ABSTRACT
Abraham Maslow’s theory on holistic-dynamic theory was majorly meant to advance previous schools of thought that tried explaining behaviorism and psychoanalysis that he deemed as too constricted and subjective. His theory holds that people are continuously motivated by one need or another (Maslow, 1998). Maslow viewed man as both being and becoming, he saw that man had actual self and a potential self (Maslow, 1968). Maslow deduces that mans ultimate goal should be one with personal growth and of self actualization. Maslow organized mans’ 4 basic needs in a hierarchical order, which men need to satisfy in order to achieve self actualization. Maslow believed that each individual has an effect on society; the goal of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is defined as transcendence, which is the destination after individual growth where an individual stops looking out for only their benefit but rather the benefit of humanity (Misty, 2012).
INTRODUCTION
Abraham Maslow, previously a student of great psychoanalytical mind like Alfred Adler, Julian Rotter, did not have a problem with the much too narrow scope of scientific behaviorism and the much too subjective approach of the unconscious that Freudians took (Goble, 1984). Abraham Maslow was the father of holistic-dynamic theory which provided the basic foundation of human motivation that propels people to want to achieve psychological health and self-realization. Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs that indicated an individual’s degree of maturity towards development of intellectual and social independence.
Maslow’s belief was that needs were basic to human nature and that they were biologically based, genetically based and culturally established (Sengupta, 2011). Maslow believed that when a need is satisfied another need would arise and people are structure in a manner that their activated need is what they need most, the process constantly feeding growth into self-awareness and personal reflection of an individual. The hierarchy of needs was categorized into higher and level needs, where lower level needs required satisfaction first before higher level needs could be achieved. Abraham Maslow deduced that once a person is capable of fulfilling their higher level needs, they will have experienced personal growth and development of one’s own potential. Self-actualized individuals stop looking out for their own selfish intents and shift focus to betterment of society.
I chose to discuss Abraham Maslow’s ‘Holistic-Dynamic Theory’. Maslow’s work on holistic-dynamic in the mid 1900’s has been credited for synthesizing a large body of information into a theory that tried explaining human behavior and psychology. His journey to developing the holistic-dynamic theory began when he was working on his PhD in psychology, where he was able to acquire vital information on the human psychology and the hierarchy of needs. However he was only able to crack the concept of self actualization when he began reading biographies of famous people. This changed his way of thinking from what makes an individual self-actualized, to why are we not all self-actualized. In his theory, Maslow emphasized on growth, self-realization and increase to society through transcendence. Maslow’s research has been acknowledged and applied all over the world as a foundation for modern psychology, and is still remains relevant to disciplines such as education, management and nursing. Abraham Maslow was born in 1908 in New York and spent his childhood feeling insufficient and self-conscious towards his own physical deficiencies-though he was acute in his thought and intelligence (Nicholson, 2001). His personal life was filled with pain, rejection and ill-health; this led him to being shy, self-rejecting and unhappy.
Maslow was dissatisfied with previous researchers whose theories on psychoanalysis and behaviorism, which he perceived as being narrow in scope. He also deemed it important that personality theorists were flawed in their methodology by using unhealthy or psychotic subjects, instead he used healthy individuals with normal behavior in his research. Maslow was able to study the human nature throughout his life by viewing individuals with a holistic method, and through this suggested the motivation theory. Maslow’s holistic-dynamic theory rests on several assumptions about motivation. That motivation is complex and is unconsciously a determinant of a person’s underlying behavior. Individuals are constantly under motivation by needs and the whole organism is always motivated at any given time. Maslow believed that people from different cultures are all motivated by similar basic needs across the board.
Firstly are physiological needs which include basic needs such as food, oxygen and water. These are the basic requirements for any organism to survive and sustain its physical wellbeing.
Safety needs encompass around personal stability, dependability, freedom from fear or chaos. Maslow described that safety needs are satisfied through maintaining a stable and good society where affairs run smoothly and peaceful. Such traits can only exist where law and order is maintained by an authority of society. It cannot be always satisfied due to occurrence of unpredictable events e.g. accidents and catastrophes such as floods. If not satisfied an individual experiences basic anxiety.
Love and belongingness involves the desire for a mate, to love and be loved, family, friendship and general acceptance by people who are important to them. Maslow described 3 categories of individuals obtaining love and belongingness:
- Individuals who obtained love and acceptance at a young age will not be devastated if rejected by others.
- Individuals who have never received love nor acceptance are unable to give or express love to others.
- Individuals who have received love in small doses, they tend to have a higher craving for love.
Maslow emphasized on the importance of childhood in development of behavior and character. Children are straightforward when they require affection; adults however do not openly express they need love.
Esteem needs are satisfied by the acknowledgement by others and oneself of your positive reputation. It begins with development of self-esteem by holding oneself of value, and then we begin to seek esteem from others. Satisfaction of esteem needs is highly dependent on the kind of society people associate with, and. However once an individual has built enough esteem, competence and confidence drift him from the need for esteem from others to sustaining self-esteem. Satisfaction of the esteem needs leads to feeling of self-belief, value, strength, competence and sufficiency, of being functional member of society (Maslow, 2008).
