The Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow carried out investigations to elucidate why individuals are driven by specific needs at specific occasions. He sought to understand the difference in the behavior of people such as the reason why one individual may use many resources on personal safety whereas the other individual use the same amount of resources to gain the respect of others. He found out that the needs of every person are arranged in a hierarchical manner. This arrangement is from the most pressing need at the bottom of the chart to the least pressing at the top, and they include psychological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, as well as self-actualization needs, which are to be met according to the level of importance. After meeting that particular need, it will no longer be a motivator and the individual will then make efforts to meet the next pressing need.

As an example, an individual who is hungry (psychological need) may not be concerned about the events taking place in the art world (self-actualization needs). He or she may not be equally concerned on how other people respect him or her (social or esteem needs). Moreover, whether other people are breathing clean air or not (safety needs) may not concern the starving individual. However, as each pressing need is met, the subsequent most pressing need come into focus. For example, a person who wants to purchase a camera, it can be assumed that person has successfully met his or her psychological, safety, and social needs since these factors do not drive him or her to purchase the device. The interest to purchase the device may be attributed to a strong need to gain the respect of others, or a need for self-actualization as he or she may desire to show his or her skills and to express him or herself by means of photography.