This document discusses Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the continuum of addiction. It explains that addictive behaviors occur in stages, from non-use to dependence. Early stage issues are easier to address than late-stage problems. The document instructs the reader to choose an addictive behavior and identify its levels, developing a timeline or essay on the escalation. References from academic sources in APA style are required.

1. The Continuum of Addictive Behaviors
This activity is designed for you to explore the continuum of an
addictive behavior of your choice.
Addictive behavior appears in stages. The earliest stage is non-
use, which finally leads up to out-of-control dependence. The
stages in between are important to identify, as it is much easier
to correct an early-stage issue as opposed to a late-stage
problem.
Use alcohol or substance abuse addiction as an example to
identify the various levels of addiction.
You may choose to develop a time line identifying the stages or
develop a written essay (no more than 500 words in Word
format) to describe the escalation of addictive behaviors.
You are to include at least two references from academic
sources that you have researched on this topic in the Excelsior
College Library and use appropriate citations in American
Psychological Association (APA) style.
You cannot just do a Google search for the topic! Academic
sources are required. You may use Google Scholar or other
libraries
The Continuum of Addictive Behaviors
This activity is designed for you to explore the continuum of an
addictive behavior of your
choice.
Addictive behavior appears in stages.
The earliest stage is non

2. -
use, which finally leads up to out
-
of
-
control
dependence.
The stages in between are important to identify, as it is much
easier to
correct an early
-
stage issue as opposed to a late
-
stage problem.
U
se
alcohol or substanc
e abuse addiction as an example to identify the various levels of
addiction.
You may choose to develop a time line identifying the stages or
develop
a
written essay (no
more than 500 words in Word format) to describe the escalation
of addictive behaviors.
You are to include at least two references from academic
sources that you have researched on
this topic in the Excelsior College Library and use appropriate
citations in American
Psychological Association (APA) style.

3. You cannot just do a Google search for
the topic!
Academic
sources are required. You may use
Google Scholar or other libraries
Running Head: MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS 2
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS 2
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Professor’s Name:
Student’s Name:
Institution:
Course Title:
Date:
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Abraham Maslow presents human needs as classified into a
pyramidical structure, starting with the most basic needs at the
bottom of the pyramid to the more complex needs at the top of
the pyramid. The needs are described as model that can be
utilized to develop a training structure used by teachers through
the use of technology. Through this model, identification of

4. basic needs related to technology are established which have to
be met before higher technological integration levels can be
achieved. This establishes a platform for technological leaders
to remodel their program to suite merging trends with regard to
technological need (Bailey, 1998).
Maslow’s Hierarchy if needs can as well be applied to assist
employers understand as well as motivate the employees despite
the ever dynamism in the healthcare industry for instance.
Maslow’s model is an integral part of the reorganization process
in the healthcare industry. A new perspective is offered in
relation to Maslow’s model and relates the concerns of the
workforce which include, desires for stress free living,
belongingness, self-actualization and self-esteem as well as the
provision of new opportunities for self-definition and learning
which can be provided through alteration of work environments
as well as the alteration of social environments. Acceleration in
the pace of changes in health care is thus expectant due to the
workforce desires for the need prescribed by Maslow (Wininger,
2010). The accelerated pace of these changes thus dictates the
requirement of increased resource allocation of training
resources. Universal individual need understanding of these
challenges is made possible by the Maslow model. It is a major
concern to answer the question of how employee motivation can
be made possible in the period when the demands are greatly
increased whereas the resources allocated to those supposed to
meet these demands keep on diminishing consistently. This
though can be made possible through employee satisfaction in
various ways including, ensuring the security of the employee,
the assurance of employee need as well as the consistent
appreciation of the employee. These goals can not be
overstated, but the requisite efforts to achieve these near
impossibilities include, the appropriate utilization of
technology. This utilization of technology can bring about,
opportunities which are necessary to meet these demands as
well provision of requisite training platforms at achievable
conditions hence improve possibilities of achievement of these

5. goals (Benson, 2003).
Studies have been carried out to do analysis on various
requirements for meeting Maslow’s hierarchy needs. These
studies involve analysis of effects of employee recognition on
the motivation of the employee. The studies as well stipulate
how the working conditions influence the motivation of the
employees. the studies as well indicate how personal
development may impact the eventual motivation of the
employee. A sample study was carried out on 278 employees in
an organization which had an employee capacity of 1000. The
method used to collect the data was through the use of
questionnaires. The findings of the study indicated that the
factors that most influenced the employee motivation were,
recognition of their performance, the conditions of the working
operation of the employees, the training that the employees
were exposed to as well as the personal development of the
employees (Wofford, 1971). The conclussion of the study was
that the employee motivation as an aspect influencing
productivity received little to no attention and thus was an
untapped potential for increment in productivity which is an
ingredient of optimal operation. It was thus recommended that
further employee motivation studies be carried out through
various sectors so as to enhance the understanding of employee
motivation. For purposes of improving the quasi environmental
studies, so as to improve theoretical understanding of strategies
of motivating employees, further studies need to be done in the
surveyed sectors as well (Cao et al, 2013).
it is the responsibility of social workers to lead employees as
well as motivate them for purposes of achieving the desired
success. For optimal results to be achieved, the managers need
to not only utilize the wisdom they acquire through practice but
they as well need to couple it up with the theoretical
foundations of the various observations that they make from the
practice wisdom. This results in a more objective and direct
approach to the optimization of the process. This work helps
social administrators as well as educators since it provides them

