Maslow's extended pyramid. Need for respect and recognition

American psychologist Abraham Maslow spent his entire life trying to prove the fact that people are constantly in the process of self-actualization. By this term he meant a person’s desire for self-development and constant realization of internal potential. Self-actualization is the highest level among the needs that make up several levels in the human psyche. This hierarchy, described by Maslow in the 50s of the 20th century, was called the “Theory of Motivation” or, as it is commonly called now, the pyramid of needs. Maslow's theory, that is, the pyramid of needs has a step structure. The American psychologist himself explained this increase in needs by saying that a person will not be able to experience needs of a higher level until he satisfies the basic and more primitive ones. Let's take a closer look at what this hierarchy is.

Classification of needs

Maslow's pyramid of human needs is based on the thesis that human behavior is determined by basic needs, which can be arranged in the form of steps, depending on the significance and urgency of their satisfaction for a person. Let's look at them starting from the lowest.

First stage - physiological needs. A person who is not rich and does not have many of the benefits of civilization, according to Maslow’s theory, will experience needs, first of all, of a physiological nature. Agree, if you choose between a lack of respect and hunger, first of all you will satisfy your hunger. Physiological needs also include thirst, the need for sleep and oxygen, as well as sexual desire.

Second stage - need for security. A good example Infants serve here. Not yet having a psyche, babies at the biological level, after satisfying thirst and hunger, seek protection and calm down only by feeling the warmth of their mother nearby. The same thing happens in adulthood. In healthy people, the need for safety manifests itself in soft form. For example, in the desire to have social guarantees during employment.

Third stage - the need for love and belonging. In Maslow's pyramid of human needs, after satisfying physiological needs and ensuring safety, a person craves the warmth of friends, family or love relationship. The goal of finding a social group that will satisfy these needs is the most important and significant task for a person. The desire to overcome the feeling of loneliness, according to Maslow, became a prerequisite for the emergence of all kinds of interest groups and clubs. Loneliness contributes to a person’s social maladjustment and the emergence of serious mental illnesses.

Fourth stage - need for recognition. Every person needs society to evaluate his or her merits. Maslow's need for recognition is divided into a person's desire for achievement and reputation. It is by achieving something in life and earning recognition and reputation that a person becomes confident in himself and his abilities. Failure to satisfy this need, as a rule, leads to weakness, depression, and a feeling of despondency, which can lead to irreversible consequences.

Fifth stage - the need for self-actualization (aka self-realization). According to Maslow's theory, this need is the highest in the hierarchy. A person feels the need for improvement only after satisfying all lower-level needs.

These five points contain the entire pyramid, that is, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. As the creator of the theory of motivation himself noted, these stages are not as stable as they seem. There are people whose order of needs is an exception to the rules of the pyramid. For example, for some, self-affirmation is more important than love and relationships. Look at careerists and you will see how common such a case is.

Maslow's pyramid of needs has been challenged by many scientists. And the point here is not only the instability of the hierarchy created by the psychologist. In unusual situations, for example during war or in extreme poverty, people managed to create great works and perform heroic deeds. So Maslow's way they tried to prove that even without satisfying their basic and fundamental needs, people realized their potential. The American psychologist responded to all such attacks with only one phrase: “Ask these people if they were happy.”

4. Gertsberg's 2-factor model

The two-factor theory of F. Herzberg is based on two large categories of needs: hygiene factors and motivating factors. Hygiene factors are associated with environment, in which the work is carried out, and motivating - with the nature of the work.

Herzberg called the first category of needs hygienic, using medical significance the words “hygiene” (prevention), since, in his opinion, these factors describe the employee’s environment and serve primary functions, preventing job dissatisfaction. Herzberg called the second category of factors motivating or enabling, as they encourage employees to perform better.

