mb0038 mpob sem 1 aug fall 2011 assignment ans

August 2011

Master of Business Administration-MBA Semester 1

MB0038 – Management Process and Organization Behavior - 4 Credits

(Book ID: B1127)

Assignment Set- 1 (60 Marks)

Answer Sheet

Q.1 Write a note on the functions of management..

FUNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT:

Management has been described as a social process involving responsibility for

economical and effective planning & regulation of operation of an enterprise in

the fulfillment of given purposes. It is a dynamic process consisting of various

elements and activities. These activities are different from operative functions

like marketing, finance, purchase etc. Rather these activities are common to

each and every manger irrespective of his level or status.

Different experts have classified functions of management. According to George

& Jerry, “There are four fundamental functions of management i.e. planning,

organizing, actuating and controlling”. According to Henry Fayol, “To manage is

to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, & to control”. Whereas Luther

Gullick has given a keyword ’POSDCORB’ where P stands for Planning, O for

Organizing, S for Staffing, D for Directing, Co for Co-ordination, R for reporting &

B for Budgeting. But the most widely accepted are functions of management

given by KOONTZ and O’DONNEL i.e. Planning, Organizing, Staffing,

Directing and Controlling

Roll No: 521112245 Management Process and Organization Behavior

August 2011

For theoretical purposes, it may be convenient to separate the function of

management but practically these functions are overlapping in nature i.e. they

are highly inseparable. Each function blends into the other & each affects the

performance of others.

Planning

It is the basic function of management. It deals with chalking out a future course

of action & deciding in advance the most appropriate course of actions for

achievement of pre-determined goals. According to KOONTZ, “Planning is

deciding in advance - what to do, when to do & how to do. It bridges the gap

from where we are & where we want to be”. A plan is a future course of actions.


http://www.managementstudyguide.com/planning_function.htm

http://www.mbaknol.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/functions_of_management.gif

August 2011

It is an exercise in problem solving & decision making. Planning is determination

of courses of action to achieve desired goals. Thus, planning is a systematic

thinking about ways & means for accomplishment of pre-determined goals.

Planning is necessary to ensure proper utilization of human & non-human

resources. It is all pervasive, it is an intellectual activity and it also helps in

avoiding confusion, uncertainties, risks, wastages etc.

Organizing:

It is the process of bringing together physical, financial and human resources and

developing productive relationship amongst them for achievement of

organizational goals. According to Henry Fayol, “To organize a business is to

provide it with everything useful or its functioning i.e. raw material, tools, capital

and personnel’s”. To organize a business involves determining & providing

human and non-human resources to the organizational structure. Organizing as a

process involves:

Identification of activities.

Classification of grouping of activities.

Assignment of duties.

Delegation of authority and creation of responsibility.

Coordinating authority and responsibility relationships.

Staffing

It is the function of manning the organization structure and keeping it manned.

Staffing has assumed greater importance in the recent years due to

advancement of technology, increase in size of business, complexity of human

behavior etc. The main purpose o staffing is to put right man on right job i.e.

square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes. According to Kootz &

O’Donell, “Managerial function of staffing involves manning the organization

structure through proper and effective selection, appraisal & development of

personnel to fill the roles designed un the structure”. Staffing involves:

Manpower Planning (estimating man power in terms of searching, choose

the person and giving the right place).

Recruitment, selection & placement.

Training & development.

Remuneration.

Performance appraisal.

Promotions & transfer.


http://www.managementstudyguide.com/manpower-planning.htm

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/staffing-function.htm

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/organizing_function.htm

August 2011

Directing

It is that part of managerial function which actuates the organizational methods

to work efficiently for achievement of organizational purposes. It is considered

life-spark of the enterprise which sets it in motion the action of people because

planning, organizing and staffing are the mere preparations for doing the work.

Direction is that inert-personnel aspect of management which deals directly with

influencing, guiding, supervising, motivating sub-ordinate for the achievement of

organizational goals. Direction has following elements:

Supervision- implies overseeing the work of subordinates by their

superiors. It is the act of watching & directing work & workers.

Motivation- means inspiring, stimulating or encouraging the sub-ordinates

with zeal to work. Positive, negative, monetary, non-monetary incentives

may be used for this purpose.

Leadership- may be defined as a process by which manager guides and

influences the work of subordinates in desired direction.

Communications- is the process of passing information, experience,

opinion etc from one person to another. It is a bridge of understanding.

Controlling

It implies measurement of accomplishment against the standards and correction

of deviation if any to ensure achievement of organizational goals. The purpose of

controlling is to ensure that everything occurs in conformities with the standards.