6. with theories which are relevant to motivation and leadership as
well as the description of these theories and their subsequent
applications to social work. This is due to the fact that social
managers are responsible for motivation of employees so as to
enhance job performance (Fisher, 2009).
Play is a biologically driven project which enhances self-
understanding as well as self-realization. This aspect of life is
shared between human beings and various other creatures
though humans have developed this aspect to be an integral part
of social and psychological pattern. Scholars of various ages
share the appreciation of Charles Darwin’s notion of shared
ancestries among different species and hence relationship of the
systemic emergence of species differences. The link between
these similarities, exist at both individual as well as species
level. There are various mechanisms of stability as well as
change that need in-depth analysis to achieve the estimations of
requisite resources to carry on these systemic dynamisms. Sone
theorists regard play as a means of expressing the existence of
surplus energy while others regard play as a means of getting
off the various stressful features of the industrialization
practices (Wolf, 1970). Though these theorists’ arguments
converge at the point of play being an instinctive occurrence to
all species. Other theorists as well regard play as a means of
energy restoration and thus regard it a form of recreation.
Others as well deem play as an ingredient of the recapitulation
which is a means through which individuals can successfully
undergo self-development hence improve on their initial
productivity. Play thus is an illustration of the connection of a
species to its heritage but also serves well to link the species to
the preceding frameworks of universal existence. Without play,
then species would be locked in an endless cycle of instinctive
activities and thus inhibit the exploration of new possibilities
which bring about optimality (Henricks, 2014).
Early in the twentieth century, scholars made fruitful attempts
to come up with specifications of psychological and
physiological processes that accelerate desires for play. This

7. was made possible through special attention study of the play
preceding. Due to this study, researchers came up with
conclusions that play is a socially improved format of
expression of desired feelings. Such findings are relatable to
previous findings of play as being a pattern of ego mastery,
which upon systemic development can be enhanced to be a
source of pleasure. Through this systemic development, play
can as well be improved to be a source of capacity for human
coordination, hence influence personal development
(McLaughlin et al, 1973).
When the perceptions of need satisfactions are compared, as
was done by American managers who were during the time of
the study based abroad, as well as those who were serving in
similar capacities although their service was not abroad findings
were developed regarding their level of satisfaction. This is in
regard to the Maslow hierarchy needs and thus the evaluation of
the motivation of the employees and subsequent resulting
productivities. The data collection was done through the use of
a need satisfaction questionnaire because of the success that the
need satisfaction questionnaire had brought about in preceding
uses. The indications of the findings were that despite the high
levels of job satisfaction resulting from job positions, enjoyed
by the surveyed employees, the level of autonomy as well as
that of self-actualization and self-esteem were notably low.
Hence indicating the delinking of the job level acquired
satisfaction and relation to self-actualization and self-esteem
realization (Ivancevich, 1969).
The measurement of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be done
through the use of two scales proposed by Lester and Fiebert.
Then process was through the survey on college students
whereby, scores of the five hierarchical needs proposed by
Maslow had no correspondence in a positive or significant
manner apart from the physiological needs. According to
Maslow proposition, it is thus that deprivation of needs is an
ingredient for psychopathology in specific, depression and
mania. Despite these propositions it was found through the

8. college student survey that the evidence supporting this
preposition is thus shallow and thus no concrete evidence can
link the need deprivation and the effects of psychopathology
(Lester, 2013).
Unmet needs of children who were orphaned and those rendered
homeless due to the effects of the second world war often posed
various complications in attending to them. These needs were
initially met through the use of attachment theory. The
attachment theory was founded on the basis of Maslow’s theory
for hierarchical needs. The theory was thus initially used to
cater for the needs but was limited to addressing maternal
deprivation as well as concordant losses. Later on, the theory
was necessarily improved to deal with a wider range of needs
that required addressing and were best addressed through the
use of the Maslow theory of hierarchical needs. The advanced
form of the theory was inclusive of sustenance and mating needs
of humans. This is due to the argument that limitations in study
groups for sampling of theory formation is expected to yield a
theory which can be in practice only to a limited group of the
population especially having a specific bias on those on which
the sampling research was done (Maslow, 1959).
Maslow does a deep exploration of the complexity that
embodies human nature. This he does through use of various
methods, including empirical processes as well as philosophical
enquiry of the aesthetics involved. This entails the Farther
Reaches of human nature. This work is an extension of
Maslow’s initial work, “Toward a Psychology of Being”. Essays
on biology as well as creativity, cognition, self-actualization
and hierarchical needs yield the inspiring and influential ideas
tabled by Maslow (Maslow, 1971).
The systematic investigation of life history through employment
of explicit theories is called psychobiography. In
psychobiography, unique contribution is realized towards
understanding experiences of phenomenology. Despite this great
contribution various school of thought dismiss is as
individualistic and thus is not possibly generalizable. Maslow’s

