Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Contemporary America

By Robert Merrick

Ever since I was a freshman in college and first studied Abraham Maslow’s theory on humans' hierarchy of needs I have been moved by his concepts and mindful of his theories in my personal observations and experiences.

I first was exposed to this theory in an introductory sociology course that I took at the University of Connecticut with Dr. Sanders. I later encountered this theory in other courses that involved human behavior especially the management and marketing courses I took in business as an upper classman and in graduate school. The hierarchy of needs resurfaced in some of my educational courses as well.

The basic premise of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is that there are groups of needs that he relates to levels in a pyramid that move one from an instinctual state of animal behavior toward needs that are clearly unique to humans that focus on self-actualization and spirituality.

The lower the level of the unfulfilled needs in the pyramid, the stronger the individual’s motivation to fulfill that need. The levels Maslow identified were modified but the 5 basic levels were as follows:

Physiological – food, water, sex, sleep, bodily functions
Safety – security of body, place, work, family, health, property
Love/Belonging – friendship, family, sexual intimacy
Esteem – self esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect of self
Self Actualization – morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, understanding of purpose. (Spirituality was recognized by Maslow as being at higher level than self actualization and he published separate works shortly before his death in 1970).

I have found Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to be very valid in my personal experiences and observations since I was first exposed to them over 25 years ago. For instance in my role as a teacher I have witnessed the difficulty of a child trying to learn when their most basic (level 1) needs for food and sleep are not satisfied. No matter how motivating the educational experience a child cannot concentrate if they are hungry and tired.

In fact, education largely depends on a child being at the esteem level (level 4) to derive true understanding of the concepts and exercises taking place in the classroom and move to a higher level. Many of the children struggling in school today have been unable to fulfill their level 2 or 3 needs. Overwhelmingly these children are being raised in “family” situations where the adult caregiver has never fulfilled their level 2 or 3 needs. Alarmingly many of these adult caregivers, mostly women, are living a level 1 existence latching on to any “boyfriend” offering the enticement of fulfilling level 2 and 3 needs. Since level 1 needs are the strongest caregivers in that situation will often act instinctively and hope for the best. This is often done to the detriment of the child or children they are responsible for raising since the “boyfriend” often has no interest in the needs of anyone other than himself and has even less interest in fulfilling the needs of his “girlfriend’s” kids.

It is no surprise that the problem of basic needs of family members not being met has deteriorated since the dismantling of the family unit began in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Prior to those periods it was possible to be poor and have your most basic needs met because the strength of the family unit raised all the members up the hierarchy of needs. Safety came from the security of a father seen as the protector of the family and a mother providing comfort and reassurance. The children developed a sense of belonging as they witnessed their parents’ commitment to them and each other through good times and in bad.

As long as marriage is viewed as an unnecessary and even unfashionable alternative in the decision process of whether or not to have children in popular culture, and the media preys on the vulnerable by luring them with illusions of quick solutions that meet their basic needs, the modern American “civilization” will operate more like the instinctive animal world than a sapient society.

Interesting, yet not surprising, recent studies have shown that the role of a father in a family has been underestimated in a child’s physical and emotional development. According to Ronald Rohner, director of the Center for the Study of Parental Acceptance and Rejection in the School of Family Studies at the University of Connecticut, “What we find surprising and new is that a father’s love is turning out to be just as important as, and sometimes more important than, a mother’s love,” Rohner says. (See AScribe Newswire Fathers’ Role in Raising Children: Misunderstood)

The solution lies in a reawakening of the value of marriage and family. A strong cultural and societal message that communicates the decision to have children is not to be taken lightly and is best suited to the strength of two parents who are in a loving and committed relationship.