An efficient system of control helps to predict deviations before they actually

occur. According to Theo Haimann, “Controlling is the process of checking

whether or not proper progress is being made towards the objectives and goals

and acting if necessary, to correct any deviation”. According to Koontz &

O’Donell “Controlling is the measurement & correction of performance activities

of subordinates in order to make sure that the enterprise objectives and plans

desired to obtain them as being accomplished”. Therefore controlling has

following steps:

Establishment of standard performance.

Measurement of actual performance.

Comparison of actual performance with the standards and finding out

deviation if any.

Corrective action

Q.2 Discuss any two learning theories in detail.

Answer:


http://www.managementstudyguide.com/controlling_function.htm

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/directing_function.htm

August 2011

Learning theories

First, learning is manifested by a change in behavior. Second, the environment

shapes behavior. And third, the principles of contiguity (how close in time two

events must be for a bond to be formed) and reinforcement (any means of

increasing the likelihood that an event will be repeated) are central to explaining

the learning process. For behaviorism, learning is the acquisition of new behavior

through conditioning.

There are two types of possible conditioning:

1) Classical conditioning, where the behavior becomes a reflex response to

stimulus as in the case of Pavlov's Dogs. Pavlov was interested in studying

reflexes, when he saw that the dogs drooled without the proper stimulus.

Although no food was in sight, their saliva still dribbled. It turned out that the

dogs were reacting to lab coats. Every time the dogs were served food, the

person who served the food was wearing a lab coat. Therefore, the dogs reacted

as if food was on its way whenever they saw a lab coat. In a series of

experiments, Pavlov then tried to figure out how these phenomena were linked.

For example, he struck a bell when the dogs were fed. If the bell was sounded in

close association with their meal, the dogs learned to associate the sound of the

bell with food. After a while, at the mere sound of the bell, they responded by

drooling.

2) Operant conditioning where there is reinforcement of the behavior by a

reward or a punishment. The theory of operant conditioning was developed by

B.F. Skinner and is known as Radical Behaviorism. The word ‘operant’ refers to

the way in which behavior ‘operates on the environment’. Briefly, a behavior

may result either in reinforcement, which increases the likelihood of the behavior

recurring, or punishment, which decreases the likelihood of the behavior

recurring. It is important to note that, a punishment is not considered to be

applicable if it does not result in the reduction of the behavior, and so the terms

punishment and reinforcement are determined as a result of the actions. Within

this framework, behaviorists are particularly interested in measurable changes in

behavior.

Since behaviorists view the learning process as a change in behavior, educators

arrange the environment to elicit desired responses through such devices as

behavioral objectives, competency -based education, and skill development and

training.

Educational approaches such as applied behavior analysis, curriculum based

measurement, and direct instruction has emerged from this model.


August 2011

3) Cognitivism

Once memory theories like the Atkinson-Shiffrin memory model and Baddeley's

working memory model were established as a theoretical framework in cognitive

psychology, new cognitive frameworks of learning began to emerge during the

1970s, 80s, and 90s. Today, researchers are concentrating on topics like

cognitive load and information processing theory. These theories of learning play

a role in influencing instructional design. Aspects of cognitivism can be found in

learning how to learn, social role acquisition, intelligence, learning, and memory

as related to age.

Educators employing a cognitivist approach to learning would view learning as

internal mental process (including insight, information processing, memory,

perception) where in order to develop learner capacity and skills to improve

learning, the educator structures content of learning activities to focus on

building intelligence and cognitive and meta-cognitive development.

4) Constructivism

foundation of constructivist learning theory. Constructivism views learning as a

process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts

based upon current and past knowledge or experience. In other words, "learning

involves constructing one's own knowledge from one's own experiences."

Constructivist learning, therefore, is a very personal endeavor, whereby

internalized concepts, rules, and general principles may consequently be applied

in a practical real-world context. This is also known as social constructivism

(see social constructivism). Social constructivists posit that knowledge is

constructed when individuals engage socially in talk and activity about shared

problems or tasks. Learning is seen as the process by which individuals are

introduced to a culture by more skilled members". Constructivism itself has

many variations, such as Active learning, discovery learning, and knowledge

building. Regardless of the variety, constructivism promotes a student's free

exploration within a given framework or structure. The teacher acts as a

facilitator who encourages students to discover principles for themselves and to

construct knowledge by working to solve realistic problems. Aspects of

constructivism can be found in self-directed learning, transformational learning,

experiential learning, situated cognition, and reflective practice and religious

practice.

