sign in sign up
<<
Home , Abraham Maslow

Maslow:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Before Abraham Maslow, the psychological world was awash in and psychoanalysis. Maslow changed all this by popularizing psychological . Famous people like Abraham Lincoln were subjects of study instead of people with broken brains. One of Maslow’s most important contributions to was his theory of human needs, developed in the 1970’s. This theory explained that human needs where hierarchical in nature. Maslow, a humanistic , believed that people are not merely controlled by mechanical forces (the stimuli and reinforcement forces of behaviorism) or unconscious instinctual impulses of psychoanalysis. Maslow focused on human potential, believing the humans strive to reach the highest levels of their capabilities. People seek the frontiers of creativity, and strive to reach the highest levels of consciousness and wisdom. People at this level were labeled by other as “fully functioning” or possessing a “healthy ”. Maslow called these people “self-actualizing” persons.

Explanation of Hierarchy

General Maslow presents a hierarchy of needs which can be divided into basic needs and growth needs. One must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization. Every individual is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress is often disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences including divorce and loss of job may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy. Maslow noted only one in ten individuals become fully self-actualized because our society rewards primarily based on esteem, love and other social needs.

Specific Needs

Basic • Physiological: need for sleep and rest , food, drink, shelter, sex, and oxygen • Safety: need to be safe from harm, for a predictable world with consistency, fairness, routine, for sense of stability and security

Growth Needs • Love and Belonging: need for love and affectionate relationships, belonging to a group, and caring • Esteem: two components SELF-RESPECT: desire for , competence, adequacy, achievement, mastery RESPECT OF OTHERS: desire for acceptance, recognition, reputation, appreciation, status, prestige • Understanding and Knowledge: need to satisfy curiosity, explore, discover, find solutions, look for relationships and , and seek intellectual challenges • Aesthetics: need for beauty in surroundings • Self-actualization: need for growth, development and utilization of potential, becoming all that one can be, self-fulfillment

Description of Maslow’s Motivation Theory Maslow was considered to be the father of , also known as the “Third Force”. Humanistic Psychology incorporates aspects of both Behavioral Psychology and Psychoanalytic Psychology. Behaviorists believe that human behavior is controlled by external environmental factors. Psychoanalytic Psychology is based on the idea that human behavior is controlled by internal unconscious forces. Though he studied both Behavioral and Psychoanalytic Psychologies, Maslow rejected the idea that human behavior is controlled by only internal or external forces. Instead, Maslow’s motivation throry states that man’s behavior is controlled by both internal and external factors. In addition he emphasizes that humans have the unique ability to make choices and excercise free-will. Maslow showed little interest in animal or laboratory studies of human behavior. He chose instead to collect data for his theories by studying outstanding individuals. His studies led him to believe that people have certain needs which are unchanging and genetic in origin. These needs are the same in all cultures and are both physiological and psychological. Maslow described these needs as being hierarchal in nature, meaning that some needs are more basic or more powerful than others and as these needs are satisfied, other higher needs emerge. Maslow set up a hierarchical theory of needs in which all the basic needs are at the bottom, and the needs concerned with man’s highest potential are at the top. The hierarchic theory is often represented as a pyramid, with the larger, lower levels representing the lower needs, and the upper point representing the need for self-actualization. Each level of the pyramid is dependent on the previous level. For example, a person does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied.

1. Physiological Needs.

These needs are biological and consists of the needs for oxygen, food, water, and a relatively constant body temperature. These needs are the strongest because if deprived, the person would die.

2. Safety Needs.

Except in times of emergency or periods of disorganization in the social structure (such as widespread rioting) do not experience their security needs. Children, however often display signs of insecurity and their need to be safe.

3. Love, Affection and Needs. People have needs to escape feelings of loneliness and alienation and give (and receive) love, affection and the sense of belonging.

4. Esteem Needs.

People need a stable, firmly based, high level of self-respect, and respect from others in order to feel satisfied, self confident and valuable. If these needs are not met, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless.

