Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow developed the Hierarchy of needs to help understand personal development and human motivation. Maslow’s theory can be used by employers and managers when seeking to provide a motivating working environment that promotes personal and organizational development. Basically, the theory helps employees attain self actualization in an organization. The original model had five stages forming the pyramid of needs. Self actualization was the highest need. However, in the model has been modified by philosophers to include two and in other models three extra needs. The extra needs in the Maslow hierarchy are split from the original self actualization stage.
The similarity between the original model stage of self actualization and the other three stages in other models is the content. Originally, Maslow argued that self actualization incorporates an individual attaining their full potential of knowledge and understanding. Self actualized people have self transcendence and aesthetic ability. However, modern philosophers have developed 8 or 7 stage models which classify each aspect of self actualization separately. In these models, cognition, aesthetic sense, self transcendence are included along self actualization as separate stages. In both models, these stages are at the high end of the pyramid and lower stages must be fulfilled for them to be realized.
The two models differ in that the original five stage model can be used to explain different perspectives of human life and self actualization. It covers a wide scope, which include how individuals view themselves and the level of success they have had in life. The 7 and 8 stage models do not have a wide scope because they are restricted to specific aspects such as aesthetic value, cognitive ability and self transcendence. In the original five stage model, self actualized people had many characteristics and had distinct behavior.
Despite the differences in the models, self actualization makes proper sense in both cases. The 7 and 8 stage models make up for the can be converted into the original five stage model by merging the four or three extra stages into one called self actualization.
