Abraham Maslow

On April fool’s day in 1908, Two Russian Jewish immigrants gave birth to their first of seven children. They named their newborn son Abraham Harold Maslow. Wanting Maslow to have a better life than they did, they began to push their oldest child academically. Their long-term goal was for him to get his law degree. This academic push led Maslow to feel isolated and lonely as a child. Wanting to be a good son, Maslow went along with his parents’ wish. He did well in primary school and after graduation went to City College of New York to study law. He had a hard time while there. He only completed three semesters before he quit. He later returned. While at the City College, Maslow got married. His bride was his cousin, Bertha Goodman. This decision shocked and upset his parents. Maslow and Bertha decided to go through with the marriage despite their parents’ wishes. Maslow and Bertha then moved to Wisconsin, in order for Maslow to attend the University of Wisconsin. It was here at the university that Maslow’s love affair with psychology began. He studied behavior psychology under Harry Harlow. Maslow had a renewed interest in his academics and graduated in 1930 with his Bachelor of Arts. He and Bertha stayed in Wisconsin so that Maslow could continue his studies. He went on to acquire his Masters of Arts from the University of Wisconsin a year later. Three years later, in 1934, Maslow completed his Doctorate in psychology. Shortly after graduation, Maslow and Bertha returned to New York. Maslow began to work with E. L. Thorndike at Columbia University. While here, he found a new mentor in Adler. In 1937, he got a job teaching at Brooklyn College. He remained at Brooklyn College for fourteen years. He left in 1951 to become the head of the psychology department of Brandeis University. In his years at Brandeis, Maslow had contact with many great minds in the field of psychology, including but not limited to Adler, Fromm and Horney. It was also here that he met Kurt Goldstein. Goldstein introduced Maslow to the theory of Self-actualization. Maslow continued his life long work in psychology. He took this newly found insight and began to form his own theories. Maslow called his new way of thinking about behavioral psychology the third force, also known as Humanistic Psychology. These new theories, based on mental health and human personality, started to pick up speed within the psychology world. The theories focused on personal experience, stressing understanding of oneself and one’s full potential. Maslow formulated his theory of human motivation, best known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In 1968, Maslow wrote the first of his two books, ‘Towards a psychology of being’. He also became the President of the American Psychological association. Maslow passed away on June 8, 1970 from a heart attack in Menlo Park, California.

One of Maslow’s most influential works was his theory on human motivation. Today, this theory of a person’s ‘hierarchy of needs’ is used throughout our society. Not only is it taught in psychology classes but his theory can also be found throughout the business world. Managers are taught his theory. A better understanding of behaviors will help managers relate and supervise their employees. The marketing field is another field of business that uses Maslow’s theory. Marketing mostly consists of being able to target a certain person and get them to buy your product. If you understand what needs certain individuals are trying to satisfy, you will be more able to provide them reasons to purchase your produce. Maslow’s theory provides marketers with this understanding.

Maslow established that all human behavior is derived from specific needs. Maslow said that all humans have five levels of needs that guide their behaviors. The first need, the very basic human need is physiological needs. Physiological needs refers to actions humans participate in for their basic survival. The most obvious examples of these needs are food, water, air, sleep, sex, etc. Everybody must do or have these things in order to live. According to Maslow, a person without one of these items within this need category will have all their behaviors focused on trying to obtain this item. A person will not move onto the next level until and only until they have satisfied the need they are currently working towards obtaining. If a person is hungry, thirsty, or tired, etc. their only motivation will be to satisfy this need. Let us say there is a man who is wondering around in the desert for days and days. This man stumbles across a cheeseburger and a cell-phone. This starving man will first eat the cheeseburger and then call for help, according to Maslow’s theory.

Once a person satisfied his/her need for physical survival, they will move onto the next need. The next need a person tries to satisfy is for