5. Self-actualization Needs.

Maslow describes self-actualization as a person’s need to be and do that which the person was born to do. It is his “calling”. “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, and a poet must write.” If these needs are not met, the person feels restlessness, on edge, tense, and lacking something. Lower needs may also produce a restless feeling, but here is it much easier to find the cause. If a person is hungry, unsafe, not loved or accepted, or lacking self-esteem the cause is apparent. It is not always clear what a person wants when there is a need for self-actualization. Maslow that the only reason that people would not move through the needs to self- actualization is because of the hindrances placed in their way by society. For example, education can be a hindrance, or can promote personal growth. Maslow indicated that educational process could take some of the steps listed below to promote personal growth: 1. We should teach people to be authentic; to be aware of their inner selves and to hear their inner-feeling voices. 2. We should teach people to transcend their own cultural conditioning, and become world citizens. 3. We should help people discover their vocation in life, their calling, fate or destiny. This is especially focused upon finding the right career and the right mate. 4. We should teach people that life is precious, that there is joy to be experienced in life, and if people are open to seeing the good and joyous in all kinds of situations, it makes life worth living. 5. We must accept the person and help him or her learn their inner nature. From real knowledge of aptitudes and limitations we can know what to build upon, what potentials are really there. 6. We must see that the person’s basic needs are satisfied. That includes safety, belongingness and esteem needs. 7. We should refreshen consciousness, teaching the person to appreciate beauty and the other good things in nature and in living. 8. We should teach people that controls are good, and complete abandon is bad. It takes control to improve the quality of life in all areas. 9. We should teach people to transcend the trifling problems and grapple with the serious problems in life. These include the problems of injustice, of pain, suffering and death. 10. We must teach people to be good choosers. They must be given practice in making choices, first between one goody and another; later between one god and another.

Maslow’s Core Tendencies: • Push for physical and psychological survival 1. Called deprivation motivation, it arises from pain and discomfort associates with biological deprivation. Aim is tension reduction. 2. Can be satisfied (Eat a Big Mac) 3. Ensures the maintenance of life. 4. D-Values: the goals of deprivation motivation - food, air, water, etc. 5. Must be satisfied first, before one can become interested in self-actualization.

• Push toward the actualization of inherent potentialities - called self-actualization (SA) 1. Called Growth Motivation: It doesn’t repair deficits, but rather expands horizons. The aim is not tension reduction, but tension increase. 2. Can not be satisfied - when do you have too much truth or beauty? 3. Serves the enhancement of life, not survival. 4. B-values (Being values) are the goals of growth motivation - truth, beauty, justice, etc.

Core Characteristics: Hierarchy of Needs • Physiological Needs: Needs for air, water, food, etc. 1. Affects - When on a diet, see golden arches five miles away. Aware of smells of food. Basis of TAT & projective tests. 2. Can be satisfied - eat a steak. 3. Job talk - focus is on next pay check. 4. Deprivation --> sickness (Vitamin D and rickets). 5. Pathology - eat, drink too much. Hoarding behaviors.

• Safety Needs: Crucial for infants. 1. Affects perception - paranoia 2. Can be satisfied - go into teaching & get tenure. 3. Job talk - fringe benefits, dental insurance 4. Deprivation --> neurosis, insecurity 5. Pathology - phobias such as agoraphobia.

• Love and Belongingness Needs: People live in groups. 1. Affects perception - singles vs. marrieds. 2. Can be satisfied - can have a good marriage. 3. Job talk - desires good boss & good working conditions 4. Deprivation --> loneliness 5. Pathology - antisocial, inadequate personality

• Esteem needs: First comes from others (respect), then is internalized (self-respect). These needs kick in when the person is “comfortably situated”. 1. Affects perception - “I get no respect” 2. Can be satisfied - can do a job well. 3. Job talk - “employee of the month” awards 4. Deprivation --> feelings of inferiority 5. Pathology - depression

• Self-Actualization Needs: From here on out, there is no hierarchy. Only about 1% of population are self-actualized. We need to study them, not neurotics (Freud) or rats (Skinner). Now called Growth Motivation, or Metamotivation. SAs don’t strive, they develop. 1. Affects perception - have accurate perception, because have basic needs taken care of. 2. Can never be satisfied - when can you have enough truth, beauty, or justice? 3. Job talk - discuss ways to make better use of staff, to increase productivity. 4. Deprivation --> lack of meaning in life, boredom. 5. Pathology - Metapathologies such as boredom, cynicism, alienation, etc.

• Need to Know and Understand: similar to Erikson’s concept of wisdom.

