Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist best known for his theory of self-actualization and hierarchy of needs. He had a difficult childhood with uncaring parents which influenced his work. Maslow developed theories around human potential and what motivates people. His hierarchy of needs proposes that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before pursuing higher needs like self-esteem and self-actualization. Maslow's work formed the basis of humanistic psychology.

1. Abraham Maslow Biography
Abraham Maslow was a humanistic psychologist best known for
his theory of self-actualization. This biography of Abraham
Maslow provides detailed information about his childhood, life,
achievements, works & timeline.
Quick Facts
Also Known
As
Abraham Harold Maslow
Nationality American
Religion Jewish
Born on 01 April 1908 AD
Zodiac Sign Aries
Born in Brooklyn
Died on 08 June 1970 AD
Place of
death
Menlo Park
Spouse: Bertha
Education
City College of New York, Cornell University,
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Columbia
University
Founder/Co-
Founder
Journal of Humanistic Psychology

2. Abraham Maslow was a renowned psychologist whose biggest
contribution to the field of psychology is the Maslow’s Need
Hierarchy theory. He believed that all human beings strive to
achieve satisfaction in life through the fulfillment of certain
needs. He had an intensely sad and unhappy childhood and had
to face several hurdles while growing up. His difficult childhood
experiences instilled in him a sensitivity which was often
reflected in his works. In spite of having an indifferent father
who always belittled him and an uncaring and cruel mother who
never gave him any love, the youngster grew up to be a
compassionate soul who focused on the positive traits in people
no matter what. His first career choice was to become a lawyer,
partly influenced by his wish to impress his father. However
legal studies did not suit the young man and he soon shifted to
study psychology. He found mentors in the noted psychologists
Alfred Adler, Max Wertheimer, and the anthropologist Ruth
Benedict who deeply influenced his thinking. Maslow developed
a positivist mindset and became a driving force behind the
school of humanistic psychology. His major theories which were
of immense significance to humanistic psychology were the
hierarchy of needs, self-actualization and peak experiences.
Childhood & Early Life
He was born as the eldest of the seven children of Samuel
and Rose Maslow in New York. His parents were Jewish
immigrants from Russia.
He was raised in a multiethnic neighbourhood. His family
was poor and his parents were very uncaring and

3. indifferent. His father verbally abused and degraded him
to the extent that the boy felt very unworthy. His mother
was a selfish and cruel woman who never gave the
children any love or care.
As the only Jewish boy in his neighbourhood, he was also
made the victim of rampant anti-Semitism and was bullied
by other boys because of his religion.
The various difficulties of his life forced him to seek
refuge in the library where he discovered his love for
reading.
He attended the Boys High school where he was a
member of several academic clubs. He also edited the
Latin Magazine and the school’s Physics paper for a year.
He went to the City College of New York and also began
taking legal classes in evening. He realized legal studies
were not for him and dropped out soon.
He later went to the University of Wisconsin to study
psychology. There his field of study was experimental-
behaviorism. He developed a strong positivist mindset due
to his experience with behaviorism. He received his
master’s degree in psychology in 1931.
Career
He became a member of the faculty at Brooklyn College in
1937 and worked there till 1951.
When the U.S. entered the World War II in 1941, Maslow
was too old to enlist and was ineligible for the military.
However, the horrors of wars, inspired a vision of peace
un him and influenced his psychological ideas and helped
him develop the discipline of humanistic psychology.
He was deeply influenced by his two mentors, the
psychologist Max Wertheimer and anthropologist Ruth
Benedict whose behaviour formed the basis for his
research about mental health and human potential.
He proposed a theory of needs hierarchy in his 1943
paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’ in ‘Psychological

4. Review’. This theory was explained in detail in his 1954
book ‘Motivation and Personality’.
He was of the view that human beings have a set of needs
that need to be fulfilled hierarchically in order to achieve
self-actualization. According to him the needs could be
classified as: Physiological, Safety, Belongingness and
Love, Esteem, Self-Actualization and Self-Transcendence
needs.
As a humanistic psychologist he believed that each
individual has a strong desire to realize their full potential
to reach a level of self-actualization. He propounded this
theory by studying individuals like Albert Einstein, Henry
David Thoreau, Ruth Benedict, etc. whom he believed had
achieved self-actualization.
He was appointed a professor at Brandeis University in
1951. He taught there till 1969 before becoming a resident
fellow at the Laughlin Institute in California.
Maslow and Tony Sutich founded the ‘Journal of
Humanistic Psychology’ in 1961. The journal continues to
publish academic papers till date.
Major Works
His biggest contribution to the field of psychology is his
Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory which he first proposed
in 1943. The hierarchy is a very popular framework in
research and education in various fields like sociology,
management, psychology, psychiatry, etc.
Personal Life & Legacy
He married his first cousin Bertha in 1928 when he was
just 20 years old. His marriage marked the beginning of a
very happy family life for him. The couple had two
daughters and shared a loving marriage that lasted till his
death.
He had a history of heart problems and suffered a major
heart attack in 1967. Three years later, in 1970 he had
another heart attack and died.

5. The American Psychological Association presents the
Abraham Maslow award to individuals for their outstanding
and lasting contribution to the exploration of the farther
reaches of human spirit.
Trivia
He was highly critical of the noted psychologist Sigmund
Freud.
He was once mentored by the psychotherapist Alfred
Adler.