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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

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Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development

Definition

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation, which he subsequently extended to include his observations of humans’ innate curiosity [2].

Description

Abraham Maslow is a humanistic psychologist who developed a theory of personality that has influenced a number of different fields, including education. This wide influence is due in part to the high level of practicality of Maslow’s theory. This theory accurately describes many realities of personal experiences.

Humanists do not believe that human beings are pushed and pulled by mechanical forces, either of stimuli and reinforcements (behaviorism) or of unconscious instinctual impulses (psychoanalysis). Humanists focus upon potentials. They believe that humans strive for an upper level of capabilities. Humans seek the frontiers of creativity, the highest reaches of consciousness and wisdom. This has been labeled “fully functioning person,”...

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References

  1. Lim, C., & Khruschev, V. (2002). “Maslow’s Pyramid – a necessity?”, 12, 15–17.

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  2. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370–396.

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  3. Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality (p. 236). Harper: New York.

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  4. Maslow, A. H. (1971). The farther reaches of human nature, Chap. 3. In Self-actualizing and beyond (p. 41). New York: Penguin Compass.

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  5. Wahba, A., & Bridgewell, L. (1976). Maslow reconsidered: A review of research on the need hierarchy theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 15, 212–240.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School Counseling & School Psychology, Azusa Pacific University, 901 East Alosta Ave, P.O. Box 7000, Azusa, CA, 91702-7000, USA

    Michael Block

Authors
  1. Michael Block
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, 230 South 500 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102, USA

    Sam Goldstein Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology MS 2C6, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Jack A. Naglieri Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Block, M. (2011). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1720

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1720

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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