ABRAHAM MASLOW :
(1908 –
1970)
Biography To :
ABRAHAM
MASLOW
Abraham Harold maslow was born April
2 1908 in Brooklyn . New York He was the first
of seven children born to his parents. Who themselves were uneducated Jewish
immigrants from Russia
To Satisfy his parents. He first
studied law at the city collage of New
York
He
and Bertha moved to Wisconsin so that he could attend the University of
Wisconsin. Here he become interested in psychology and his school work began to
improve dramatically. He spent time there working with Harry Harlow, who is
famous for his experiments with baby rhesus monkeys and attachment behavior.
He
received his BA in 1930, his MA in 1931, and his PhD in 1934, all in
psychology, all from the university of Wisconsin. A year after graduation, he
returned to New York with E.L., Thorndike at Columbia, where maslow became
interested in research on human sexuality.
He
began teaching full time at Brooklyn college, During this period of his life.
He came into confect with the many European intellectuals that were immigrating
to the US and Brooklyn in particular at that time people like Adler from
Horuely as were as several gestalt and Freudian psychologist.
Maslow
served as the chair of the psychology department at Brandi is from 1951 to
1969. While there he met Kurt Goldstein. Who had originated the idea of self –
actualization in his famous book. The organism (1934) It also ere that he began
his crusade for a humanistic – psychology something ultimately much more
important to him than his own theorizing.
He
spend hi final years in semiretirement in California. Until, on June 8, 1970,
he died of a heat attack after years ill health.
THEORY :
One
of the many interesting things maslow noticed while he worked with monkeys
early in his career, was that some needs take precedence over others. For
example If you are hungry and thirsty. You will tend to try to take care of the
thirst first to After all you can do without food for weeks, but you can only
do without water for a couple of days. Thirst is a “Stronger” need than hunger
Likewise, if you are very very thirsty. But someone has put a choke hold on you
and you can’t breath. Which is more important ? The need to breathe of course,
On the other hand sex is less powerful than any of these, Let’s face if you
won’t die if you don’t get it.
HUMANISTICE PSYCHOLOGY
The humanistic psychology has been
regarded as a third force in psychology. The first force being psychoanalysis
and the second force being behaviorism. This movement (and not a system)
started taking shape in early 1960 s. Abraham maslow’s name is obsely
associated with this movement because he is regarded as spiritual father of
humanism in America.
Humanistic psychology emphasizes
parson as a whole and explains behavior interus of the entire life history like
other systems. It has some antecedents forces which were instrumental in it’s
emergence. The psychology of William James. Existential psychology and the
early efforts towards humanism were ainang the primary forces.
Rogers who formulated self theory is
an impotent contributor to humanistic psychology, He emphasized upon three
important constructs organism self – and self aclutization.
Maslow’s self – actualization theory
has been another important invasion, He formulated the concept such as
psychological needs safety needs. Love and belongingness. Esteem needs and self
actualization needs are arranged in order of prepotency. Self – actualization
for him is an umbrella need that covers seventeen needs self aclualization
means to search the peak of one’s potential so that one fully fuvetaning
person.
Since 1950, the opponents of the two
forces – psychoanalysis and behaviorism, were it was being said that
behaviorism was too cold and lacking interest in real understanding of human
beings. This movement considered man as passive victim of the stimuli present
in the environment. This movement also fails to recognize the person’s growth
potentialities and self – actualization him from laboratory animals like rats.
Pigeons etc Bugental (1967) has rightly said that “That behaviorism reduced
that person” to a large white or a slower computer.”
The humanistic psychology has fried
to present a radically different picture of human nature. According to Abraham
maslow who is considered as spiritual father of humanism in America
BASIC
TENETS OF HUMANISTICE PSYCHOLOGY.
1. Person as an whole.
2. Emphasis upon entire life history
3. Self – actualization as life gouls.
4. Person’s inner nature.
5. De-emphasis upon animals’ researches
6. creative personality.
7. Emphasis upon psychological health.
Maslow’s self – actualization theory.
Maslow has been considered as the
spiritual father of the humanistic psychology, Like Rogers. He took the optimism
view about human nature. He believes that people have same in herd polentials
and capacity for kindness love, generosity etc., which flourish it given a
favourable social environment. But an unfavorable social environment leads to
the repression of these potentials and capacities.