Hygiene and motivating factors in Herzberg's theory

Hygiene factors	Motivating factors
Organizational and management policies
Working conditions	Promotion
Salary, social status	Recognition and approval of work results
Interpersonal relationships with your boss, colleagues and subordinates	High degree of responsibility
Degree of direct control over work	Opportunity for creative and professional growth

It should be noted that Herzberg made the paradoxical conclusion that wages are not a motivating factor. Indeed, in the table wages is in the category of factors leading to job satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

5. Complex system of economic conditions

Conjuncture- the state of any social phenomenon at a certain point in time. Depending on what particular phenomenon serves as the object of study, conditions are distinguished: economic, political, social; demographic; socio-political, etc. Each of these types of conjuncture, in turn, is the basis for a more complex typology of the states of elements within a given phenomenon. For example, economic conditions can be classified by hierarchy levels (world economic conditions, economic conditions of a specific local market) or by the scope of the product range (general economic or commodity). The situation can only be studied from the perspective of a dynamic approach.

The economic situation is very complex system, which can be studied from a variety of perspectives. It is this circumstance that is the reason that there are almost as many definitions of economic conditions as there are authors devoting their own to it. scientific works. In the domestic economic literature there is a narrow and broad interpretation of the concept of economic conditions, however, in both cases, the term “conjuncture” means a temporary, transitory, peculiar combination of specific economic, social, weather and other conditions and factors that affect the formation and interaction of supply and demand. In order to give the most acceptable definition of the economic situation, it is necessary to carefully analyze the properties and structure of the economic situation. It should immediately be noted that, despite the relative autonomy of each economic situation in an individual market, it is only an element of a more complex economic situation at a higher level of the hierarchy. At the same time, each element of the economic situation being studied can itself be presented either in the form of a system of a lower level of hierarchy, or as a result of the functioning of such a system.

6. Functional structure assumes that each control body is specialized in executing individual functions at all levels of management.

Compliance with the instructions of each functional body within its competence is mandatory for production units. Decisions on general issues are made collectively. The functional specialization of the management apparatus significantly increases its efficiency, since instead of universal managers who must understand all functions, a staff of highly qualified specialists appears.

The structure is aimed at performing constantly recurring routine tasks that do not require prompt decision-making. They are used in the management of organizations with mass or large-scale production, as well as in cost-type economic mechanisms, when production is least susceptible to scientific and technical progress.

Functional management structure

Scope of application: single-product enterprises; enterprises implementing complex and long-term innovative projects; medium-sized highly specialized enterprises; research and development organizations; large specialized enterprises.

Key Benefits of a Functional Structure:

High competence of specialists responsible for the implementation of specific functions;

Freeing line managers from dealing with many special issues and expanding their capabilities for operational production management;

Use of experienced specialists in consultations, reducing the need for generalists;

Reducing the risk of wrong decisions;

Elimination of duplication in the performance of management functions.

The disadvantages of the functional structure include:

Difficulties in maintaining constant relationships between various functional services;

Lengthy decision-making procedure;

Lack of mutual understanding and unity of action between functional services; reducing the responsibility of performers for work as a result of the fact that each performer receives instructions from several managers;

Excessive interest in achieving the goals and objectives of their departments;

Reduced personal responsibility for the final result;

The difficulty of monitoring the progress of the process as a whole and for individual projects;

A relatively frozen organizational form that has difficulty responding to changes.

A type of functional structure is linear-functional structure. The linear-functional structure ensures such a division of managerial labor in which the linear management links are called upon to command, and the functional links are called upon to advise, assist in the development of specific issues and prepare appropriate decisions, programs, and plans.

Linear-functional management structure

Heads of functional departments (marketing, finance, R&D, personnel) exercise influence on production departments formally. As a rule, they do not have the right to independently give them orders. The role of functional services depends on the scale of economic activity and the management structure of the company as a whole. Functional services carry out all technical preparation of production; prepare solutions to issues related to the management of the production process.

Advantages of a linear-functional structure:

More in-depth preparation of decisions and plans related to the specialization of workers;

Freeing line managers from resolving many issues related to financial planning, logistics, etc.;

Building relationships “manager - subordinate” along the hierarchical ladder, in which each employee is subordinate to only one manager.

