21 Mar Assignment: Maslow’s Theory of Needs

Assignment: Maslow’s Theory of Needs

In this course, you have discovered that when individuals have needs that are not met, they are motivated to behave in ways that will satisfy their unmet needs. One theory of needs satisfaction was proposed by Abraham Maslow. This theory suggests that people are motivated to fulfill certain needs before they are motivated to satisfy other needs. Maslow identified five categories of needs and proposed that they are satisfied in order from the lowest level to the highest level. The lowest level is physiological need, followed by need for safety, need for belonging, need for esteem, and need for self-actualization. A person may go through life without reaching the highest level, self-actualization. Self-actualization is the need to meet your true potential. For example, consider a natural-born artist who works as an accountant to earn a living. If the artist does not make time to use his artistic skills, he will be unable to satisfy his need for self-actualization. Concepts from evolutionary psychology have led to a revision of the theory that now takes into account its evolutionary significance.

One related concept of basic psychological needs is that the needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness must be satisfied on an ongoing basis in order for people to develop and function in healthy or optimal ways (Deci & Ryan, 2000). The Basic Psychological Needs Scale is a family of scales that addresses need satisfaction in general and need satisfaction in specific domains. You will take the inventory in order to assess your level of satisfaction in your need for autonomy, competence and relatedness.

Maslow’s theory suggests that everyone is motivated to meet needs in order to achieve satisfaction. The theory also recognizes that individuals meet needs in different ways based on their situations. For example, you might meet your need for safety at home by installing a security system. You might meet that same need at work by carrying a keychain flashlight to go to your car at night. Military personnel might meet their need for safety by carrying a weapon.

To prepare for this assignment:

• Review Chapter 8 in your textbook, Motivation: Biological, Psychological, and Environmental. Pay particular attention to the sections on Physiological Needs, Definitions, and Effects of Unfulfilled Needs (Table 8.3) and Maslow’s Revised Hierarchy (Figure 8.3). 

• Fill out the Basic Psychological Needs Scale, located in the weekly resources area and score your responses using the instructions provided at the end of the questionnaire. The scale is intended to measure the strength of your psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (belongingness, affiliation) (See Table 8.3 for these definitions),

• Think about whether your results from the inventory are consistent with Maslow’s theory.

• Consider the following questions: Which behaviors allow for satisfaction of the three needs that are measured by the scale? For example, does talking on a cell phone while in a public place satisfy a person’s need for relatedness (belongingness, affiliation)? Does asking for a date, rather than waiting to be asked, satisfy a person’s need for autonomy?

• Consider how your needs for physiological concerns, safety, belonging, and esteem might be satisfied at home and at work.

• Keeping in mind that many people do not fulfill their need for self-actualization (Figure 8.3), consider how you might increase your likelihood of satisfying that need, even if you already are fulfilling the need to some extent.

• Consider why concepts from evolutionary psychology have led to a revision of the theory that now takes into account its evolutionary significance.

The assignment (1–2 pages):

• First describe your results from the Basic Psychological Needs Scale addressing the categories of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Then provide an example for each category of a behavior that allows for your satisfaction of these three needs (do not use the examples provided above).

• Explain how your needs currently are met both at home and at work for the first four levels of Maslow’s needs: physiological, safety, belonging, and esteem. If they are not currently being met, explain how you could meet them at both home and work.

• Analyze your current life status for the fifth level of Maslow’s hierarchy, self-actualization. Explain how your answer would fit in with the updated theory that takes into account concepts from evolutionary psychology.