Need One: Physiological
The first tier of the hierarchy concerns physiological needs, those basic for survival. They include such things as hunger, thirst, fresh air, and sex, (Drenth, Thierry, Willems, and de Wolff, p. 137). To take a closer look, the biological functions needed to sustain our bodies are included in this category. These may include the need for oxygen, water, protein, salt, sugar, and other vitamins and minerals, (Boree, p. 2). Functions to be cited are the need to be physically active, to sleep, to get rid of waste, and to maintain the correct temperature and ph balance in the body, (Boree, p. 2). This need, when not satisfied, will take the priority of the employee, (Hackman, p. 141). Maslow himself, in his Theory of Human Motivation calls these needs the most "prepotent" and says they will be the most dominating ones when not satisfied, (Leavitt and Pondy, pp. 5-6). Obviously, this most basic of needs manifests itself in the job environment as the pay required to satisfy it.
Need Two: Security
When Maslow posed the question of "what happens to man’s desires when there is plenty of bread and when his belly is chronically filled?", (Lowry, p. 25), he answered it with his second level of need, that of security. This need can be satisfied by leading an orderly life, and having the stability of your source of physiological needs, (Drenth, Thierry, Willems, and de Wolff, p. 137). According to the psychologist himself, this need only becomes a mobilizer of human actions when emergencies as war or natural catastrophes take place, (Lowry, p. 26). They have also been identified as the desire for stability, protection, and a sense of structure, (Boree, p. 2). Maslow spoke of the importance of fufilling this need in early childhood, and also postulated as to the extent that religion and philosophy have, over time, filled this void for many people, (Leavitt and Pondy, pp. 10-11). He also called them the "organizers of behavior". An employer might find it helpful to offer benefits, and some type of long range planning and preparation offered, such as a retirement or savings plan, to help fufill this need in his or her employers, (Boree, p. 2).
Need Three: Belonging
Next on the pyramid is the need for belonging, basically described as the social needs of a person, (Drenth, Thierry, Willems and de Wolff, p. 137). Maslow warned of the importance of these needs being met in that, when they are not, the person may suffer from more serious mental diseases, (Leavitt and Pondy, p. 14). To be specific, this need may consist of the search for and desire for friends, a romantic partner, children, and ultimately, a sense of community, (Boree, p. 2-3). Some of these needs may be met through the workplace, in such relationship building activities as picnics and socials, (Boree, p. 3).
Need Four: Esteem
This category of needs can be divided into to two subcategories. The individual, Maslow noted, will seek first to gain the respect and admiration of others through achievements, before seeking that respect within himself, (Boree, p. 3). The satisfaction that comes with respecting one's self and feelings of worth and confidence can afford one a sense of personal freedom, said Maslow, while the second type, consisting of the gaining of a successful reputation and appreciation for one's efforts, has been relatively neglected by the Freudians and Behaviorists, (Leavitt and Pondy, p. 15). Adler, a contemporary psychologist of Maslow's, postulated that the inferiority feelings resulting from not having these needs met was at the root of most of society's problems, and Maslow tended to agree with him, (Boree, p. 3). An employer can offer much in the way of public praise to suffice some of this need, while fellow co-workers must shoulder some of the load as well.
Maslow said much in the way of explaining how these first four needs work. He called them D-needs, or deficit needs, because they motivate the individual to do something through a deficit of some kind, (Boree, p. 3). He cited homeostasis as the mechanism by which this works. Much like a thermostat, the desire to fufill these needs only surfaces in the individual when there is a deficit. So much like the heat won't come on unless the temperature falls below a certain degree, neither will the need for love, for instance take precedence unless it is falling too low, (Boree, p. 3).
Need Five: Self-actualization
The last and final level of self-actualization differs from the previous four in that Maslow identified it as a B-need, or a being need, (Boree, p. 4). As such, this need can never be satisfied. In fact, the more it receives in terms of satisfaction, the stronger it becomes to fufill it, (Drenth, Thierry, Willems, and de Wolff, p. 138). The term itself was used first by Kurt Goldstein, in a much more limited fashion, (Leavitt and Pondy, p. 16). Maslow broadened the term a little, and it now can be defined as someone who has realized their full potential, and by doing so has taken on a system of characteristics, (Boree, p. 5). They include being reality-centered, or being sincere; being problem-centered, which means they focus on finding solutions to obstacles in their lives; they have a different perception of means and ends, or they feel the journey is more important than the destination, (Boree, p. 5). They would also have a need for privacy, or enjoy their solitude; are independent of culture or environment, relying on their own experiences to guide them; they resist encultration, or can be identified as non-conformists; and hold democratic values concerning ethnic variety. They will often be seen as having more close, intimate personal relationships, and have an acceptance of self and others which allows for an unhostile sense of humor, (Boree, p. 5). In other words, they can poke fun at themselves. Self-actualized people will also enjoy more spontaneity and simplicity in their daily lives, have freshness of appreciation, (or curiousity), and hold creative sides. As a result of all these characteristics, self-actualized persons will have more of what Maslow called peak experiences than the normal person. Peak experiences are defined as those which leave a person feeling small, a part of something bigger, more infinite, better, (Boree, p. 6). They can often be likened to mystical experiences in many religions. Certainly the self-actualized person is indeed rare, and Maslow once estimated that only two percent of the population can be characterized as having reached this level on the hierarchy of needs, (Boree, p. 4). Because of this, a company may have very little self-actualized employees. Much of the determination of the person heading towards self-actualization will be up to that person themselves, a company would be well advised to focus on the four previous needs in satisfying them, and thus the company’s employees can focus their efforts on satisfying the need that can consistently drive them towards bigger and better accomplishments.