• Aesthetic Needs: Need for beauty, order, symmetry - in art, music & literature. One of these days you might even find loud rock music to be annoying.

Development Not much specification, but Maslow is in basic agreement with Rogers. If the survival tendency is not blocked by society, the actualization tendency can be vigorously expressed. Blockage leads to defensive behavior.

Periphery of Personality Maslow studied self-actualizers (48 in all). Freud was on the list, but was not one of the list of “probable self-actualizers” that included Lincoln, Schweitzer, Einstein, Jefferson, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Characteristics of Self-Actualizers: • List of 12 Characteristics shared by people who are self-actualized. Note: not all self- actualized persons show all these characteristics. 1. Perceive reality accurately. Not defensive in their of the world 2. An acceptance of themselves, others, and nature. The AA Serenity prayer. Acceptance not same as happiness. 3. Spontaneity, simplicity, & naturalness. Do not live programmed lives. 4. Problem-centered. Possibly the most important characteristic. SAs have a sense of mission to which they dedicate their lives. Einstein once said “the man who regards his life as meaningless is not merely unhappy, but hardly fit for life”. 5. Like privacy & detachment. Enjoy being alone; can reflect on events. 6. Freshness of appreciation. Don’t take life for granted. 7. Mystic or peak experiences. A is a moment of intense ecstasy, similar to a religious or mystical experience, during which the self is transcended. More currently, Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi developed the term “flow experience” to describe times when people become so totally involved in what they are doing that they forget all sense of time and awareness of self. 8. Social Interest. Similar to Adler. 9. Profound interpersonal relationships. SAs tend to attract admirers or disciples. 10. Democratic character structure. SAs display little racial, religious, or social prejudice. 11. Creative. Especially in managing their lives. 12. Resistance to Enculturation - SAs are autonomous, independent and self-sufficient.

• Other Characteristics of SAs - from different writings. 1. Philosophical sense of humor. SAs can laugh at the absurdities of life & don’t take themselves too seriously. Compare Bob Hope or Bill Cosby with Richard Prior or George Carlin. 2. Transcendence of Culture. SAs can overcome the pathologies of their culture. 3. Personal Integrity. SAs are basically simple in psychological lives. “What you see is what you get”. 4. Transcendence of Dichotomies. SAs transcend typical dichotomies such as work/play.

• Metaneeds and metapathologies. Metaneeds (or B-values) are goals toward which SAs evolve. Failing to satisfy these goals produce a metapathology. A list of four metaneeds with their corresponding metapathologies is parentheses is presented below. 1. Truth, (mistrust, cynicism) 2. Beauty, (vulgarity) 3. Simplicity, (confusion, bewilderment) 4. Playfulness, (grimness)

Why people fail to become self-actualized. • Must meed D- Needs. Have good environment. • Culture stifles. Must be able to “overcome culture”. • Must choose growth over safety. • Jonah . The most important reason - many people are afraid of their own destiny and fear that maximizing their potentialities will lead to situations where they will be unable to cope.

How to become self-actualized: Maslow says that SA does not happen overnight. Just like you must do finger exercises before becoming a great pianist, here are some behavioral exercises you might want to try. • Pay attention to the world around you. Can you close your eyes and describe the campus? • Make risky choices. Try to expand your world, learn from failures. • Trust yourself more. Similar to Roger’s organismic trusting. • When in doubt, tell the truth. This will simplify your life. • Recognize the need for discipline. Get the requirements of life out of the way quickly.

SELF ACTUALIZATION Self Actualization is the intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately, of what the organism is.—Abraham Maslow Self-actualization implies the attainment of the basic needs of physiological, safety/security, love/belongingness, and self-esteem. Maslow studied healthy people, while most psychologists study sick people. The characteristics listed here are the results of 20 years of study of people who had the “full use and exploitation of talents, capacities, potentialities, etc..”