Q.3 Explain the classification of personality types given by Sheldon.

Answer:-


August 2011

Personality type theory aims to classify people into distinct CATEGORIES. i.e. this

type or that. Personality types are synonymous with "personality styles".

Types refers to categories that are distinct and discontinuous. e.g. you are one or

the other. This is important to understand, because it helps to distinguish a

personality type approach from a personality trait approach, which takes a

continuous approach.

To clearly understand the difference between types and traits, consider the

example of the personality dimension of "introversion". We can view

introversion as:

A personality type approach says you are either an introvert or an extravert

A personality trait approach says you can be anywhere on a continuum ranging

from introversion to extraversion, with most people clustering in the middle, and

fewer people towards the extremes

The following sections provide an overview of some of the more popular and

commonly known personality type taxonomies.

Allport and Odbert (1936, cited in Funder, 1999) found over 17,000 words in the

dictionary which referred to psychological differences between people, e.g.,

trustworthy, shy, arrogant. Typically, modern personality taxonomies have

emphasized between two, three, four, and five personality types, through to

identifying 16 or more subtypes.

The Four Humors - Ancient Greeks (~2000 BC - 0 AD)

Ancient Greek philosophers such as Hippocrates 400 BC and Galen, 140/150 AD

classified 4 types of "humors" in people. Each type was believed to be due to an

excess of one of four bodily fluids, corresponding to their character. The

personalities were termed "humors".


August 2011

Character Humor Fluid Corresponding Trait in the Big 5

Irritable Choleric yellow bile Agreeableness

Depressed Melancholic black bile Neuroticism

Optimistic Sanguine blood Openness to experience

Calm Phlegmatic phlegm Neuroticism

Somatotypes - William Sheldon, 1940's

William Sheldon (1940, 1942, cited in Phares, 1991) classified personality

according to body type. He called this a person�s somatotype.

Sheldon identified three main somatotypes:

Sheldon's

SomatotypeCharacter Shape Picture

Endomorph

[viscerotonic]

relaxed, sociable,

tolerant, comfort-

loving, peaceful

plump, buxom,

developed visceral

structure

Mesomorph

[somatotonic]

active, assertive,

vigorous, combativemuscular

Ectomorph

[cerebrotonic]

quiet, fragile,

restrained, non-

assertive, sensitive

lean, delicate, poor

muscles

To further categorize a person's somatotype, an individual is given a rating from

1 to 7 on each of the three body types. 1 = very low; 7 = very high. For

example:

a stereotypical basketballer 1-1-7 (ectomorph)

Mohammed Ali 1-7-1 (mesomorph)

a pear-shaped person 7-1-1 (endomorph)


August 2011

More typically, however, the person in the street could be something like:

a slightly lanky person 5-2-3 (a bit ecomorphic)

a person of average height who is moderately muscular 4-5-3 (a bit

mesomorphic)

a person who is slightly heavy-set 3-3-5 (a bit endomorphic)

Sheldon measured the proportions of hundreds of juvenile delinquent boys and

concluded that they were generally mesomorphs.

Body types have been criticized for very weak empirical methodology and are

not generally used in

psychology. The use of somatotyping (using different taxonomies) is used more

often in alternative therapies and Eastern psychology and spirituality.

Ayurvedic Body Types (Doshas) (India, ~3000 BC to present)

In Ayurvedic medicine (used in India since ~3000 BC), in which there are three

main metabolic

Q.4 What are the factors influencing perception?

Answer:

FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTION:

Perception is a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory

perceives in order to give meaning to their environment. However, what one

perceives can be substantially different from objective reality. There need be,

but there is often, disagreement. For example, it’s possible that all employees in

a firm may view it as great place to work – favorable working conditions,

interesting job alignments, good pay, excellent benefits, an understanding and

responsible management but, as most of us known, it’s very unusual to find such

agreement.

Why is perception important in the study of OB? Simply because people’s

behavior is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality it self. The

world as it is perceived is the world that is behaviorally important.

Perception is the process by which an individual selects, organizes, and

interprets information inputs to create a meaningful picture the world. Perception

depends not only on the physical stimuli, but also on the stimuli’s relation to the

surrounding field and on conditions within the individual. The key point is that


August 2011

perception can vary widely among individuals exposed to the same reality. One

person might perceive a fast-talking salesperson an aggressive and insincere

another, as intelligent and helpful. Each will respond differently to the

salesperson.

