Humanistic Psychology

Main Idea What’s This? Hierarchy of needs Maslow thought that we are driven to satisfy our needs, but that some needs take precedence over others. For example, if you are hungry and thirsty you tend to take care of your thirst fist, because you can survive for weeks without food but only days without water. Deficit needs Most of our needs are determined by deficits i.e. the lack of something. If we lack water we a driven to find it by thirst, if we lack food, we a driven to find some by hunger. Maslow also believed that we could be driven by a lack of safety, a lack of love and a lack of self-esteem. Growth needs The thing about deficit needs is that they go away once you have satisfied them. If you have eaten enough, you are no longer hungry. Growth needs are different. These are needs that continue to be felt and may even become stronger once you have engaged with them. These needs relate to really fulfilling our human potential. Self-actualisation Once a person had met all their deficit needs and engaged with their growth needs, Maslow believed that they might reach the stage of self-actualisation. Such people tend to be remarkable individuals such as Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. People who are self-actualisers are those who have made the most of their human potential.