Personality assignment

Introduction to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Abraham Maslow first introduced the concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper, titled
"A Theory of Human Motivation," and again in his subsequent book, "Motivation and
Personality." This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfil basic needs before
moving on to other, more advanced needs.
As a humanist, Maslow believed that people have an inborn desire to be self-actualized, that
is, to be all they can be. To achieve this ultimate goal, however, a number of more basic
needs must be met. This includes the need for food, safety, love, and self-esteem.
Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a major role in motivating
behaviour. There are seven different levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, starting at the
lowest level known as physiological needs.

1. Physiological needs are biological requirements for human survival, e.g., air, food,
drink, shelter, clothing, warmth, sex, and sleep.
2. Safety needs – people want to experience order, predictability, and control in their
lives.
3. Love and belongingness needs refers to a human emotional need for interpersonal
relationships, affiliating, connectedness, and being part of a group.
 4. Esteem needs are the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy and include self-worth,
accomplishment, and respect.
5. Cognitive needs – knowledge and understanding, curiosity, exploration, need for
meaning and predictability.
6. Aesthetic needs – appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc. Fulfilling
these needs leads to a deeper sense of satisfaction and harmony in life, as individuals
seek environments and experiences that are pleasing and resonant with their sense of
beauty.
7. Self-actualization needs are the highest level in Maslow’s hierarchy, and refer to the
realization of a person’s potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth, and peak
experiences.

Case history

Patient’s name: K
Age: 23 y
Sex: Male
Address: Latur , Maharashtra
Socio-economic status: Middle Class
Marital status: Unmarried
Education: Graduation Bsc IT
Occupation: Student
Residence: Urban
Mother tongue: Marathi
Informant: Self, Parents
PRESENTING COMPLAINTS
According to the client -
● Weird behaviour of others mainly of family members
● Elder sister abusing and feeling bad
● Father and sister constantly fights with him
● Father is telling others that he is mad
According to the Parents -
● threatens that he will commit suicide
● does not comply with the medication
● sometimes he behaves nicely and sometimes he does not

Points from the theory explaining the case history

1. Client reported that, there are constant family fights. His sister abuses
him and fights with him. This behaviour towards him is making him feel bad
and insecure to stay in the house. At the age of 9years the client's father would
make the client type all his work material as his father was not good at it. He
would beat the client if the work was not done properly
It is the parent’s sole responsibility to provide the child with a safe and secure
environment. The child is emotionally and physically vulnerable and depends
on his parents for these needs. But since the father was abusive and also
couldn’t stop the sister from abusing the client as well, the clients need for
safety and security was not fulfilled.
Questions asked
How is the environment at your home?
How supportive are your parents?
Describe your relationship with your mother and father
How is your relationship with your sister?
How was your childhood?

Other theory that explains the symptom

This symptom can also be explained by Erik Eriksons personality theory where
it is very important to let the child come up with new ideas and is let to do
things on his own between the ages of 5-13. Here the client was beaten and told
he couldn’t do anything nicely and so the inferiority of the client built and he
felt inferior in his own home and could not build on competence.

2. Client reported that his father teases him, criticizes him for small things.
He tells others that he is mad. His sister abuses him and fights with him. The
mother says the father does not treat the son properly and was never affectionate
and compares always with other children. As he was under medication, others
started calling him mad.
Here the clients need for belongingness and love did not get fulfilled. His father
and sister abused him whom he seeked support from and so the expected
primary care and affection givers could not do their job and the clients need for
love and affection remained unfulfilled. Also his friends calling him mad
because of his medication and symptomatic behaviour made him aloof from the
group creating a void for the need of belongingness.
Questions asked
Do you feel loved by your family?
Do you love your family?
How many friends do you have and describe your relation with them.
What kind of behaviour do you expect from your parents and sister?

Other theory that explains the symptom

Karen Horney’s theory of neurotic needs explains this symptom. Among the
basic neurotic needs is the neurotic need for affection and approval. This need
of the client was unfulfilled as he was not shown affection and approval by his
father and sister and even his friends. So the unfulfillment of this need gave rise
to conflict, resulting in symptoms.

