There are various views on Human Motivation, but the most popular among these is given a Scientist named Abraham H. Maslow. He attempted to portray a picture of human behavior by arranging various need in a hierarchy which is commonly known as “Theory of Self-actualisation”. He Proposed this Theory in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” in Psychological Review. This theory was fully expressed in 1954 book “Motivation and Personality”
Maslow used terms like “Psychological”, “safety”, “belonging and love”, “Social Needs or esteem” and “self-actualization” to describe the pattern through which motivation generally move. This means that in order to move to the next level, you must satisfy the previous one. This theory is also a key foundation for understanding the correlation between drive and motivation when we discuss Human Behaviour.
He divided his hierarchy in 5 section or 5 types of needs.
1. Physiological needs: These needs are considered the main physical requirements for human survival. These are the most basic and most important needs for Human.
These include food, water, sleep, shelter, sex.
2. Safety needs: It includes physical safety (war, natural disaster, family violence) as well as economic safety (economic crisis, lack of work). If a person does not feel safe in an environment, they will seek to find safety before they attempt to meet any higher level of survival, But the need for safety is not as important as a basic Physiological needs.
3. Social Belonging: The need for Interpersonal Relationship. Human loves to love and to be loved by others. May people become susceptible to Loneliness, social anxiety, and depression in the absence of this love and belonging element. These needs also include friendship, intimacy, and family.
4. Self-esteem: These needs are ego needs or status needs. Esteem presents the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others. Low self-esteem or inferiority complex is a result of Imbalance in this level of the hierarchy. People with low self-esteem often need respect from others, they seek for fame or glory. However, fame or glory will not help the person to build their self-esteem.
5. Self-actualization: This need refers to what a person’s full potential is and the realization of that potential. Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be. He believed that to understand this level of need, the person must not only achieve the previous needs but master them.
