Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Why do we need to know the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs portrays our actions in order to achieve certain needs. This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs. This theory parallels many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans. As a human, we realized that these are our needs through Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This theory has been criticized on above grounds; still it holds many advantages or merits. It helps the managers to provide the right financial and non-financial motivation to their employees. This overall helps to increase the efficiency, productivity, and profitability of the organization. 

What are the criticisms of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

• Some research showed some support for Maslow's theories, most research has not been able to substantiate the idea of a needs hierarchy. Other criticisms of Maslow's theory note 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 individuals, including people he knew as well as biographies of famous individuals that Maslow believed to be self-actualized, such as Albert Einstein and Eleanor Roosevelt. Regardless of these criticisms, Maslow's hierarchy of needs represents part of an important shift in psychology. Rather than focusing on abnormal behavior and development, Maslow's humanistic psychology was focused on the development of healthy individuals.