ABRAHAM mASLOWBy Elanna Urschel, Ashley McNeill and Rawa Al-Thibeh

Who Was He?o Maslow’s parents were Russian

Jewish immigrantso Was the first of seven children o Was a very shy, young boy who

kept to himself and preferred the company of books to that of people

o Grew up in Brooklyn o Became one of the most

influential and respected psychologist of his time

Education o Study law at city college of New York o Went to Cornell very brieflyo Later switched to University of Wisconsin o Originally started with studying primate dominance behavior and

sexuality o This was where he developed an interest in psychology and found a

mentor in psychologist Harry Harlow, was also mentored later by Alfred Adler, one of Freud’s early followers

o Very much admired anthropologist Ruth Benedict and psychologist Max Wertheimer

o He received all three of his degrees from the University of Wisconsin; bachelor degree, master’s degree and doctorate degree within span of 1930-1934

Careero Began teaching at College of Brooklyn in 1937 and continued

to work there as member of faculty until 1951 (14 years)o Was referred to as the third force in the 1950’s and 1960’s

behind Freund and Skinnero Most Notable books are Motivation and Personality (1954)

and Toward a Psychology of Being (1964), Toward a Psychology Psychology of Being(1962), and Farther Reaches of Human Nature (1971)

o Was also president of the American psychological association from 1967-68

o Was professor at Brandeis University 1951 to 1969, was chairman of the department of psychology

Beginning of Theorieso During 1950’s was when he backed up school of thought known as humanistic

psychologyo Humanistic Psychology: psychological perspective that emphasizes individual’s

need for self-actualization and creativity. Theory derived from work of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and Skinner’s behaviorism

o Maslow was noted for being different as he looked at positive mental health instead of studying abnormal behavior as many psychologists did of the time

o "Human nature is not nearly as bad as it has been thought to be.“ –Abraham Maslow

Hierarchy of needso Best known for his hierarchy of needs, self-

actualization theory and peak experienceso Hierarchy of needs starts with the basics

such as food, water, sex, shelter, clothing, etc.

o Bottom of pyramid is considered “deficiency needs”

o Then security and stabilityo Then social needs such as acceptance and

love from those around youo Then esteem which is self-respect, respect

for others, confidence in one’s selfo Then self-actualization which is feeling

fulfilled in one’s life and feeling as if individual’s life had held purpose

Theory of self-actualization

o Tragic or discouraging events in one’s life may prevent them from moving up the levels of the pyramid

o Individuals must do what truly makes them happy in order to reach the level of self-actualization

o People who are close or at the top of pyramid are considered self-actualizing individuals- they tend to focus on problems around them and have a clear vision of the world. They are creative, innovative, spontaneous and not too bound by social conventions

Peak experienceso Peak experiences are described as profound moments of love,

understanding or raptureo When a person feels more alive or aware of situation or surroundings o His theory of mental health was that individuals possess the resources for

growth and healing and that therapy is used to remove any obstacles that may inhibit this growth

o That individuals possessed a set of motivation systems completely unrelated to rewards or unconscious desires

Methodologyo However Maslow did not associate self-actualization with perfection o Maslow was criticized for his methodology of obtaining information

(biographical analysis) only studying 18 people that he felt had reached this level of self-actualization

o These individuals were Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, William James, Aldous Huxley, Eleanor Roosevelt

Criticism

o His definition of self-actualization must not be accepted blindly as a fact

o Study group was not very diverse race, class, even gender

o Criticism also of the level system in hierarchy of needs due to countries like India and those that live in poverty that still manage to hold relationships and belongings

o Also there are people who lived in great poverty in their life yet still arguably achieved self-actualization (Van Gough, Rembrandt)

Connection to development of children

o What levels of the pyramid are children concerned with after they have their basic needs met?

o Children who live in countries with a lower standard of living are concerned with the lower levels of the pyramid

o At what ages are children concerned with these levels? Example: children as earliest as the age of one might become distressed by being separated by their mother indicating that they form intimate bonds

o Signs in children that they are on the way to self-actualization o Children with a past of traumatic events will have a lower chance of

becoming self actualized

It is quite true that man lives by bread alone- when there is no bread. But what happens to man’s desires when there is plenty of bread and when his belly is chronically filled? –Abraham Maslow

Works Consulted

Author not listed. www.pbs.org. PBS, n.d. Internet. September 30th, 2013.

Cherry, Kendra. psychology.about.com. About.com, n.d. Internet. September 30th, 2013

Author not listed. www.nndb.com. NNDB, n.d. Internet. September 30th, 2013

Author not listed. www.maslowtoffler.com n.d. Internet. September 30th, 2013

McLeod, Saul. www.simplypsychology.org. Published 2007, updated 2013. Internet. October 1st, 2013

Peasblossom, Daisy. everydaylife.globalpost.com. Demand Media, n.d. Internet. October 1st, 2013

Author not listed. theliterarylink.com. n.d. Internet. October 1st, 2013