Runninghead: MASLOW

Abraham Maslow: The Father of Humanism

Skyler Clark

Salt Lake City Community College

Abraham Maslow General Psychology PS !"!" # "$% Mon&ay ':"" (m ")*!+*$"!)

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2 Abraham Maslow: The Father of Humanism

Among s!"hologists who influen"ed s!"holog!# Abraham Maslow stands at the forefront as one of the most influential men to ha$e e$er li$ed% His wor& ins ired man! s!"hologists after him# and effe"tuall! "hanged the entire mode and attitude of s!"holog! in man! of de$elo ments after his time% Maslow's theories "oin"ided with those of other s!"hologist in de$elo mental s!"holog!# but mu"h more left the aths tread b! others# and bla(ed his own trail in the annals of s!"holog! histor!% The e) erien"es he made in his own life hel ed him to forge his ideas# enabling him to rodu"e theories to effe"tuall! "hange the world of s!"holog!% His hierar"h! of needs be"ame generall! a""e ted and used b! man! s!"hologists% The hierar"h! he de$elo ed e) li"ates what humans need h!si"all!# and emotionall! to fill their greatest otential# and la!s forth what that otential might be% Maslow# the oldest of se$en "hildren# des"ribed his !outh and "hildhood as unha !% Often alone# he s ent his time as a re"luse# fre*uenting the librar! in the

la"e of ha$ing friends% +s!"hologists "lassified him as mentall! unstable# a label that most indefinitel! affe"ted his later life% His studies "arried him to the ,it! ,ollege of -ew .or&# where he began on man! different aths% First he tried his hand at law s"hool# and after he dis"o$ered he hated it# dro ed out% Then he was

off to ,ornell to tr! out the "ourses of higher edu"ation there# but again after erforming badl! he dro ed out due to "osts and a"ademi" failure% The ,it!

,ollege and /ni$ersit! of Wis"onsin were the institutions at whi"h he finall! rogressed% 0uring "ollege he married his first "ousin# 1ertha who !ounger than he#

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and still attending high s"hool% His edu"ation "ontinued at ,olumbia /ni$ersit!# also in s!"holog! as before# in addition he ser$ed on the fa"ult! of 1roo&l!n ,ollege% At this oint in his "areer# shortl! after World War 33# Maslow began to more ointedl! *uestion the methods of s!"hologist before him# and their "on"lusions% While Maslow did not totall! dis"redit s!"hologists of the ast and see& to dis ro$e all their theories# it seemed to him that there might be more to the human mind and de$elo ment than alread! dis"o$ered% He de$elo ed his own ideas on how to understand to mind# fo"using on ositi$e *ualities rather than treating his atien"e as 4bags of s!m toms5 6Abraham Maslow# 27128 Maslow# greatl! influen"ed b! Ruth 1enedi"t and Ma) Wertheimer# de$elo ed what "ome to be &now as 4humanisti" s!"holog!%5 The father of a new genre of ideas# stud! and ro"eedure# Maslow began ma&ing his mar&s in the world of s!"holog!% 3n the "ourse of his resear"h# and e)tensi$e writing# while borrowing ideas for his theories from man! s"ientists# Maslow was stru"& with a heart atta"&# nearl! &illing him and ending the wor& with whi"h he was bus!ing himself% 3n Menlo +ar& ,alifornia# on 9une :# 1;<7# a few !ears after that first atta"&# Maslow died# ending a life full of "ontributions to s!"holog! that would sha e almost e$er! as e"t of future de$elo ment and stud!%
Figure 1 (Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, 2013)

Maslow's heirar"h! of needs# his most de$elo ed and famous theor!# la!s forth what a erson needs to attain fulfillment% Maslow "alled this 4self= a"tuali(ation%5 His hierar"h!# later made into a $isual !ramid 6Figure 18 for better understanding# and benefi"al to learning# fo"uses first on the h!si"al re*uirments a

