Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Among the many views on human motivation, the most widely known is the one proposed by Abraham H.

Maslow, popularly called the 'Theory of Self-actualisation'. Maslow's model pictures human needs arranged as a pyramid-shaped hierarchy, moving from the most basic needs at the bottom to the most advanced at the top. At the base sit physiological needs — basic biological requirements for survival, such as hunger and thirst. Once these are reasonably satisfied, safety needs come to the fore — the need to be free from threatened danger, of both a physical and a psychological kind. Next come belongingness needs — the need to seek out other people, and to love and be loved. After these are met, a person's attention turns to esteem needs — the need to develop a genuine sense of self-worth. At the very apex of the pyramid sits the need for self-actualisation — an individual's motivation toward the fullest possible development of their own potential. A self-actualised person, in Maslow's description, is self-aware, socially responsive, creative, spontaneous, open to novelty and challenge, has a sense of humour, and is capable of deep interpersonal relationships. …