Disadvantages of a linear-functional structure:

Each link is interested in achieving its own narrow goal, and not the overall goal of the company;

Lack of close relationships and interaction at the horizontal level between production departments;

An overly developed vertical interaction system;

Accumulation at the top level along with strategic operational tasks.

7. Divisional structure - an enterprise management structure in which the management of individual products and individual functions is clearly separated. A divisional structure arises when the main criterion for uniting employees into departments is the products manufactured by the organization.

The divisional structure is sometimes called the product structure, program structure, or self-contained business unit structure. Each of these terms means the same thing: different departments come together to produce a single organizational result—a product, program, or service for a single customer.

The emergence of such structures is due to a sharp increase in the size of enterprises, the diversification of their activities, and the complication of technological processes in a dynamically changing environment.

The main difference between a divisional structure and a functional one is that the management chain for each function converges in the divisional hierarchy at a lower level. In a divisional structure, differences of opinion between departments will be resolved at the level of the division, rather than the head of the company.

In a divisional structure, divisions are created as autonomous units with their own functional departments for each division.

An alternative to product line divisionalization is to group companies' activities by geographic region or customer group.

In such a structure, all functions in a particular country or region report to one division manager. The structure helps to focus the company's efforts on the needs of the local market. Competitive advantage can be achieved through the production or marketing of a product or service that is tailored to the characteristics of a given country or region.

Pyramid of needs- the commonly used name for the hierarchical model of human needs, which is a simplified presentation of the ideas of the American psychologist Abraham Maslow. The pyramid of needs reflects one of the most popular and well-known theories of motivation - the theory of the hierarchy of needs. This theory is also known as need theory or hierarchy theory. The idea was initially outlined in the work “The Theory of Human Motivation” (1943), and in more detail in the 1954 book “Motivation and Personality”.

The hierarchy of needs theory is widely used in management theory.

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Hierarchy of needs theory

Maslow distributed needs as they increase, explaining this construction by the fact that a person cannot experience high-level needs while he needs more primitive things. The basis is physiology (quenching hunger, thirst, sexual need, etc.). A step higher is the need for security, above it is the need for affection and love, as well as to belong to a social group. The next stage is the need for respect and approval, above which Maslow placed cognitive needs (thirst for knowledge, desire to perceive as much as possible more information). Next comes the need for aesthetics (the desire to harmonize life, fill it with beauty and art). And finally, the last step of the pyramid, the highest, is the desire to reveal inner potential (this is self-actualization). It is important to note that each of the needs does not have to be satisfied completely - partial saturation is enough to move to the next stage.

“I am absolutely convinced that a person lives by bread alone only in conditions when there is no bread,” explained Maslow. - But what happens to human aspirations when there is plenty of bread and the stomach is always full? Higher needs appear, and it is they, and not physiological hunger, that control our body. As some needs are satisfied, others arise, higher and higher ones. So gradually, step by step, a person comes to the need for self-development - the highest of them.”

Maslow was well aware that satisfying primitive physiological needs is the foundation. In his view, an ideal happy society is, first of all, a society of well-fed people who have no reason for fear or anxiety. If a person, for example, is constantly lacking food, he is unlikely to be in dire need of love. However, a person overwhelmed with love experiences still needs food, and regularly (even if romance novels and claim the opposite). By satiety, Maslow meant not only the absence of interruptions in nutrition, but also a sufficient amount of water, oxygen, sleep and sex.

The forms in which needs manifest themselves can be different; there is no single standard. Each of us has our own motivations and abilities. Therefore, for example, the need for respect and recognition among different people may manifest itself differently: one needs to become outstanding politician and win the approval of the majority of his fellow citizens, while for another it is enough for his own children to recognize his authority. The same wide range within the same need can be observed at any stage of the pyramid, even at the first (physiological needs).

Abraham Maslow recognized that people have many different needs, but also believed that these needs can be divided into five main categories:

Physiological: hunger, thirst, sexual desire, etc.
Security needs: comfort, consistency of living conditions.
Social: social connections, communication, affection, caring for others and attention to oneself, joint activities.
Prestigious: self-esteem, respect from others, recognition, achieving success and high praise, career growth.
Spiritual: cognition, self-actualization, self-expression, self-identification.