3. Due to malaria, the client took a 3 month break from studies and he could
not write his pre-final exams well and the teachers shifted him to a lower
section. This made him feel bad and he heard from the teacher that he is dull
and cannot achieve anything in their life. The client's father had a conflict with
the client regarding his Intermediate exams which he could not clear. He tells
the parents that he will become a great person and build a new city on his name.
He reported he has many ideas in his mind and is capable of doing anything and
can earn crores and become a top person.
The need of self esteem through achievement was incomplete for the client. The
client tried a lot of things but couldn’t achieve anything properly which also
made him dream big and out of proportion which led to symptoms of
grandiosity. The inability to achieve resulted in low self esteem which created
conflicts in the client’s family adding to the symptoms and distress of the client.
Questions asked
How were you in studies?
What are your future plans?
What do you plan to achieve?
Do you parents support you with your plans?

Other theory that explains this symptom

Adler’s personality theory explains that humans always strive to overcome
feelings of inferiority and therefore their behaviour is a result of social interest,
masculine protest, lifestyle, goal oriented, etc. Here the client was trying to
achieve superiority as he was made to feel inferior by his father and sister and
hence the grandiose thoughts and goals which might help him overcome
inferiority.

4. He reported his sleep is decreased and appetite decreased. The mother

reported that every time there is a raise in his behaviour he has anger outbursts,
does not sleep, suicide threatens, restlessness, reports he can do anything and
writes down his ideas, does not eat properly. He gained sexual knowledge at the
age of 14years by watching videos. He started masturbatory practices since
then. He reported he felt guilty first time and later felt it was not a sin. He did
not indulge in any sexual relationships. For the past 1year he reported his sexual
interest has decreased.
As the food, sleep and sexual drive of the client is clearly decreased, there is an
obvious conflict in the physiological needs and which is leading to problematic
behaviour of the client. The symptoms can be related to these physiological
needs not fulfilled.
Questions asked
Do you eat properly?
Do you sleep properly?
What are your views about your sexual needs?
Other theory that explains the symptom
Sigmund Freud’s theory of personality may explain this symptom in which the
client had reduced desire for food, sex, and sleep. The id (child) part of the
client regulates the desires which made the client desire for food or sex. The
super ego i.e., the parent part seems dysfunctional and dominant here and
therefore the conflict between the id and super ego is resulting in the clients
reduced desire for physiological needs.

Application of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

In the industrial sector
Employee Motivation and Management: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is
often utilized in human resources and organizational management to understand
and address employee motivation. By recognizing that individuals have
different needs at various levels of the hierarchy, managers can tailor their
approaches to better meet these needs and enhance employee satisfaction and
performance.
For example, managers can ensure that basic physiological and safety needs
such as fair wages, job security, and safe working conditions are met. They can
also provide opportunities for social belongingness and esteem through team-
building activities, recognition programs, and career advancement opportunities.
By understanding where each employee is situated in the hierarchy, managers
can develop strategies to help them progress towards self-actualization, such as
providing challenging projects, autonomy, and opportunities for personal
growth.

In the clinical sector

Patient-Centred Care: Healthcare providers can use Maslow's Hierarchy of
Needs to guide patient care and treatment plans. By recognizing that patients
may have unmet needs at different levels of the hierarchy, healthcare
professionals can adopt a holistic approach to treatment that addresses not only
physical ailments but also psychological, social, and emotional needs.
For instance, a patient struggling with chronic pain may find it challenging to
adhere to a treatment regimen due to unmet psychological needs, such as
feelings of isolation or low self-esteem. By incorporating interventions that
address social belongingness and esteem, such as support groups or counselling,
healthcare providers can improve patient engagement and treatment outcomes.

Research idea
A cross-cultural qualitative analysis on the need for aesthetics and
transcendence. Is it an innate need for humans or is it culture specific. Also is it
an actual need or conditioning done through cultural mindset and practices.

Weaknesses of the theory

1. Cultural and Individual Variability: Maslow's theory doesn't consider
cultural differences or individual variations in needs prioritization,
undermining its universality.
2. Lack of Empirical Evidence: The theory lacks strong empirical support,
with limited research validating its hierarchical structure and the specific
sequence of needs.
3. Neglect of Individual Differences and Context: Maslow's model
oversimplifies human motivation by disregarding individual differences
and contextual factors that influence needs fulfilment, leading to an
incomplete understanding of human behaviour.

Own reflection
I think the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs gives a very decent explanation for
human needs and wants but it does not completely explain that how much these
needs have an influence on driving force or motivation of an individual. It gives
us all the needs of humans throughout the life but doesn’t tell us how important
a need is compared to others. It rather gives us a hierarchy which might not be
same for every individual and all people are different and their perception about
their wants if different from others. Therefore, a hierarchy might not always be
correct to give explanation for the personality, rather personality would be
shaped by interaction of these needs with each other and their fulfilment without
harming the other.
Tasneem Godhrawala
MA-2