His self – actualization theory has
been best explained in terms of the motivational processes. Maslow is view that
human motives are invate and they are arranged in the ascending hierarchy of
potency or priority. Before we designs his view of motivation. It is essential
to examine his basic assumption about motivation.
i) Maslow approach to motivation. It
means for him the whole individual and not his any single part or function is
motivated. It we altenyst to isolate motive from the whole individual and study
it. Will be inaccurate and misleading for example. In sex motive not only the genital
are stimulated but also the brain some endocrine gland intestines and thus the
whole organism is motivated.
ii) organism is continually motivated
by one need or the other. If one need of the parson is satisfied. Another need
automatically arises and guides our behavior. For example, if the hunger and third need
(basic physiological needs) are satisfied. He will feel the need for security
and protection.
iii) motivation is usually complex and
the complexity of motivation is due to the unconscious elements of the drive.
Thus maslow also recognized the existence of unconscious motivation, the to
this precognitive. He differs from All port who mainly emphasized upon
conscious motivation.
iv) All people in different cultures
may differ in manure in which people express their physiological needs like
need for food, water, sex etc., but these fundamental remain the same in all
people.
v) The various needs of the persons
can be arranged in a hierarchy of potency or priority.
Maslow’s theory of ‘hierarchy of needs
recognized five needs in order of their prepotency – physiological needs. study
needs love and belongingness need esteem and self – actualization need, He separated
these five needs. The lower level need consists of physiological needs and safety
needs, whereas the higher level need consists of love and belongingness need
esteems need and self – actualization need the basic idea behind arranging
these five needs into a hierarchy is that – lower level needs must be sati
shied before higher level needs becomes motivators of human behaviour, Thus
lower level needs have a prepotency over the high level need because they are
not satisfied the higher level needs will the longer energy and the persons
will return to unsatisfied lower level needs these various need may be
discussed as under.
Physiological needs : Physiological needs are the basic
needs that included need for food. Water oxygen temperature, sex etc., these
needs will originate for example. If the person is strongly hunger he will
never think of satety love and respect for self and others. There are two basic
characteristics of physiological needs.
1) Physiological needs have this
recurrent nature Hence they are cyclic needs they can be fully satisfied at a particular
time but after a laps of certain period time. They again tend to recover. A
person’s need for humger may be fully satisfied at a prevents by be fully may
be fully satisfied time by eating but after same time again that need may
arise.
Esteem needs :
Esteem needs came into existence at
the next level of literarily when the previous three types of needs have been
fulfilled, these needs Imelda two sets of need. The first set competence self –
confidence, independence mastery etc., The second set melds needs for presage
fomedaninace. Dignity and appreciation, In fact the second set of need is
drived from the first set maslow (1970) has pointed out that satisfaction of
self – esteem needs produces feelings like self confidence capillarity strength
world etc.,
Need for
self – actualization :
Self – actualization need is
fulfilled only when the other needs at lower nearly are satisfied self –
actualization refers to the desire for self fulfillment. To realize one’s all
potent als to become what one wishes and to be of (Maslow 1970)
Maslow also pointed out that only a
small parentage of people cabout to percent really become self – actualized, He
has enlisted some important characteristics of self – actualization persons as
under :
i) They have more efficient perception of reality they
have freedom from various kinds of prejudice that ordinarily fend to distort
reality.
ii) They fully understand their self and they lack defensiveness,
phoniness and self – defeating.
iii) They are not artificial nor
conventional there fore they have the trait of spontaneity simplicity and
naturalness.
iv) They show strong interest in
problems out side themselves, most offer they have particular mission to accomplish.
v) They have a stronger need for
privacy and thus maintain proper detachment In they can be alone without being
lonely.
vi) They have more frequent peak
experience which means a felling of complete perfection or castory.
Maslow has also made if year that
self – actualization is not an all – or none process but – rather a matter of
degree no human beings are perfectly self – actualized.
REFERENCE :
1)
Introduction
to psychology
5th edition
Clifford T Margan Richard.
2) Net
Meterials
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