Abraham Maslow and The Development of Humanistic Psychology

Introduction

In the mid-to-late 1900s, psychology was not a new field, as it had been around for years by that point in time. During this period, many new ideas were emerging, and one such idea came from a young inspirational man named Abraham Maslow. His new idea was an advancement of the humanistic theory, which was lackluster at that point, and a whole new hierarchy system called The Hierarchy Of Needs, a ranking system of needs that hinder self-actualization. This new idea of his would become a true blessing to psychology, but how he came to understand this and realize his theory is a fascinating story.

Abraham Maslow and The Humanistic Theory

Abraham Maslow was born in April of 1908 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the first of seven children, and he spent most of his childhood immersed in books. He married his first cousin Bertha Goodman against his parents' permission. Maslow initially studied law at City College of New York but later switched to the University of Wisconsin, where he developed an interest in psychology (Cherry, 2020). During the 1950s, Maslow became one of the founders and driving forces of humanistic psychology (Cherry, 2020). His theories included the hierarchy of needs, self-actualization, and peak experiences. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid (Mcleod, 2020). Abraham Maslow shifted focus to look at the positive side of mental health, while other psychologists focused on human nature (Cherry, 2020). His interest in human potential, seeking peak experiences, and improving mental health by seeking personal growth had a lasting influence on psychology. Maslow expanded the field of humanistic psychology to include an explanation of how human needs change throughout an individual's lifespan and how these needs influence the development of personality (“Maslow's Humanistic Theory of Personality”, 2020). Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory has made a major contribution to teaching and classroom management in schools. All of Maslow’s accomplishments would end up being very vital to psychology today. We know a lot more things because of everything he has done. Maslow passed away in June of 1970 due to a heart attack.

Maslow's Notable Accomplishments

Regarding his accomplishments, Maslow had several notable achievements. These include the Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow’s Hammer, Positive psychology, self-actualization, and his advancements in humanistic psychology. His most notable achievement, The Hierarchy of Needs, is a system that establishes the needs of people and how if they aren’t met, they can hinder self-actualization. The hierarchy states that a pressing human need must be mostly satisfied for the person to move on to the next highest need division. Starting with his first publication in 1943, Maslow described human needs as fluid and flowing, with many needs being present at once. His theory states that if a person reaches the top of the hierarchy and has satisfied all needs, they can eventually reach self-actualization, but self-actualization doesn’t just come from satisfying all other needs (Maslow, 2020, Jan 24). The hierarchy goes as follows: the bottom tier is basic needs, such as food, water, sex, breathing, homeostasis, and sleep. The next tier is safety and security needs, including security of body, employment, family, property, health, morality, and resources. The third tier is the love and belonging tier, which includes family, friendship, and sexual intimacy. The fourth tier is achieved when the person is comfortable with what they have done, or the esteem tier, which includes self-esteem, achievements, and respect of others (Maslow, 2020, Jan 24). These first four tiers are called the D-Needs or Direct needs. These needs are those that, if unmet, will make you feel like you are missing something or need to fulfill them. Then there is a neutral phase where people can get creative and explore, but the last tier is interesting. The last tier is where self-actualization occurs and is all about morality, creativity, and problem-solving (Maslow, 2020, Jan 24). His Hierarchy system is considered the best system to help build humanistic psychology.

Humanistic Psychology and Its Implications

Speaking of humanistic psychology and Humanistic theory, Abraham Maslow’s thinking was simple: he wanted people to focus on their basic needs before their higher needs. According to one of our sources, Maslow wanted to know what constituted positive mental health. Humanistic psychology gave rise to several different therapies, all guided by the idea that people possess the inner resources for growth and healing and that the point of therapy is to help remove obstacles to individuals' achieving them. The most famous of these was client-centered therapy, developed by Carl Rogers. Humanistic psychology theory suits people who see the positive side of humanity and believe in free will. This theory clearly contrasts with Freud's theory of biological determinism. Another significant strength is that humanistic psychology theory is compatible with other schools of thought. Maslow's Hierarchy is also applicable to other topics, such as finance, economics, or even history or criminology. Humanistic psychology, also coined positive psychology, is criticized for its lack of empirical validation and, therefore, its lack of usefulness in treating specific problems. It may also fail to help or diagnose people who have severe mental disorders. Although many believe this theory did work, there is still room for improvement.

Flaws in Maslow’s Humanistic Theory

With any theory comes at least a few flaws. Maslow’s humanistic theory is no exception. The entire theory is based on the hierarchy of needs, in order from bottom to top: physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging, esteem, and finally self-actualization. Each of the bottom four needs requires some social interaction, while the sought-after need, self-actualization, is obviously without social interaction (“Why Maslow's Self-Actualization Theory Is Not Quite Right”, N.D.). All of Maslow’s ideas are known to focus on Western culture, and anyone from Eastern cultures would have trouble using his theory towards self-actualization (“Pros and Cons of Maslow's Hierarchy - Consumer Behaviour: a needs perspective”, N.D.). Since all people are individuals, each person can progress through this hierarchy at different rates, some faster and some slower. There is really no feasible way to test the amount of satisfaction required for each category to move up a tier (“Pros and Cons of Maslow's Hierarchy - Consumer Behaviour: a needs perspective”, N.D.). Maslow’s hierarchy model is also known to be quite simplistic. The requirements or needs for each tier can be achieved by doing some of the same actions (“Pros and Cons of Maslow's Hierarchy - Consumer Behaviour: a needs perspective”, N.D.).

Conclusion

Abraham Maslow and his humanistic theory, although somewhat controversial, are still widely used today. His adolescence can be credited for his major psychology successes. Abraham Maslow once said, “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” This is a model we should all attempt to live by.

References

1. Cherry, K. (2020). Abraham Maslow and the Humanistic Psychology. Verywell Mind.
2. Mcleod, S. (2020). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology.
3. Maslow, A. (2020, Jan 24). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. In A Theory of Human Motivation. Wilder Publications.
4. Maslow's Humanistic Theory of Personality. (2020). Psychology Today.
5. Why Maslow's Self-Actualization Theory Is Not Quite Right. (N.D.). Exploring Your Mind.
6. Pros and Cons of Maslow's Hierarchy - Consumer Behaviour: a needs perspective. (N.D.). Study.com.