Maslow’s basic principles: 1. The normal personality is characterized by unity, integration, consistency, and coherence. Organization is the natural state, and disorganization is pathological. 2. The organism can be analyzed by differentiating its parts, but no part can be studied in isolation. The whole functions according to laws that cannot be found in the parts. 3. The organism has one sovereign drive, that of self-actualization. People strive continuously to realize their inherent potential by whatever avenues are open to them. 4. The influence of the external environment on normal development is minimal. The orgnism’s potential, if allowed to unfold by an appropriate environment, will produce a healthy, integrated personality. 5. The comprehensive study of one person is more useful than the extensive investigation, in many people, of an isolated psychological function. 6. The salvation of the human being is not to be found in either behaviorism or in psychoanalysis, (which deals with only the darker, meaner half of the individual). We must deal with the questions of value, individuality, consciousness, purpose, ethics and the higher reaches of human nature. 7. Man is basically good not evil. 8. Psychopathology generally results from the denial, frustration or twisting of our essential nature. 9. Therapy of any sort, is a means of restoring a person to the path of self-actualization and development along the lines dictated by their inner nature. 10. When the four basic needs have been satisfied, the growth need or self-actualization need arises: A new discontent and restlessness will develop unless the individual is doing what he individually is fitted for. A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write—in short, what people can be they must be. Characteristics of Self Actualizing People • Realistic Realistically oriented, SA persons have a more efficient perception of reality, they have comfortable relations with it. This is extended to all areas of life. SA persons are unthreatened, unfrightened by the unknown. they have a superior ability to reason, to see the truth. They are logical and efficient. • Acceptance Accept themselves, others and the natural world the way they are. Sees human nature as is, have a lack of crippling guilt or shame, enjoy themselves without regret or apology, they have no unnecessary inhibitions. • Spontaneity, simplicity, naturalness Spontaneous in their inner life, thoughts and impulses, they are unhampered by convention. Their ethics is autonomous, they are individuals, and are motivated to continual growth. • Problem centering Focus on problems outside themselves, other centered. They have a mission in life requiring much energy, their mission is their reason for existence. They are serene, characterized by a lack of worry, and are devoted to duty. • Detachment: the need for privacy Alone but not lonely, unflappable, retain dignity amid confusion and personal misfortunes, objective. They are self starters, responsible for themselves, own their behavior. • Autonomy: Independent of culture and environment SA’s rely on inner self for satisfaction. Stable in the face of hard knocks, they are self contained, independent from love and respect. • Continued freshness of appreciation Have a fresh rather than stereotyped appreciation of people and things. Appreciation of the basic good in life, moment to moment living is thrilling, transcending and spiritual. They live the present moment to the fullest. • Peak experiences Feelings of limitless horizons opening up to the vision, the feeling of being simultaneously more powerful and also more helpless than one ever was before, the feeling of ecstacy and wonder and awe, the loss of placement in time and space with, finally, the conviction that something extremely important and valuable had happened, so that the subject was to some extent transformed and strengthened even in his daily life by such experiences. Abraham Maslow Maslow asked his subjects to think of the most wonderful experience or experiences of their lives—the happiest moments, extatic moments, moments of rapture, perhaps from being in live, or from listening to music or suddenly “being hit” by a book or a painting or from some great creative moment. He found that people undergoing peak experiences felt more integrated, more at one with the world, more in command of their own lives, more spontaneous, less aware of space and time, more perceptive, more self determined, more playful. Effects of peak experiences: • The removal of neurotic symptoms • A tendency to view oneself in a more healthy way • Change in one’s view of other people and of one’s relations with them • Change in one’s view of the world • The release of creativity, spontaneity and expressiveness • A tendency to remember the experience and to try to duplicate it • A tendency to view life in general as more worthwhile. • Gemeinschaftsgefuhl Identification, sympathy, and affection for mankind, kinship with the good, the bad and the ugly, older-brother attitude. Truth is clear to him, can see things others cannot see. • Interpersonal relations Profound, intimate relationships with few. Capable of greater love than others consider possible. Benevolence, affection and friendliness shown to everyone. • Democratic values and attitudes Able to learn from anyone, humble. Friendly with anyone regardless of class, education, political , race or color. • Discrimination: means and ends, Good and Evil Do not confuse between means and ends. They do no do wrong. Enjoy the here and now, getting to goal—not just the result. They make the most tedious task an enjoyable game. They have their own inner moral standards (appearing amoral to others). • Philosophical, unhostile sense of humor Jokes are teaching metaphors, intrinsic to the situation, spontaneous, can laugh at themselves, never make jokes that hurt others. • Creativity Inborn uniqueness that carries over into everything they do, see the real and true more easily, original, inventive and less inhibited. • Resistance to enculturation: Transcendence of any particular culture Inner detachment from culture, folkways are used but of no consequence, calm long term culture improvement, indignation with injustice, inner autonomy and outer acceptance. Transcend the environment rather than just cope. • Imperfections Painfully aware of own imperfections, joyfully aware of own growth process. Impatient with self when stuck, real life pain, not imagined. • Values Philosophical acceptance of the nature of his self, human nature, social life, nature, physical reality, remains realistically human. • Resolution of dichotomies Polar opposites merge into a third, higher phenomenon, as though the two have united, work becomes play, most childlike person is most wise, opposite forces no longer felt as a conflict. Desires are in excellent accord with reason. Maslow says there are two processes necessary for self-actualization: self exploration and action. The deeper the self exploration, the closer one comes to self-actualization.