There is also a more detailed classification. The system has seven main levels (priorities):

(lower) Physiological needs: hunger, thirst, sexual desire, etc.
Security needs: a feeling of confidence, freedom from fear and failure.
The need for belonging and love.
Esteem needs: achieving success, approval, recognition.
Cognitive needs: to know, to be able to, to explore.
Aesthetic needs: harmony, order, beauty.
(highest) The need for self-actualization: realization of one’s goals, abilities, development of one’s own personality.

As lower-lying needs are satisfied, higher-level needs become more and more relevant, but this does not mean that the place of the previous need is taken by a new one only when the previous one is fully satisfied. Also, the needs are not in an unbroken sequence and do not have fixed positions, as shown in the diagram. This pattern is the most stable, but the relative arrangement of needs may vary among different people.

You can also pay attention to some overlap with Gumilev’s theory about the development of cultural needs with the growth of the level of civilization and their rapid degradation (for example, when the base of Maslow’s pyramid is violated, that is, physiological or protective needs).

Criticism

The hierarchy of needs theory, although popular, has been unsupported and has low validity (Hall and Nougaim, 1968; Lawler and Suttle, 1972).

When Hall and Nougaim were conducting their research, Maslow wrote them a letter in which he noted that it was important to consider the satisfaction of needs depending on age group subjects. “Lucky” people, from Maslow’s point of view, satisfy the needs for safety and physiology in childhood, the needs for belonging and love - in adolescence etc. The need for self-actualization is satisfied by the age of 50 for the “lucky” ones. That is why it is necessary to take into account the age structure.

Main problem when testing the hierarchy theory is that there is no reliable quantitative measure of the satisfaction of human needs. The second problem of the theory is related to the division of needs into the hierarchy and their sequence. Maslow himself pointed out that the order in the hierarchy can change. However, the theory cannot explain why some needs continue to be motivators even after they have been satisfied.

Since Maslow only studied the biographies of those creative personalities who, in his opinion, were successful (“lucky ones”), then from the personalities studied, for example, Richard Wagner, a great composer devoid of almost all the personality traits valued by Maslow, dropped out. The scientist was interested in unusually active and healthy people such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein. This, of course, imposes inevitable distortions on Maslow’s conclusions, since it was not clear from his research how the “pyramid of needs” of most people works. Maslow also did not conduct empirical research.

Curious facts

Famous Maslow's pyramid of needs, which is familiar to many from social studies lessons, reflects the hierarchy of human needs.

Recently, it has been criticized by psychologists and sociologists. But is it really useless? Let's try to figure it out.

The essence of Maslow's pyramid

In addition, it is obvious that under the same conditions one person will feel some need satisfied, but another will not.

We can say that different people have different heights of the steps of the pyramid. Let's talk about them in more detail next.

Levels of Maslow's pyramid

Quite briefly and succinctly, the essence of Maslow’s pyramid can be explained as follows: until the needs of the lowest order are satisfied to a certain extent, a person will not have “higher” aspirations.

The work of the scientist himself and common sense suggest that the previous level of the pyramid does not necessarily have to be “closed” 100% before there is a desire to be realized at the next level. In addition, it is obvious that under the same conditions one person will feel some need satisfied, but another will not. We can say that different people have different heights of the steps of the pyramid. Let's talk about them in more detail next.

Physiological needs

First of all, this is the need for food, air, water and enough sleep. Naturally, without this, a person will simply die. Maslow also included the need for sexual intercourse in this category. These aspirations make us related and it is impossible to escape them.

Need for security

This includes both simple “animal” safety, i.e. the presence of a reliable shelter, the absence of the threat of attack, etc., and due to our society (for example, people experience enormous stress when there is a risk of losing their job).

Need for belonging and love

This desire to be part of a certain social group, take their place in it, which is accepted by other members of this community. The need for love needs no explanation.

Need for respect and recognition

This is recognition of a person’s achievements and successes as much as possible a large number members of society, although for some their own family will be enough.

