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Dr.
Abraham Maslow (1908 – 1970) |
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Definitely, one of the cooler thinkers of the 20th
century. Dr. Peter Drucker considered Maslow to be the Father of Human Psychology.
Being lauded by Drucker, who himself is recognized by the business world
as the Father of Modern Management, is indeed an honor. |
Maslow’s
Contribution to Society |
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Maslow’s most famous contribution to modern thought is his
five-tiered pyramid entitled, the Hierarchy of Human Needs that he used
to account for the motivations that prompt us to act. While, often used
in the business world to explain employee and customer motivations, the
pyramid can be used in a myriad of circumstances. In discussions related
to rural peasants seeking a new life in the factories of Dongguan, China;
to student suicides at Harvard; to the contentment of postal workers in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the theories of Maslow can play a part.
Maslow
developed his five-tiered pyramid model in the 1960’s. When explaining
the hierarchy of human needs and factors that motivate humans to take
action. The lowest level of the pyramid concerns the basic biological/
physiological needs of eating, sleeping and drinking. The second level
pertains to human concerns related to safety and security. The third and
fourth levels are the primary motivators for many of the social actions
of middle class people. These are respectively, the desire to belong to
a group and the desire to be respected and recognized. The pyramid’s
top level is the human need for self-actualization or being the best that
an individual can be. |
Marketing
and Advertising |
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When viewing TV advertising, it is easy to observe the different levels
of the pyramid the advertisers are emphasizing. These Maslow identified
desires intertwine with the basic marketing concept that people buy what
they relate to. Successful Marketing plans based on this concept are the
sale of Mickey Mouse products to families visiting Disney World; the sale
of expensive designer products to Yuppies; the sale of personal fire extinguishers
to homeowners |
The
Pyramid |
| Basically,
Maslow believed that once a person's basic physiological needs had been
quenched, higher needs of love, esteem and fulfillment of personal potential
would be released. According to Maslow, there are general types of needs
(physiological, safety, love, and esteem) that must be satisfied before
a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs "deficiency needs."
As long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving towards
growth, toward self-actualization. Satisfying needs is healthy; blocking
gratification makes us sick or evil. |
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Physiological
Needs |
Physiological needs are the very basic needs such as air, water,
food, sleep, sex, etc. When these are not satisfied we may feel sickness,
irritation, pain, discomfort, etc. These feelings motivate us to alleviate
them as soon as possible to establish homeostasis. Once they are alleviated,
we may think about other things. |
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Safety
Needs |
| Safety
needs have to do with establishing stability and consistency in
a chaotic world. These needs are mostly psychological in nature. We need
the security of a home and family. However, if a family is dysfunction,
i.e., an abusive husband, the wife cannot move to the next level because
she is constantly concerned for her safety. Love and belonging have to wait
until she is no longer cringing in fear. Many in our society cry out for
law and order because they do not feel safe enough to go for a walk in their
neighborhood. Many people, particularly those in the inner cities, unfortunately,
are stuck at this level. In addition, safety needs sometimes motivate people
to be religious. Religions comfort us with the promise of a safe secure
place after we die and leave the insecurity of this world. |
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Love
Needs |
Love
and belongingness are next on the ladder. Humans have a desire to belong
to groups: social clubs, work groups, religious groups, family, gangs, etc.
We need to feel loved (non-sexual) by others, to be accepted by others.
Performers appreciate applause. We need to be needed. Beer commercials,
in addition to playing on sex, also often show how beer makes for camaraderie.
When was the last time you saw a beer commercial with someone drinking beer
alone?
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Esteem
Needs |
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are two types of esteem needs. First is self-esteem that results from competence
or mastery of a task. Second, there's the attention and recognition that
comes from others. This is similar to the belongingness level; however,
wanting admiration has to do with the need for power. People who have all
of their lower needs satisfied; often drive very expensive cars because
doing so raises their level of self-esteem. "Hey, look what I can afford,
you poor slob!" |
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Self-Actualization
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need for self-actualization is "the desire to become more and more
what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming."
People who have everything can maximize their potential. They can seek knowledge,
peace, esthetic experiences, self-fulfillment, oneness with God, etc. It
is usually middle-class to upper-class students who take up environmental
causes; do volunteer work; go off to a monastery; etc. |
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update
030311 |