Self-actualization unlike other needs that are almost automatic in ascension up the hierarchy of needs once satisfied requires one to fulfill the B-values in order to realize this. It is realized only by very few people who have achieved psychological health. The B-values include 15 different qualities that illustrate what a self-actualizing individual should exemplify. By demonstrating the B-values an individual will be capable of satisfying self actualizing needs that describe the motivation to become self-fulfilled, realize one’s own potential and desiring to be creative. The B-values are respect, truth, justice and oneness. The B-values include:
- Integrity
- Decency
- Beauty
- Unity
- Vibrancy
- Distinctiveness
- Excellence
- Achievement
- Fairness
- Simplicity
- Entirety
- Wit
- Independence
- Harmony
A deficiency in any of the B-values leads to lacking of values in life, a condition named metapathology by Maslow. Maslow termed individuals who have achieved self-actualization as “gemeinschaftsgefühlas”. After an individual satisfies his basic needs and realizes self-actualization, his needs change to higher level needs. Maslow explained that the higher levels needs were integrated to culture and this disconnect could hinder fulfillment of such goals.
Cognitive needs are an individual’s desire to know or understand. When people are starved of knowledge and kept in ignorance they may become depressed or even paranoid. Self –actualized individuals are, problem centered and independent, therefore information is important to satisfy their need to know. Cognition is achieved through inquiry and expression. Acquiring knowledge and systemizing the universe have been accepted as methods of achievement of basic safety in the world, or for the intelligent individual, expressions of self-actualization (Maslow, 1954).
Aesthetic needs include a longing for beauty, symmetry and order. Some people desire for beauty more than others, and since its consistent with pathological health these people may become sick.
In transcendence, a person moves away from self and puts their strength and effort into others (Datta, 2010). Maslow believed that people were generally created “good”, therefore self-realized individuals should be cognitive of their role to humanity while being able to constructively impact others. Transcendent individuals are capable of being above segregation, stereotyping and prejudice. It involves being capable of relating with people of different cultural backgrounds in a united consciousness. It is not motivated by needs but by contentment wellbeing of others. Self-actualized individuals are high up the hierarchy of needs and this helps shape their values and posses traits such as a broader view of life, self-approval, tolerating others and nature, spontaneity, simplicity, naturalness, gemeinschaftgefuhl (the feeling of association and unity) and creativeness.
Advantages
- Maslow’s work on holistic-dynamic theory has been applauded for having a positive view of mankind compared to other theorist
- Maslow achieved in compressing large data and volumes of information into a well organized theory with internal consistency therefore simple to follow.
- Maslow’s theory is still popular and relevant in psychology and other disciplines such a s management, nursing and education, therefore continuously generating research ranks to date.
Disadvantages
- Maslow reasoning that, the ability to discover oneself is followed by an extensive pleasure but also accompanies with tradition for the hazards and drastic responsibilities entailed by the procedure of knowing (Maslow, 1998). This has been contested since, the phenomenon associated with fear of knowing cannot be applicable to all people in general and this fear is complicated to measure.
- The theory is complex, with four dimensions of needs and the possibility of unconsciously motivated behavior.
- Maslow’s reasoning on the responsibility associated with the procedure of knowing is slightly irrational since fear of knowing cannot be applied to everyone in general.
- The theory is thorned by falsiability since researchers have not been able to validate it. Maslow organized his theory mostly through clinical observations and rationale instead of, an extensive and thorough research methodology.
Similarities
Maslow did not completely reject the work of those that had gone before him, such as, Freud, Watson, and Skinner (Goble 1984). Abraham Maslow recognized Freud’s idea of the fear of oneself when satisfying the need of cognition, where he advanced further to the fear of the outside world. Prior to Maslow, theorists mostly focused on factors such as biology, achievement or power to elucidate what induces and directs human behavior.
Maslow along with other preceding theorists such as Hans Eysenck all provided important information concerning the theory of personality and human psychology. They were all driven by the desire to achieve psychological health by all individuals. Maria Montessori believed in caring for individuals beginning from conception, and had faith in the general goodness in people (Weinberg 2011). Maria view on children and life seem to agree with Maslow, whose positive attitude towards humanity was refreshing to the field of psychology. Each of these theorists brought many great aspects to the theory of personality psychology and their ideas are still being researched today.
Differences
- Freud suggested that individuals had fear of oneself while Maslow inclined towards the fear of the external world. . To discover in oneself a great talent can certainly bring exhilaration but also brings a fear of the dangers and responsibilities and duties of being a leader and all alone (Maslow, 1998)
- He felt that previous theorists and psychiatrists had not done the work completely necessary to a personality theory by merely looking at unhealthy, neurotic, and even psychotic people (Goble, 1984). Maslow focused his research on healthy people with regular behavior.
Present day researchers are always making changes to ideas in the holistic-dynamic theory especially, due current situations that were not experienced in Maslow’s time but are today’s realities. Kendrick, Griskevicious, Neuberg & Schaller (2010) advanced Maslows hierarchy of needs by removing need for self-actualization with 3 evolutionary motives: mate acquisition, mate retention and heading parenting.
Clayton P. Alderfer tried to improve on the hierarchy of needs by increasing ease of movement between his 3 needs (existence, relatedness & growth needs). He explained that needs become more important to people once they are satisfied, and they needed not be achieved in any order unlike Maslow who insisted that his should be followed in their respective order.
Conclusion
Abraham Maslow’s theory on holistic-dynamic is more practical compared to preceding theories. Holistic-dynamic theory describes a hierarchy of social development to asses psychological health of individuals, that concludes with self-actualization. . Self-actualization indicates that one has maximized his human potential through self-discovery as the individual climbs up the hierarchy of needs. Once an individual achieves self-actualization into transcendence, Maslow deduced that he is driven to shape and give increase to society. A transcended individual aspires to assist for the good of mankind.
Through his motivation theory and hierarchy of needs, Maslow was able to provide ground work for analysis of psychological health and its effect on self and society (Gorman, 2010).
REFERENCES
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