Need for knowledge, research

At this stage, a person begins to be burdened by various ideological issues, such as the meaning of life. There is a desire to immerse yourself in science, religion, esotericism, and try to understand this world.

The need for aesthetics and harmony

It is understood that at this level the person strives to find beauty in everything and accepts the Universe as it is. In everyday life he strives for maximum order and harmony.

Need for self-realization

This is the definition of your abilities and their maximum implementation. A person at this stage is primarily engaged in creative activities and actively develops spiritually. According to Maslow, only about 2% of humanity reaches such heights.

You can see a generalized view of the pyramid of needs in the figure. You can cite large number examples both confirming and refuting this scheme. Thus, our hobbies often help satisfy the desire to belong to a certain community.

Thus they pass one more step. Around us we see many examples of people who have not reached level 4 of the pyramid and therefore experience some mental discomfort.

However, not everything is so smooth. You can easily find examples that do not fit into this theory. The easiest way to find them is in history. For example, the young Charles Darwin's thirst for knowledge appeared during a very dangerous voyage, and not in a calm and well-fed home.

Such contradictions lead to the fact that today a large number of scientists reject the familiar pyramid of needs.

Application of Maslow's pyramid

And yet Maslow’s theory has found its application in our lives. Marketers use it to target certain aspirations of the individual; some personnel management systems, by manipulating employee motivation, are built on the basis of a pyramid.

Abraham Maslow's creation can help each of us when setting personal goals, namely: deciding what you really want and what you really need to achieve.

In conclusion, we note that Maslow's original work did not directly contain the pyramid. She was born only 5 years after his death, but of course on the basis of the scientist’s work. According to rumors, Abraham himself reconsidered his views at the end of his life. How seriously to take his creation these days is up to you to decide.

When it comes to pyramids, ancient structures located in Egypt and Mexico are pictured in a person’s mind. However, the topic of our conversation will be the term “pyramid”, which is used in psychology. American scientist Abraham Maslow introduced the pyramid of human needs in the mid-twentieth century. Based on the biographical information of many historical figures, the scientist deduced certain patterns in human needs. This article will look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs, as well as the various aspects associated with this pyramid.

Maslow's pyramid is a special diagram in which all human needs are presented in a hierarchical order

Before considering human needs according to Maslow, it should be said that in the scientific world there is an opinion that the participation of the scientist himself in this issue was minimal. According to skeptics, scientists only put forward the basics of this idea, which were later disseminated by his followers. According to the very theory of human needs, then, according to this teaching, each individual needs the satisfaction of five basic incentives, which are characterized as stages.

At the first stage of the pyramid there are physiological stimuli, which are an integral part of human life. The satisfaction of these needs depends human life. This category of stimuli includes: eating, sleeping, breathing and, of course, reproductive functions. For some, this stage of the pyramid may seem “low,” but all these needs are a fundamental component of human life.

According to scientists, the inability to satisfy the above incentives can lead to reluctance to spiritual development. A person experiencing a feeling of hunger will not think about what subtext it carries. musical composition and will never spend his last money to buy a theater ticket. These fundamental incentives force a person to carry out professional activities in order to spend the money he earns to satisfy his desires.

The second step of the pyramid is the need to feel one’s own security and stability. As an example of this stage, we will consider the behavior of newborns. Newborn babies, in addition to satisfying their need for food, crave protection from the world around them. Only this can explain that a prolonged hysteria can end in a few seconds after the child is in the arms of the mother. A similar need is observed in more mature years. It is important to note that the strength of expression of the desire to feel protected depends on the mental stability of a particular individual. The stimulus for a sense of security manifests itself in the form of installing locks on the doors in the apartment, taking out insurance and other actions aimed at creating one’s own safety from the outside world.

Maslow's pyramid of needs consists of five steps, each of which has an important role. The middle of this pyramid is a symbol of social needs. The desire for sociality is expressed by the desire of human consciousness to become an integral part of any group. The thirst to accept and give our love forces each of us to communicate with others, create families, give birth to children, and even have pets. Communication connections allow a person to strengthen self-esteem through his own behavior in relation to the people around him.