Factors Influencing Perception:

How do we explain that individuals may look at the same thing, yet perceive it

differently? A number of factors operate to shape and sometimes distort

perception. These factors can reside in the perceiver in the object or target being

perceived, or in the context of the situation in which the perception is made (See

Below):

Factors that influence perception:

Perception

Factors in the perceiver

Attitudes

Motives

Interests

Experience

Expectations

Factors in the situation

Time

Work setting

Social setting

Factors in the target

Novelty

Motion

Sounds

Size

Background

Proximity

Similarity

When an individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she

sees, that interpretation is heavily influenced by the personal characteristics of

the individual perceiver. Personal characteristics that affect perception included

a person’s attitudes, personality motives interest, past experiences, and


August 2011

expectations. For instance if you expect police officers to be authoritative, young

people to be lazy, or individuals holding office to be unscrupulous, you may

peeve them as such regardless of their cultural traits.

Characteristics of the target being observed affect what is perceived. Loud

people are more likely to be noticed in a group than quiet ones. So, too, are

extremely attractive or unattractive individuals. Because targets are not looked

at in isolation, the relationship of a target to its background also influences

perception, as does our tendency to group close things and similar things

together. For instance, women people of color or members of any other group

that has clearly distinguishable characteristics in terms of features or color are

often perceived as alike in other, unrelated characteristics as well.

A shrill voice is never perceived to be one of authority. Practice some vocal

exercises to lower the pitch of your voice. Here is one to start: Sing – but do it an

octave lower on all your favorite songs. Practice this regularly and after a period

of time, your voice will lower. People will perceive you as nervous and unsure if

you talk too fast. Also, be careful not to slow down to the point where people feel

tempted to finish your sentences.

The context in which we see objects or events is also important. The time at

which an object or event is seen can influence attention, as can location, light,

heat, or any number of situational factors. For example, at a nightclub on

Saturday night, you may not notice a 22 year old female dressed to the nines.

Yet that same woman so attired for your Monday morning management class

would certainly catch your attention (and that of the rest of the class). Neither

the perceiver nor the target changed between Saturday night and Monday

morning, but the situation is different.

Q.5 Mr. Solanki is the VP- HR of a leading Financial services company. He is having a

meeting with Ms. Ramani leading HR consultant. Mr. Solanki is concerned about creating

an environment that helps in increasing the job satisfaction amongst employees. Assume

that you are Ms. Ramani, the HR consultant. What suggestions you will give to Mr. Solanki,

for creating an environment that increases job satisfaction.


August 2011

Answer:-

Environment increases job satisfaction:

Job satisfaction describes how content an individual is with his /her job. The

happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be. Job

satisfaction is not the same as motivation or aptitude, although it is clearly

linked. Job design aims to enhance job satisfaction and performance; methods

include job rotation, job enlargement, job enrichment and job re-engineering.

Other influences on satisfaction include the management style and culture,

employee involvement, empowerment and autonomous work position. Job

satisfaction is a very important attribute which is frequently measured by

organizations. The most common way of measurement is the use of rating scales

where employees report their reactions to their jobs. Questions relate to rate of

pay, work responsibilities, variety of tasks, promotional opportunities, the work

itself and co-workers. Some questioners ask yes or no questions while others ask

to rate satisfaction on 1-5 scale (where 1 represents "not at all satisfied" and 5

represents "extremely satisfied")

Communication Overload and Communication Underload

One of the most important aspects of an individual’s work in a modern

organization concerns the management of communication demands that he or

she encounters on the job (Krayer, K. J., & Westbrook, L., p. 85). Demands can be

characterized as a communication load, which refers to “the rate and complexity

of communication inputs an individual must process in a particular time frame

(Faraca, Monge, & Russel, 1977).” Individuals in an organization can experience

communication over-load and communication underload which can affect their

level of job satisfaction. Communication overload can occur when “an individual

receives too many messages in a short period of time which can result in

unprocessed information or when an individual faces more complex messages

that are more difficult to process (Farace, Monge, & Russel, 1997).” Due to this

process, “given an individual’s style of work and motivation to complete a task,

when more inputs exist than outputs, the individual perceives a condition of

overload (Krayer, K. J., & Westbrook, L., p. 86) which can be positively or

negatively related to job satisfaction. In comparison, communication under load

can occur when messages or inputs are sent below the individual’s ability to

process them (Farace, Monge, & Russel, 1997).” According to the ideas of

communication over-load and under-load, if an individual does not receive

enough input on the job or is unsuccessful in processing these inputs, the


August 2011

individual is more likely to become dissatisfied, aggravated, and unhappy with

their work which leads to a low level of job satisfaction.