EIGHT WAYS TO SELF ACTUALIZE 1. Experience things fully, vividly, selflessly. Throw yourself into the experiencing of something: concentrate on it fully, let it totally absorb you. 2. Life is an ongoing process of choosing between safety (out of fear and need for defense) and risk (for the sake of progress and growth): Make the growth choice a dozen times a day. 3. Let the self emerge. Try to shut out the external clues as to what you should think, feel, say, and so on, and let your experience enable you to say what you truly feel. 4. When in doubt, be honest. If you look into yourself and are honest, you will also take responsibility. Taking responsibility is self-actualizing. 5. Listen to your own tastes. Be prepared to be unpopular. 6. Use your , work to do well the things you want to do, no matter how insignificant they seem to be. 7. Make peak experiencing more likely: get rid of illusions and false notions. Learn what you are good at and what your potentialities are not. 8. Find out who you are, what you are, what you like and don’t like, what is good and what is bad for you, where you are going, what your mission is. Opening yourself up to yourself in this way means identifying defenses—and then finding the courage to give them up.

SELF ACTUALIZATION Maslow (1954), believed that man has a natural drive to healthiness, or self actualization. He believed that man has basic, (biological and psychological) needs that have to be fulfilled in order to be free enough to feel the desire for the higher levels of realization. He also believed that the organism has the natural, unconscious and innate capacity to seek its needs. (Maslow 1968). In other words, man has an internal, natural, drive to become the best possible person he can be. ...he has within him a pressure toward unity of personality, toward spontaneous expressiveness, toward full individuality and identity, toward seeing the truth rather than being blind, toward being creative, toward being good, and a lot else. That is, the human being is so constructed that he presses toward what most people would call good values, toward serenity, kindness, courage, honesty, love, unselfishness, and goodness. (Maslow, 1968, p. 155.) Maslow believed that not only does the organism know what it needs to eat to maintain itself healthy, but also man knows intuitively what he needs to become the best possible, mentally healthy and happy “being”. I use the word “being” because Maslow goes far beyond what the average person considers good physical and . He talked about higher consciousness, esthetic and peak experiences, and Being. He stressed the importance of moral and ethical behavior that will lead man naturally to discovering, becoming himself. The state of being without a system of values is psychopathogenic, we are learning. The human being needs a framework of values, a philosophy of life, a religion or religion- surrogate to live by and understand by, in about the same sense he needs sunlight, calcium or love. This I have called the “cognitive need to understand.” The value- illnesses which result from valuelessness are called variously anhedonia, anomie, apathy, amorality, hopelessness, cynicism, etc., and can become somatic illness as well. Historically, we are in a value interregnum in which all externally given value systems have proven failures (political, economic, religious, etc.) e.g., nothing is worth dying for. What man needs but doesn’t have, he seeks for unceasingly, and he becomes dangerously ready to jump at any hope, good or bad. The cure for this disease is obvious. We need a validated, usable system of human values that we can believe in and devote ourselves to (be willing to die for), because they are true rather than because we are exhorted to “believe and have faith.” Such an empirically based Weltanschauung seems now to be a real possibility, at least in theoretical outline. (Maslow, 1968, p. 206.) Morality then is natural. If we use our capacity to think, are honest, sincere and open, we arrive at moral and ethical behavior naturally. The problem is to not destroy our ability to become ourselves. Pure spontaneity consists of free, uninhibited uncontrolled, trusting, unpremeditated expression of the self, i.e., of the psychic forces, with minimal interference by consciousness. Control, will, caution, self-criticism, measure, deliberateness are the brakes upon this expression made intrinsically necessary by the laws of the social and natural world, and secondarily, made necessary by the fear of the psyche itself. (1968, p. 197.) To me, this means listening to the inner self, the unconscious, the spirit. This ability of healthier people to dip into the unconscious and preconscious, to use and value their primary processes instead of fearing them, to accept their impulses instead of always controlling them, to be able to regress voluntarily without fear, turns out to be one of the main conditions of creativity. This development toward the concept of a healthy unconscious and of a healthy irrationality, sharpens our awareness of the limitations of purely abstract thinking, of verbal thinking and of analytic thinking. If our hope is to describe the world fully, a place is necessary for preverbal, ineffable, metaphorical, primary process, concrete-experience, intuitive and esthetic types of cognition, for there are certain aspects of reality which can be cognized in no other way. (p. 208) , self-hypnosis, imagery and the like are sources of discovering our inner being. To become self-actualized, Maslow said we need two things, inner exploration and action. An important existential problem is posed by the fact that self-actualizing persons (and all people in their peak- experiences) occasionally live out-of-time and out-of-the- world (atemporal and aspatial) even though mostly they must live in the outer world. Living in the inner psychic world (which is ruled by psychic laws and not by the laws of outer-reality), i.e., the world of experience, of , of wishes and fears and hopes, of love of poetry, art and fantasy, is different from living in and adapting to the non-psychic reality which runs by laws he never made and which are not essential to his nature even though he has to live by them. (He could, after all, live in other kinds of worlds, as any science fiction fan knows.) The person who is not afraid of this inner, psychic world, can enjoy it to such an extent that it may be called Heaven by contrast with the more effortful, fatiguing, externally responsible world of “reality,” of striving and coping, of right and wrong, of truth and falsehood. This is true even though the healthier person can also adapt more easily and enjoyably to the “real” world, and has better “reality testing,” i.e., doesn’t confuse it with his inner psychic world. (p. 213)

