Abraham Maslow

Abraham Harold Maslow ( born April 1, 1908 in Brooklyn, New York City; † June 8, 1970 in Menlo Park, California ) was an American psychologist. He is considered a founding father of humanistic psychology.

Life

Maslow was the oldest of seven children. His parents were Jewish- Ukrainian immigrants. His childhood Maslow describes as unhappy and isolated. He had no friends and spent a lot of time in libraries.

Maslow studied at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, where he in 1930 the degree of BA and 1931 of the M. A. received in 1934 and a doctorate in psychology. In 1937 he became a professor at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, in 1951, he moved to Boston to Brandeis University. In 1967 he was honored as " Humanist of the Year".

Maslow died on June 8, 1970 of a heart attack.

Services

He is especially known by the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which is a model of development of the hierarchy of human needs. However, his work ranges again, inasmuch as the science of man Maslow total would reorient. Through more than 100 articles and books, he influenced not only academic psychology, but also adjacent areas such as education and management. In his final years he was one of the founders of transpersonal psychology. During this period he completed the five levels of hierarchy of needs about a sixth, the need for transcendence.

Maslow studied existentialism to obtain lessons learned from them for psychologists. Maslow understands the existential psychology in two ways: first, you put a radical emphasis on the concept of identity as a sine qua non of human nature and of any philosophy or science of human nature. You put secondly from the beginning greater emphasis on the knowledge and experience than on conceptual systems or abstract categories or a priori. Existentialism is based on the phenomenology, that is, he uses personal, subjective experience as a basis for abstract knowledge.

Motivation and human image

One theory of motivation is mostly a perception of man, in which the question is discussed, what motivation is and how it can be enhanced. Maslow based his theories on the context of a humanism of man; he claims that the humanist world view appears as a new and hopeful, encouraging way represent any area of human knowledge.

Maslow postulated that basically every human being has a fundamental, biologically based inner nature. This inner nature is to some degree "natural", if and only to a certain degree variable. It is a generic criterion and not in itself good or bad. The inner nature that is good or neutral rather than bad, should be encouraged rather than suppressed. In a society may lead to a suppression of the inner nature of man, with considerable consequences; is this important core of the person in the negative, this can lead to illness, so to Maslow advises that people can perceive and live their inner nature should.

From his human image out Maslow developed a much broader worldview and a comprehensive philosophy of life, which are expressed in his psychology. Here, Maslow emphasized the wholeness of man: He points out that " the whole individual is motivated and not just a part of it ." Maslow refers for example to the effects of famine, which affect the whole person. On the physical level, for example, changes the perception; hungry people eat food targeted true as they would otherwise do. Effects on the psychological level, for example, tension and nervousness.

Maslow writes that it is not clearly possible to define the concept of motivation. These lack the necessary instruments to detect the amount of motivation can.

So Maslow emphasized the subjective, not objective identifiable dimension of Movitation:

Hierarchy of Needs Maslow

Hierarchy of Needs Maslow

Self-realization

Recognition and appreciation

Social need

Security

Basic or vital needs

Maslow has developed from its understanding of man out a multi-stage model of motivation ( hierarchy of needs ), which is divided into five stages. The physiological needs (food, heat, etc. ) are the most basic and most powerful of all: " The needs, which is usually used as the starting point of motivation theory are the so-called physiological drives. "

This is followed, if the physiological needs are largely operated security needs. Under security needs (2nd stage) is " security; stability; security; protection; Freedom from fear; Need for structure, order, law, limits; Protection force " understood. Next, develop social needs ( 3rd stage). " If both the physiological and the safety needs are satisfied, the needs for love, affection and belonging emerge [ ... ] " In the course needs (4th level ) and self-realization ( 5th level) can be operated for respect.

Maslow claimed that there was a real psychological and functional differences between the "higher" and " lower " needs. Although the higher needs make the people (as opposed to, for example, the animal ) specifically, but are not absolutely necessary to his survival. The needs can also be distinguished by deficit needs ( low needs) and growth needs ( higher needs); Deficit needs must be met before satisfaction can arise, the additional compliance with the growth needs means more than satisfaction leading out of luck.

Only when the deficit needs are met safely and adjusts satisfaction in the form of higher life expectancy, less illness and better nutrition situation at the physical level, you experience the growth needs that were subjectively less urgent before, in the foreground. Your satisfaction in turn leads to deeper happiness, serenity, wealth of the inner life and increased individuality. In addition, have the higher needs and their satisfaction desired civic and social consequences.

Maslow's pyramid is the most famous model of development, but long before him similar classifications of needs have been made by European scholars, notably in Lujo Brentano's attempt at a theory of needs (1908 ). Even in ancient times resulted from Plato: " But the first and greatest of all needs is the supply of food to the existence and life 's sake ... The second then the purchase of a home, the third is what part of clothes and then. " Building on he developed the needs of the high-order goods, painting, embroidery, gold and ivory, for security, knowledge, education and art.

Although the Hierarchy of Needs is a well known and highly regarded model of motivation, it is exposed to the strong reductionist view of much criticism. See Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Section " Reception and criticism."

The implementation of self-realization

Maslow describes that needs, desires and motivational states are generally regarded as annoying, irritating and undesirable in virtually all historical and contemporary theories of motivation. On the other hand, it could be that there are a variety of idiosyncratic (individually different ) needs belonging to the self-realization. Therefore, is - according to Maslow - the theory of "necessity equal anger " not applicable.

Maslow sees a man barely recognized, let alone developed potential for self-realization, its deployment would lead to greater maturity, health and fearlessness:

This - from Maslow's vision is still very new - to address the highest level of human existence and the ultimate rejection of established ideas about our mental constitution are therefore necessary in order to arrive at true self-realization and to free themselves from the state of immaturity, anxiety and illness.

Knowledge of being vs.. Recognize the deficit

Maslow describes two different modes of cognition:

The knowledge of being equal to the holistic, humanistic world and of man, based on Maslow's work.

Writings (selection )

• Cases in Personality and Abnormal Psychology. Brooklyn College Press, New York 1938.
• With Bela middleman: Principles of Abnormal Psychology. The Dynamics of Psychic Illness. Harper and Brothers, New York, 1941.
• Motivation and personality. Harper & Row, New York 1954; revised edition ibid. 1970. Motivation and personality. Walter, Olten 1977, ISBN 3-530-54440- X; Rowohlt, Reinbek 1981, ISBN 3-499-17395-6.

• Psychology of Being. A design. Kindler, Munich 1973; Fischer -Taschenbuch -Verlag, Frankfurt, 1985, ISBN 3-596-42195-0.

• The psychology of science. New ways of perception and thinking. Goldmann, Munich 1977, ISBN 3-442-11131-5.