Measuring job satisfaction

There are many methods for measuring job satisfaction. By far, the most

common method for collecting data regarding job satisfaction is the Likert scale

(named after Rensis Likert). Other less common methods of for gauging job

satisfaction include: Yes/No questions, True/False questions, point systems,

checklists, and forced choice answers. This data are sometimes collected using

an Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM) system.

The Job Descriptive Index (JDI), created by Smith, Kendall, & Hulin (1969), is a

specific questionnaire of job satisfaction that has been widely used. It measures

one’s satisfaction in five facets: pay, promotions and promotion opportunities,

coworkers, supervision, and the work itself. The scale is simple, participants

answer either yes, no, or can’t decide (indicated by ‘?’) in response to whether

given statements accurately describe one’s job.

The Job in General Index is an overall measurement of job satisfaction. It is an

improvement to the Job Descriptive Index because the JDI focuses too much on

individual facets and not enough on work satisfaction in general.

Other job satisfaction questionnaires include: the Minnesota Satisfaction

Questionnaire (MSQ), the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), and the Faces Scale. The

MSQ measures job satisfaction in 20 facets and has a long form with 100

questions (five items from each facet) and a short form with 20 questions (one

item from each facet). The JSS is a 36 item questionnaire that measures nine

facets of job satisfaction. Finally, the Faces Scale of job satisfaction, one of the

first scales used widely, measured overall job satisfaction with just one item

which participants respond to by choosing a face..

Superior-Subordinate Communication

Superior-subordinate communication is an important influence on job satisfaction

in the workplace. The way in which subordinate’s perceive a supervisor’s

behavior can positively or negatively influence job satisfaction. Communication

behavior such as facial expression, eye contact, vocal expression, and body

movement is crucial to the superior-subordinate relationship (Teven, p. 156).


August 2011

Nonverbal messages play a central role in interpersonal interactions with respect

to impression formation, deception, attraction, social influence, and emotional

expression (Burgoon, Buller, & Woodall, 1996). Nonverbal immediacy from the

supervisor helps to increase interpersonal involvement with their subordinates

impacting job satisfaction. The manner in which supervisors communicate their

subordinates may be more important than the verbal content (Teven, p. 156).

Individuals who dislike and think negatively about their supervisor are less willing

to communicate or have motivation to work where as individuals who like and

think positively of their supervisor are more likely to communicate and are

satisfied with their job and work environment. The relationship of a subordinate

with their supervisor is a very important aspect in the workplace. Therefore, a

supervisor who uses nonverbal immediacy, friendliness, and open

communication lines is more willing to receive positive feedback and high job

satisfaction from a subordinate where as a supervisor who is antisocial,

unfriendly, and unwilling to communicate will naturally receive negative

feedback and very low job satisfaction from their subordinates in the workplace.

Mood and emotions form the affective element of job satisfaction. (Weiss and

Cropanzano,1996). Moods tend to be longer lasting but often weaker states of

uncertain origin, while emotions are often more intense, short-lived and have a

clear object or cause. There is some evidence in the literature that moods are

related to overall job satisfaction. Positive and negative emotions were also

found to be significantly related to overall job satisfaction Frequency of

experiencing net positive emotion will be a better predictor of overall job

satisfaction than will intensity of positive emotion when it is experienced.

Emotion work (or emotion management) refers to various types of efforts to

manage emotional states and displays. Emotion management includes all of the

conscious and unconscious efforts to increase, maintain, or decrease one or

more components of an emotion. Although early studies of the consequences of

emotional work emphasized its harmful effects on workers, studies of workers in

a variety of occupations suggest that the consequences of emotional work are

not uniformly negative.

It was found that suppression of unpleasant emotions decreases job satisfaction

and the amplification of pleasant emotions increases job satisfaction. The

understanding of how emotion regulation relates to job satisfaction concerns two

models:


August 2011

Q.6 Given below is the HR policy glimpse of the “VARK-LEARNING” a learning and

training solutions company

1. It offers cash rewards for staff members

2. It promotes the culture of employee referral and encourages people to refer people they

know may be their friends, ex. Colleagues batch mates, relatives.

3. What all needs do it takes care off according to maslow’s need hierarchy

4. It recognizes good performances and give fancy titles and jackets to the people who

perform well and also felicitates them in the Annual Day of the company.