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human must meet# before rogressing on to the 4safet! le$el%5 ?a"h erson# before an! other needs "an be met must meet the needs in the h!siologi"al le$el of Maslow's hierar"h! first% The theor! is *uite logi"al% 3f !ou "annot breathe# !ou do nothing else until !ou "an fill these need% The elements of nourishment# re rodu"tion# regeneration# maintan"e# and relief follow the same rin"i le% Without food# a erson "annot fulfill an! of the needs re*uistite in the ne)t le$el of the hierar"h!# safet!% ?$en though laws rohibiting stealing ha$e dire "onse*uen"es in some "ountries# a erson d!ing of hunger# and needing to fulfil a h!siologi"al need will forsa&e safet! and steal# to sa$e his life% On"e a erson has first se"ured themsel$es on the most basi" h!si"al le$el# then the! "an rogress to the ne)t% A ersons h!si"al well being isn't onl! effe"ted b! ro er nutrition and general u &ee of the bod!# but also shelter# and means to ro$ide all of these ne"essities% A erson wishing to li$e in toda!s world# barring aristo"ra"! and nobilit!# must wor&% To enable a erson to "ontinuall! meet the h!siologi"al needs our bodies la"e u on us# the! must ha$e a means of sustained a"*uisition of the resour"es re*uisite to life% Safet! is not onl! shelter howe$er% The famil!# ersonal health and h!genie# ro ert! and moralit! all la! a role in the 4safet! le$el%5 3t is howe$er logi"al that these rogression is more easil! a"hie$ed through "ollaboration of ea"h of these elements% When the first two le$els of Maslow's hierar"h ha$e been a"hie$ed# a erson is then h!si"all! stable# and able to sur$i$e life% A erson who has a"hie$ed this state ma! be fun"tional# but not ne"essaril! fulfilled# or e$en ha !%

The ne)t ste to fulfillment is a"hie$ed b! fullfiling the "ongenital emotions of ea"h erson% Human beings need to be lo$ed# a re"iated# res e"ted# self=effi"ate%

+eo le "ra$e these things similarl! to how the! "ra$e food# water or shelter# the

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former onl! ta&ing a higher riort!% +eo le are so"ialA the! see& to belong% Whether it be a "hur"h# a "lub# an organi(ation# a famil!# or sim le eer grou s or friends# eo le desire to belong% The! want to be a""e ted and lo$ed# res e"ted and admired# a re"iated and $alued% When eo le "an a"hie$e these needs# then the!

start to be"ome more e)tro$erted# and see& to hel others de$elo them% After ea"h erson de$elo s lo$e for others and a sense of belonging# the! then de$elo self esteem% +ride in who the! are# where the! "ome from and what ma&es them uni*uel! different from their eers% This "onfiden"e# and these a"hei$ements enable a erson to be"ome self=a"tuali(ed% Self=a"tuali(ation# as Maslow saw it# is when an idi$idual rea"hes their full otential% -ot be"oming erfe"t# or being the best at a arti"ular tas& or trade# but rather doing all that erson "an# and ha$ing the satisfa"tion of doing their best# and a"hie$ing be"ause of it% +eo le that are self=a"tuali(ed# or ha$e reali(ed this inner otential for whi"h all humans sti$e# are at the stage where de$elo ing strong morals# "reati$it!# o en=mindedness and a""e tan"e are ossible% These eo le are not alwa!s ha ! nessaril!# although it is li&el! the! are# but the! are almost alwa!s

"ontent% The! ha$e rea"hed their goals# and done what the! ha$e alwa!s been meant to doA to be"ome the erson the! are% +h!si"al and mental elements "ombined# ma&e for the ideal state of being% On"e a erson has de$elo ed mentall! and h!si"all!# and met those needs# the! then "ome to the state where the! "an de$elo s irituall!% -ow# Maslow wouldn't ha$e "alled it that# but that is essentiall! what it is% On"e a erson "an ta&e "ontrol o$er their en$irnoment# and thri$e in it# the then de$elo an inner ea"e% This is what most religions see& after in one wa! or another% The "ontentment that all is and will be right# that one must sim le do their best# and the! will be rewarded in

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&ind% 3n it's essen"e# self=a"tuali(ion is Cust that% 3nner ea"e% Maslow de$elo ed a theor! allowing eo le to ha$e ho e in a greater otential% His theories ortra! indi$iduals as rogressing% +eo le are not s!m toms# diseases# or roblemsA eo le ma! ha$e those things# but e$er! single erson has otential% That was Maslow's greatest "ontribution to s!"holog!# to hel the world# and the eo le in it to see that the! ha$e otential% 3t is u to ea"h erson indi$iduall! to rea"h it%

Bi liogra!hy
Abraham Maslow% 62712# Mar"h 1>8% Retrie$ed Mar"h 1># 2712# from Wi&i edia: Dhtt :EEen%wi&i edia%orgEwi&iEAbrahamFMaslowG Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs% 62712# Mar"h 1>8% Retrie$ed Mar"h 1># 2712# from Wi&i edia: Dhtt :EEen%wi&i edia%orgEwi&iEMaslowHsFhierar"h!FofFneedsG 4Theories of Learning in ?du"ational +s!"holog!# Abraham Maslow: Humanisti" Theor! of Learning% 4 Life"ir"les=3n"% Retrie$ed from Dhtt :EEwww%life"ir"les= in"%"omELearningtheoriesEhumanistEmaslow%htmlG