Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was the founder of humanistic psychology. He was heavily influenced by Wertheimer, a cofounder of cognitive psychology, in his theories. Maslow had a positive view of mental health, theorizing that human beings constantly attempt improving mental health by seeking personal growth (Simply Psychology.org, 2014). Maslow created the Hierarchy of Needs to address motivational needs that humans must achieve before progressing to the next need. Once a need is satisfied, humans can aspire to achieve needs on the next level. The first level of needs are biological and physiological. This includes basic needs such as air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex and sleep. The second level is safety needs such as security, order, …show more content…
Maslow’s self-actualization:

Criticism> Maslow had stated that not everyone can achieve self- actualization. Maslow had stated that self-actualization is a matter of degree , and there is no perfect human beings. Maslow formulated the characteristics of self- actualized individuals by using a qualitative method called biographical analysis. By looking at a biograph and the writings of 18 individuals whom he identified as being self-actualized. From these sources he developed a list of characteristics for this specific group of people, and not for the general public. Maslow’s holistic approach to mental health: Criticism> Maslow’s model of positive health provides a mean to