According to the scientist's research, a person has five basic needs

The fourth “floor” of the pyramid in question is the thirst for recognition by society. Satisfaction of the above incentives forces a person to turn his attention to other aspects of life. It is at this moment that a person feels an urgent need to be recognized as a leader or creator. Realization of one's own potential, along with public recognition, allows one to strengthen self-esteem and increase the desire for spiritual development.

The tip of the iceberg is the desire to unleash maximum creative potential. It is this desire that forces a person to develop his own spirituality by visiting various cultural events. Satisfying the incentives that are located at lower levels makes a person think about the structure of this world, the meaning of life and justice.

Various nuances

The table, created by an American scientist, examines various aspects of human personality development. However modern look this pyramid is not the result of Maslow's research. The “Hierarchy of Human Needs” in its familiar form was published in nineteen seventy-five. Abraham Maslow died in the early seventies, so the scientist could not take part in the publication of his own work in the form of an information graph.

There are also many controversial issues regarding the theory itself. According to many experts, the implemented incentives are not motivating. As an example, they give the argument that a person, having satisfied his need for food, will refuse to take part in a fight for food. A person seeking solitude will look for an opportunity to avoid noisy companies and intrusive communication. People with a lack of desire to recognize their own leadership qualities, do not adjust their behavioral model in order to satisfy the demands of society. According to experts, the relevance of a need determines the degree of its satisfaction. In order to determine the number of primary desires, it is enough to identify unsatisfied incentives.

Each step of the pyramid represents one level of needs

According to experts in the field of psychology, the classification of human needs according to Maslow’s system does not have practical application in modern realities. Opponents of the theory believe that this scheme are just inappropriate generalizations that have nothing to do with real life. When talking about this, they argue that each person should be considered on an individual basis. Let's imagine the life of a person who is not satisfied with his own position in society. Only a small proportion of people living with such “problems” take significant steps to change their lives.

In addition, such a common phenomenon as unrequited love is not built into this pyramid.
Also, if we take this theory as the basic model of human needs, it is difficult to attribute the fact that while in custody, many revolutionaries continued their activities. The same model does not fit the facts that many poets and artists of the “golden age” spent their lives in poverty, however, despite all life’s obstacles, they gave their art to their contemporaries.

According to unconfirmed data, the researcher himself eventually abandoned the needs model he created. Later works, published after the scientist’s death, speak of a modified concept of personal incentives. Thus, Maslow independently recognized the incompleteness of the model, which had the form of a pyramid with several steps. But despite this, this particular pyramid is often used in modern world many marketers and psychologists.

Advantages and disadvantages

Maslow's pyramid classifies human needs into several groups, which are built in in a certain order. According to the hierarchy, all human stimuli are divided into two categories:

basic (physiological);
sublime (spiritual).

A person has a simultaneous desire to satisfy both types of needs, but the basic incentives are considered dominant. Based on this, we can say that a person begins to think about the “sublime” only after he is completely saturated with baser stimuli.

Here we should pay attention to the fact that the characteristics of human personality are unique to each individual, which suggests that the degree of expression of needs for each person may vary. That is why some people are trying to take a place among " powerful of the world this,” while for others it is enough to receive support from their own loved ones. This breadth of the spectrum of human desires is an integral component of each level of the hierarchy.

In order to satisfy your own desires, you need not only to interpret them correctly, but also to find an adequate way to fulfill them, otherwise, goal achieved may bring disappointment.

Without satisfying (at least partially) basic needs, it is extremely difficult to move up the pyramid

Maslow's theory has many opponents who criticize not only the hierarchy of incentives, but also the fact that human desires cannot be satisfied once and for all. Maslow's opponents say that according to the scientist, man is represented as an animal that constantly needs various stimuli. Many opponents of the pyramid in question talk about the inappropriateness of its use in real life.