Maslow has made a case for natural, human goodness. Man is basically good, not evil, he has the capacity to be an efficient, healthy and happy person. But he must nurture the capacity with awareness, honesty, and maintain his freedom: to freely respond to internal and external events (values), to be himself at all costs. The knowledge that man has this capacity motivates him to realize it. It also obliges him to actively work toward self realization. We cannot not respond to the call that a value makes on us. This whole discussion shows the importance of studying Values and Ethics. We are obliged to discover the range of our possible moral behavior. If we are capable of being healthy and happy, then we are obliged to work toward that goal.

Application of Maslow’s Theory to Education

Teacher’s Role I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom...As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or dehumanized (Ginott, 1976). Jones & Jones (1990) showed that how teachers conduct their classrooms is a major factor directing students’ motivation. Therefore, it is the responsibility of teachers to know what their students’ needs are, to understand the concept of Maslow’s hierarchy, and to develop their teaching programs accordingly. Ray (1992), stated, “In the educational scene the teacher has the primary responsibility to develop, encourage, enhance, and maintain motivation in the student.” In his later years, Maslow realized that an environmental precondition of stimulation, or challenge, was needed to motivate individuals. Therefore, it is also the teachers’ responsibility to include a means of stimulation in their teaching programs to catch students’ interest (Global, 1972).

Importance of Maslow’s Theory to Education The most important educational goal is for students to learn. Another important goal is to make this newly gained knowledge and information purposefual and meaningful to the students so that it may be retained and useful throught their lives. An essential factor involved in meeting these goals is motivation. If students are unmotivated in one way or another, it is likely that little learning will take place, or if by chance some learning should take place, it is probable that it will not be retained. This theory has great impact on educational structure. In order to maximize on the effectiveness of school-wide and individual classroom teaching programs, administrators and teachers must consider student needs and their hierarchial order. This must be a top priority in the development of these programs so that students have the capability of reaching their highest levels of potential. For instance, if a student has not had her breakfast before she comes to school, she will not be concentrating on learning; she will be proccupied with the need for food. Because there are many children who come to school without a proper breakfast, school systems must meet this need by providing breakfast programs so that these children will be more likely to learn effectively.

