Maslow's hierarchy of needs proposes that people are motivated to fulfill basic physiological needs like food and shelter before pursuing safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. The document discusses each level of the hierarchy and applies it to understanding goals and motivation. It explains that fulfilling lower level needs allows one to achieve higher levels, with few reaching self-actualization. The author relates their own experience with esteem being a challenge but working to improve confidence through school, weight loss, and starting their own business to achieve self-actualization.

1. Running head: MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS 1
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Lynda Schreiber
PSY/211
September 22. 2014
Eugene Jablonski

2. MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS 2
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, its bases are that people are motivated to achieve certain
things in life. It is if you were to set goals and as you achieve the first goal you move towards the
next. In Maslow’s hierarchy there are five stages, physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-
actualization. The first stage physiological is the basic needs to stay alive, air, water, food, and even
sex. “The deficiency, or basic needs are said to motivate people when they are unmet. Also, the
need to fulfil such needs will become stronger the longer the duration they are denied. For example,
the longer a person goes without food, the more hungry they will become.” (McLeod, S. A. (2007).
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.) In the hierarchy, you must satisfy a lower level need before moving
on. The second is safety; this is having shelter from the elements and even protection from fear.
Without a roof over your head, you would be subject to all elements and not feel safe. The third is
social; this is family, friendship, a loving relationship, or even a working relationship. Without
someone to talk to or rely on you would be withdrawn and not want to move forward. The fourth
stage is esteem. Esteem can be achieved many ways, and it could be doing something you always
thought was impossible or to your status among others. With esteem comes respect for yourself,
and respect from others. Then you have the confidence to move forward to the next goal. Which
leads us to the fifth stage of the hierarchy, self-actualization, become the person you want to be and
accomplishing everything you put your mind too. “Maslow noted only one in a hundred people
become fully self-actualized because our society rewards the motivation primarily based on esteem,
love and other social,” (Maslow noted only one in a hundred people become fully self-actualized
because our society rewards the motivation primarily based on esteem, love and other social needs.
(McLeod, S. A. (2007). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs)
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs makes sense in that we all set goal and want to achieve as
much success in each area of the hierarchy as possible. I do see that society hold safety as the first
goal. As a parent, I hold having a roof over my children’s head way more valuable than food or sex.

3. MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS 3
Now with that being said you can not live if you do not have air or water. Being raised on a farm and
growing up hunting wildlife and fishing for meat on the table, there is always a way to get food. So to
me if we have air to breath and a source of water even if you have to boil it and some shelter over
your head than the rest of the hierarchy makes sense.
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it is based on motivation. If you do not have the motivation
you can not achieve the goals you set out in living, and, therefore, you can not move forward in
living. If you have food then, you have the motivation and energy to move forward, but without food,
you have no energy, therefore, the motivation to achieve anything would be lost. Motivation and
goals are what makes us function every day. We have motivation to achieve those goals we set
therefore we could set new higher goals to achieve. As we reach each goal our confidence builds
and we move closer to the esteem stage of the hierarchy.
I find the esteem stage of the hierarchy to be my biggest obstacle. I have respect for myself
and respect of others. What I lack is the confidence, I have confidence in any job I do that I can
complete it to the best of my knowledge. The confidence in myself is where I am missing. My
confidence went away when I was in a bad relationship and got depressed. I was depressed enough
that all I did was sit down and lose myself. I am working on getting that confidence back and that
way I know I can achieve the fifth stage of the hierarchy with self-actualization. I am going to get
through school with high grades and a Master’s in Accounting, and I am currently working on my
personal self-esteem by losing weight and exercising. My goal is that by the time I finish school I will
be a very confident person on the inside and out, and then my next goal will be to have my own CPA
office. Then I will have reached the self-actualization in the hierarchy.

4. MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS 4
Reference
McLeod, S. A. (2007). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html