maslow classifies the need for self-actualization not as a basic need, but as a more advanced one. high category needs, which he described as “(personal) growth needs” (also called “value” or “being needs” or “meta-needs”). This list also included the need for understanding and knowledge (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 the need th
Maslow identifies a number of social conditions necessary to satisfy basic needs: freedom of speech and self-expression, the right to research and obtain 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 opportunity to satisfy their basic needs.
A measure of hierarchy rigidity
Maslow notes that hierarchy of needs is 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 pressing than the need for love. This is the most common case of reversion.
Measure of need satisfaction
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; rather, we should talk about the gradual actualization of higher needs, about their slow awakening and activation. For example, if the underlying need A is only 10% satisfied, then the higher level need B may not be detected at all. However, if need A is satisfied by 25%, then need B “awakens” by 5%, and when need A receives 75% satisfaction, then need B may reveal itself by 50%, and so on.
Notes and comments FORMATTA
Was there a pyramid?
The image of a pyramid, widely used throughout the world for illustration Maslow's theories of motivation, in fact, is far from indisputable. Maslow himself does not mention the pyramid in his works (neither in verbal nor in visual form).
On the contrary, in Maslow’s works there is a different visual image - a spiral (Maslow writes about the individual’s transition to higher-level needs: “the motivational spiral begins a new turn”). The image of a spiral, undoubtedly, better reflects the main postulates of Maslow’s theory of motivation: dynamism, development, smooth “flowing” of one level into another (as opposed to the static and strict hierarchy of the pyramid).
The article is an abstract summary 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. Quotes are given without quotation marks, as close to the original as possible.