9. theory though can be effectively utilized to achieve the desired
analysis of individualistic factors but then research their
contribution to underlying factors that influence the general
human life. Maslow’s own life can do two things to enhance the
effectiveness of these findings. One is to provide the desired
case study which is in particular a good match for the model
under observation. On the other side the Maslow life study does
enhance the development of motivation theory which is realized
through the study of phenomenology (Wieck, 2007). Since
Maslow’s life draws from various resources it is thus much
easier to establish the level of accuracy achieved regarding the
information provide through matching if these independent
resources of the information.
Maslow proposed a theory which was more positive in regard to
human motivation and the theory was based on various studies
which were deemed successful others done by Maslow’s
mentors. Criticism was directed towards the traditional, method
based on psychology which based theories on non-optimal
samples hence coming up with a theory which was more based
on optimal sampling and aimed at optimization of the results
subsequently. This theory thus emphasized in the benefits of
motivation as well as the yields of self-actualization. Before the
Maslow theory breakthrough, behavioral predictions of human
were mostly based upon biological studies to evaluate the
biological responses of the human to various stimuli and hence
enhance the process of stimuli actuation (McLaughlin et al,
1973).
Maslow predictably stated that the motivation-oriented theory
would serve the purpose of overthrowing the preciously
established theories which were based on hedonism. The
discoveries of the motivation theory were to serve in doing
away with the previous establishments and thus establish a more
efficient theory contrary to existing behavioral and
psychoanalytic theories. The hierarchy of human needs was thus
the first theory of motivation (Rausch et al, 1998). These
theories embodied the five goals which form the pillars of the

10. Maslow needs hierarchy theory. The systemic relationship
between these hierarchical needs is that the basic needs once
met pave way for more advanced need in the need’s hierarchy
pyramid. This conclusive design indicated that the most salient
needs dominate the organism and hence motivates the
behavioral pattern. The relativity of these needs in the hierarchy
is thigh not absolutely definite as it is that though the basic
needs may dominate the organism, the other needs may as well
have an influence even when the basic needs have not been
satisfactorily met. Hence to develop clear observation of the
human behaviors and thus establish a predictability mechanism
of the behavioral tendency, all these needs have to be kept in
consideration and their impact assessed (Poduska, 1992).
Essentially the four basic needs of human beings can be
considered as deficiency needs. In this case there is no
satisfaction achieved through meeting of this needs though if
the needs are not met, then a lot of anxiety and paternal
behavior may be experienced. These deficiency needs thus cease
to motivate behavior once they are met. The distinction between
these deficiency needs and the higher needs in the Maslow
needs hierarchy system is that once the higher needs are met,
they still continue to influence behavior through motivation
Santrock (John et al, 2008).
These needs are accomplished by the pinnacle need which is
self-actualization and it is clearly evident that meeting of this
need continues to motivate behavior after it has been met. This
is due to the fact that this pinnacle need is never satisfactory in
the sense that an individual can never get enough of it. On the
contrary, satisfaction of this need satisfaction motivated more
vicious pursuit of this need (Taormina et al, 2013). This
argument justifies the case that human beings are perpetually
wanting animals and satisfaction of one need opens room for
requirement of satisfaction of the next need whereas non-
satisfaction of a need may result in negative consequences. Not
only is non-satisfaction of a need detrimental, but as well the
threat to non-satisfaction of the need may result in detriments in

11. the functionality if the being and thus result in negative
consequences as well.
Another higher ranked need is the need for esteem as well as
self-respect. This need is likely to occur once the lower ranked
needs are met which are physiological as well as love needs.
Thus, people in society prefer to be held in high regard and thus
the high regard be reflective of their social status. This calls for
higher appraisal of an individual by society. Thus, the opinion
of others about an individual are placed upon more importance
than simple social regard. Self esteem is grounded upon the
actual capacity held by and individual ion society as well as the
individual’s achievements and the respect that an individual
gather from others (Wahba et al, 1976). The fulfillment of these
need can be measured though one’s self-assessment as well as
assessment report by trusted confidants. These developments of
self-esteem thus lead to development of worth, self-confidence,
self-belief in capabilities as well as strength. Once these needs
are met the individual is propelled to higher goals through the
dynamism in their resulting behavior. As a result of this
increment in productivity as well as desirable adjustments come
about hence improving the optimality of the individual.

12. References
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