Maslow Theory of Motivation

Every man has some sort of need, some are basic needs and some are high-priority needs. To accomplish any need a man should possess motivation or it can be said as Motivation arises from needs only. This theory of motivation was given by Abraham Herald Maslow in his book "A Theory of Human Motivation" published in 1943. According to Maslow's Theory of Motivation, every man is motivated by five groups of needs in a hierarchical order that can be met one by one only.

Keynotes: Maslow's Theory Of Motivation

• It is a hierarchical model that covers five types of needs: Physiological, Safety, Love, esteem, and Self Actualization.
• A person who has attained one type of need will not have any motivation to attain the same level of need but will have a prime motivation to attain a higher level of need. For example, A person who is satisfied by physiological needs will be motivated to obtain another level of need which is security rather than just physiological needs.
• According to Abraham Maslow, motivation flows from the first level to the second level of needs, then the third then the fourth, and then finally the fifth or final level. You cannot get to the second level of motivation without meeting the first level of needs.
• The First four needs (Physiological, safety, Love, and esteem are known as deficiency needs which means if these needs are met, motivation decreases. The fifth need self Actualization is known as growth need or being need, In this level, motivation always increases even if the needs are met.
• Higher levels of needs are satisfied by internal factors only, it depends on the self-realization of a human being but the lower level of needs are dependent on external things only.

Five Types of Needs:-

1. Physiological Needs:- It is a basic need a man can have. It is the lowest level of need in Maslow's Theory of Motivation. This need makes a man comfortable. E.g., Food, Air, Water, Sex.
2. Safety Needs:- It is a second level of need a man can have. After getting food, Air, and Water, a human needs shelter, they want to live safely. In this need, a man feels like I am safe. It can have any type of safety like personal security, career, health security, etc.
3. Love & Belonging:- If a man is having good food and a nice shelter to live in but no one loves/cares for him, and there is no belongingness then there will be a lack of motivation to proceed with another level of need. E.g. friends, family, Intimacy.
4. Esteem:- There is always a human urge to get recognition, respect, and freedom in a society. We all are playing a status game where we want to be recognized by other people as well. Here we get the feeling of "I am a known person" in my society.
5. Self-Actualization:- This is the highest level of need in Maslow's theory of Motivation. You can't attain the true meaning of your life by external factors unless you understand your own essence. The more you get to know about yourself, the deeper you dive into yourself.
   • When you know your full potential, you reached to self Actualization level. The meaning of self-actualization can be different from person to person. For example, being an excellent teacher, a professional kick-boxer, a great mathematician, and a social worker can be examples of self Actualization.

Among all the 5 needs, self-actualization is very rare to attain due to the lack of morality and a sense of self-fulfillment.

Pros:-

• This principle is still in use by many corporate managers to motivate their employees to treat them as a tool. If you need something, you have to work harder.
• It is an easy-to-understand hierarchical model of motivation.

Cons:-

• It is a very old model and has no validation yet.
• This model assumed that a person can't reach from one level to a third level which is not purely true.

Conclusion:

Maslow's theory of motivation is a rigid model that assumes a person achieves each level of needs one by one only. Self-Actualization is the top priority of this model where a person can find the true meaning of his/her own life.

There is one more non-rigid theory based on Maslow's theory which is Alderfer ERG theory that states it is not necessary to satisfy lower-level needs in order to fulfill higher-level needs. ERG stands for Existence(Physiological + Safety), Relatedness(Love + Esteem), and Growth(Self-Actualization).