Today, this pyramid is used as one of the main tools in marketing, advertising and business. However, in defense of the scientist, we can say that this model of human needs was created for a completely different purpose. As the psychologist himself said, his model was created in order to provide answers to those questions that cannot be solved by other methods. According to him, this table of needs, presented in the form of a pyramid, is only a representation of the motives for human actions that are performed by people throughout their lives.

Practical use of Maslow's pyramid

According to experts, most human needs are basic and never change. Only the ways to achieve what you want change. To date, Maslow’s pyramid has found application in the following areas:

management;
analytics;
marketing.

The first example of the scope of this information graph is important. Personal motives and knowledge own desires help not only to successfully realize oneself in the professional field, but also to avoid mistakes when choosing a field of activity. That is why a person must be able to understand his own motives and desires.

Also, the use of the hierarchy of needs has found its demand in the field of analytics, when creating a long-term strategy aimed at specific results. Knowledge of human desires allows the analyst to make long-term forecasts that will be relevant even after several years. Thus, companies engaged in the production of various goods are able to provide their own products to the market in a timely manner.

In marketing, this hierarchy of human incentives is most often used. According to scientists, the application of the theory allows us to understand which desires are more typical for each representative of the social stratum. Thanks to this technique, companies providing services or producing goods are able to monitor the dynamics of the desire market. It is important to note here that the degree of importance of needs and place in the hierarchy can change under the influence various factors. These factors include the economic crisis.

According to Maslow, a person should ideally reach his or her highest level by about age fifty.

There are also “eternal” incentives that are at the very bottom of the pyramid. That is why medical services and food stores will be in demand in any situation. In the case of fashionable technical products and clothing, the demand for such products depends on financial well-being a single country. This is why many companies spend a lot of time analyzing human incentives and desires. The development of consumer demand makes it possible to increase or decrease the scale of production. In addition, a thorough analysis allows entrepreneurs to promptly abandon low-profit activities.

Experts note that the technique in question is used exclusively on humans. It is not advisable to use this method as a tool for analyzing competitors, due to the complexity of the analysis and the possible wide range of structural unit the company in question.

Maslow first introduced his concept of the hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” and in his subsequent book “Motivation and Personality.” This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs.

While some of the existing schools of study of human personality (psychoanalysis and behaviorism) tended to focus on problem behavior, Maslow was much more interested in studying what makes people happy and what they do to achieve this goal.

As a humanist, Maslow believed that people have an innate desire to be self-actualized, that is, to be all that they can be. However, to achieve these ultimate goals, a number of more basic needs must be satisfied, such as the need for food, security, love and self-esteem.

There are five different levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Let's take a closer look at Maslow's needs, starting from the lowest level, which are known as physiological needs.

From basic to more complex needs

Maslow's hierarchy is most often depicted as a pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid consist of the most basic needs, while the most complex needs are at the top of the pyramid.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid

The needs at the bottom of the pyramid are the basic physical requirements, including the need for food, water, sleep and warmth. Once these lower level needs are satisfied, people can move on to the next level of safety and security needs.

As people move up the pyramid, needs become more psychological and social. Soon the need for love, friendship and intimacy becomes important. Further up the pyramid, the need for personal dignity and a sense of accomplishment take priority.

Like Carl Rogers, Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is the process of growing and developing as an individual to achieve individual potential.

Deficiency needs and growth needs

Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play main role in motivation of behavior. Physiological, safety, social security and esteem needs are deficit needs that arise due to deprivation Deprivation (Latin deprivatio - loss, deprivation) - reduction or complete deprivation of the ability to satisfy basic needs - psychophysiological or social.. Satisfying these lower level needs is important in order to avoid discomfort or consequences.

Maslow named the most high level pyramids with growth needs. These needs do not stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person.

Although the theory is usually portrayed as a fairly rigid hierarchy, Maslow noted that the order in which these needs are fulfilled does not always follow this standard progression. For example, he noted that for some people the need for self-esteem is more important than the need for love. For others, the need for creative fulfillment can crowd out even the most basic needs.