What all aspects does it takes care of according to the Maslow’s Need Hierarchy ? [10]

Answer:-

MASLOW’s hierarchy of needs:

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by

Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation. Maslow

subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans'

innate curiosity. His theories parallel many other theories of human

developmental psychology, all of which focus on describing the stages of

growth in humans

An interpretation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, represented as a

pyramid with the more basic needs at the bottom


August 2011

The most fundamental and basic four layers of the pyramid contain what Maslow

called "deficiency needs" or "d-needs": esteem, friendship and love, security, and

physical needs. With the exception of the most fundamental (physiological)

needs, if these "deficiency needs" are not met, the body gives no physical

indication but the individual feels anxious and tense. Maslow's theory suggests

that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly

desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs. Maslow

also coined the term Metamotivation to describe the motivation of people who go

beyond the scope of the basic needs and strive for constant betterment.

Metamotivated people are driven by B-needs (Being Needs), instead of

deficiency needs (D-Needs).

Physiological needs

For the most part, physiological needs are obvious — they are the literal

requirements for human survival. If these requirements are not met, the human

body simply cannot continue to function.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Maslow's_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg

August 2011

Air, water, and food are metabolic requirements for survival in all animals,

including humans. Clothing and shelter provide necessary protection from the

elements. The intensity of the human sexual instinct is shaped more by sexual

competition than maintaining a birth rate adequate to survival of the species.

Safety needs

With their physical needs relatively satisfied, the individual's safety needs take

precedence and dominate behavior. In the absence of physical safety -- due to

war, natural disaster, or, in cases of family violence, childhood abuse, etc. --

people (re-)experience post-traumatic stress disorder and trans-generational

trauma transfer. In the absence of economic safety -- due to economic crisis and

lack of work opportunities - these safety needs manifest themselves in such

things as a preference for job security, grievance procedures for protecting the

individual from unilateral authority, savings accounts, insurance policies,

reasonable disability accommodations, and the like.

Safety and Security needs include:

Personal security

Financial security

Health and well-being

Safety net against accidents/illness and their adverse impacts

Love and belonging

After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third layer of human needs

are social and involve feelings of belongingness. The need is especially strong in

childhood and can over-ride the need for safety as witnessed in children who

cling to abusive parents. Deficiencies with respect to this aspect of Maslow's

hierarchy - due to hospitalism, neglect, shunning, ostracism etc. - can impact

individual's ability to form and maintain emotionally significant relationships in

general, such as:

Friendship

Intimacy

Family


August 2011

Humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, whether it comes

from a large social group, such as clubs, office culture, religious groups,

professional organizations, sports teams, gangs, or small social connections

(family members, intimate partners, mentors, close colleagues, confidants). They

need to love and be loved (sexually and non-sexually) by others. In the absence

of these elements, many people become susceptible to loneliness, social anxiety,

and clinical depression. This need for belonging can often overcome the

physiological and security needs, depending on the strength of the peer

pressure; an anorexic, for example, may ignore the need to eat and the security

of health for a feeling of control and belonging.

Esteem

All humans have a need to be respected and to have self-esteem and self-

respect. Esteem presents the normal human desire to be accepted and valued

by others. People need to engage themselves to gain recognition and have an

activity or activities that give the person a sense of contribution, to feel self-

valued, be it in a profession or hobby. Imbalances at this level can result in low

self-esteem or an inferiority complex. People with low self-esteem need respect

from others. They may seek fame or glory, which again depends on others. Note,

however, that many people with low self-esteem will not be able to improve their

view of themselves simply by receiving fame, respect, and glory externally, but

must first accept themselves internally. Psychological imbalances such as

depression can also prevent one from obtaining self-esteem on both levels.

Most people have a need for a stable self-respect and self-esteem. Maslow noted

two versions of esteem needs, a lower one and a higher one. The lower one is

the need for the respect of others, the need for status, recognition, fame,

prestige, and attention. The higher one is the need for self-respect, the need for

strength, competence, mastery, self-confidence, independence and freedom. The

latter one ranks higher because it rests more on inner competence won through

experience. Deprivation of these needs can lead to an inferiority complex,

weakness and helplessness.

Maslow also states that even though these are examples of how the quest for

knowledge is separate from basic needs he warns that these “two hierarchies are

interrelated rather than sharply separated” (Maslow 97). This means that this

level of need, as well as the next and highest level, are not strict, separate levels


August 2011

but closely related to others, and this is possibly the reason that these two levels

of need are left out of most textbooks.


mb0038 mpob sem 1 aug fall 2011 assignment ans

Documents