Suggestions for Application of Maslow’s Theory to Education

Physiological • reduced & free lunch programs • correct room temperatures • bathroom breaks • drink breaks

Safety • well planned lessons, carried out in an orderly fashion • controlled classroom behaviors • emergency procedures well planned, discussed & practiced • fair discipline • consistent expectations • attitude of teacher: accepting & nonjudgemental, pleasant, nonthreatening • provide praise for correct responses instead of punishment for incorrect responses

Love & Belonging

With regard to teacher-student relationships • teacher personality: empathetic, considerate & interested in the individural, patient, fair, able to self-disclose, positive attitude, good listener • use one-on-one instruction • use teacher conferencing • provide positive comments & feedback rather than negative • get to know students (likes, dislikes, concerns) • be available for students in need • listen to students • be supportive • have personal helpers on rotating basis • show that you value students thoughts, opinions & judgments • show trust of students by providing situation where it is necessary (ex. running errands, classroom leader)

With regard to student-student relationships • class meetings • class discussions • peer tutoring • provide situations requiring mutual trust • show&tell, sharing Esteem

Self-esteem • develop new knowledge based on background knowledge so as to help ensure success (scaffolding) • pace instruction to fit individual need • focus on strengths & assets • take individual needs & abilities into account when planning lessons and carrying them out • teach to the multiple moded of learning • teach & model learning strategies • base new teaching, strategies & plans on learning outcomes • be alert to student difficulties & intervene as soon as possible • be available & approachable so students having difficulties feel comfortable coming for help • involve all students in class participation & responsibilities • when necessary to discipline a child, do as privately as possible

Respect from others • develop a classroom environment where students are positive & nonjudgmental • star of the week • award programs for jobs well done • providing deserved positions of status • recognition programs for special effort (ex. helpful citizens of the week) • develop & carry out a curriculum to encourage children to be empathetic & good listeners • employ cooperative learning in such a way as to develop trust between group members • involve students in activities of importance & worthiness (ex. Cleaning up the environment, carrying out a food drive for the needy)

Knowledge & Understanding • allow students time to explore areas of curiosity • provide lessons that are intellectually challenging • plan lessons that connect areas of learning & have students compare and contrast to search for relationships • use a discovery approach to learning whenever possible • have students approach topics of learning from various angles • provide opportunities for philosophical thought & discussion • get students involved in intellectually challenging programs (ex. Odyssey of the Mind)

Aesthetic • organize classroom materials in a neat & appealing way • display student art work in an appealing manner • put up interesting & colorful wall hangings • replace overly worn classroom materials periodically • create varied appealing & interesting learning centers • rooms painted in pleasing colors • large window areas • well maintained physical surroundings (ex. keeping walls painted, desks clean & repaired etc.) • clean rooms • fresh smelling rooms

Self-actualization • expect students to do their best • give students freedom to explore & discover on their own • make learning meaningful—connect to “real” life • plan lessons involving metacognitive activities • get students involved in self-expressive projects • allow students to be involved in creative activities & projects

References Academic American Encyclopedia. (1994). (Vol. 13). Danbury, Conneticut: Grolier. Collier’s Encyclopedia. (1993). (Vol. 15). : Collier. Coon, D. L. (1977). Introduction to psychology: Exploration and application. New York: West Publising. DeCarvalho, R. J. (1991). The growth hypothesis in psychology: The human psychology of Abraham Maslow and . San Francisco: EMText. Gage, N. L., & Berliner, D. C. (1992). . Princeton: Houghton Mifflin. Goble, F. G. (1970). The third force. New York: Grossman. Hoffman, E. (1988). The right to be human. Los Angeles: Tarcher. http://ww.demon.co.uk/solbaram/articles/motvtnsu.html International Study Project. (1972). Abraham H. Maslow: A memorial volume. Belmont: Wadsworth. Jones, V. & Jones, L. (1990). Classroom Management. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Maddi, S. R., & Costa, P. T. (1972). Humanism in personology: Allport, Maslow and Murray. Chicago: Aldine and Atherton. Ray, N. L. (1992) Motivation in education.(Report No. SP 034041). Cortland, NY: SUNY Cortland Library. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No ED 349298) Ryckman, R. M. (1978). Theories of personality. New York: Van Nostrand.