Physiological needs

Basic physiological needs are probably pretty obvious - these are things that are vital to our survival. Some examples of physiological needs include:

Breath
Homeostasis

In addition to the basic requirements of food, air, and temperature regulation, physiological needs also include things such as shelter and clothing. Maslow also included sexual reproduction to this level of the hierarchy of needs because it is essential for the survival and spread of the species.

Safety and security needs

As you move into the second level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the requirements start to get a little more complex. At this level, safety and security needs become a priority. People want control and order in their lives, so this need for safety and security greatly contributes to behavior at this level.

Some of the basic security needs include:

Financial support
Health and Wellness
Safety from accidents and injuries

Job search, getting health insurance And medical care, depositing money into a Savings Account, and moving to a safer area are all examples of actions motivated by safety and security needs.

Together, the safety and physiological levels of the hierarchy constitute what is often called basic needs.

Social needs

Social needs in Maslow's hierarchy include things like love, acceptance and belonging. At this level, the need for emotional relationships determines human behavior. Some of the things that satisfy this need include:

Friendly contacts
Romantic attachments
Family
Social groups
Community Groups
Churches and religious organizations

To avoid problems such as loneliness, depression and anxiety, it is important that people feel loved and accepted by others. Personal relationships with friends, family, and lovers play an important role, as does participation in other groups, which may include religious groups, sports teams, book clubs, and other group activities.

Need for respect

The fourth level in Maslow's hierarchy is the need for appreciation and respect. When the needs at the lower three levels are satisfied, respect begins to play a more prominent role in motivating behavior.

At this stage, it becomes increasingly important to earn the respect and appreciation of others. People have a need to achieve something and then have their efforts recognized.

In addition to the need for a sense of accomplishment and prestige, esteem needs include such things as self-esteem and personal worth. People need to feel valued by others and feel like they are making a contribution to the world. Participation in professional activity, academic achievement, sports or team participation, and personal hobbies may play a role in satisfying esteem needs.

People who are able to satisfy their esteem needs by achieving good self-esteem and recognition from others tend to feel confident in their abilities. Those who lack self-esteem and respect for others may develop feelings of inferiority.

Together, respect and social levels constitute what is known as psychological needs of hierarchy.

Needs for self-realization

At the very top of Maslow's hierarchy are the needs for self-actualization. “What a person can be, he must be,” Maslow explained, referring to the need for people to achieve their full potential as human beings.

According to Maslow's definition of self-actualization:

“This can be roughly described as the full use of talents, abilities, opportunities, etc. Such people seem to realize themselves and do the best that they are capable of doing... These are people who have developed or are developing to the level of which they are capable "

Self-actualizing people are self-aware, care about personal growth, care less about the opinions of others and are interested in realizing their potential.

Critique of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's theory has become wildly popular both within and outside of psychology. The theory has been particularly affected by the fields of education and business. Despite the popularity Maslow's concept was not without criticism.

The main ones:

Needs do not necessarily follow a hierarchy

Although some studies have shown some support for Maslow's theories, most studies have failed to substantiate the idea of a hierarchy of needs. Wahba and Bridgewell reported that there was little evidence for Maslow's ranking of needs and even less evidence that these needs were in a hierarchical order.

The theory is difficult to test

Other critics of Maslow's theory have noted that his definition of self-actualization is difficult to test scientifically. His research on self-actualization was also based on a very limited sample of people, including people he knew, as well as biographies famous people, whom Maslow considered self-actualized.

So why was Maslow's hierarchy of needs so influential?

Regardless of these criticisms, Maslow's hierarchy of needs represents part of an important shift in psychology. Instead of focusing on abnormal behavior and development, humanistic psychology Maslow's focus was on developing healthy people.

Although there has been relatively little research to support the theory, the hierarchy of needs is well known and popular both within and outside of psychology. In a study published in 2011, researchers at the University of Illinois set out to test the hierarchy.

They found that although need satisfaction was closely related to happiness, people from various cultures around the world reported that self-actualization and social needs were important even when many of the most basic needs were not met.

Such results indicate that although these needs can be powerful motivators of human behavior, they do not necessarily take the hierarchical form described by Maslow.

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