Hierarchy of needs
Motivation includes bodily security, social connection, esteem and growth concerns.
Framework The classification describes how this account is used here; it is not an evidence rating.
Central claim
Human motives span physiological survival, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization, with pressing deficiency needs often claiming priority before broader growth pursuits become prominent.
Proposed mechanism
Maslow proposed that unmet lower needs often take priority while other motives become prominent as conditions improve. The hierarchy is a proposed organization of motives, not a diagnostic scale.
Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020)
What would it predict?
A strict sequence would predict that growth motives remain absent until lower needs are met. Observing meaningful pursuits during insecurity challenges that strict interpretation.
An original test formulation derived from the account, not a claim that this exact study was performed.
Evidence and status
The textbook presents Maslow's (1943) hierarchy of needs and its place within humanistic psychology. This explains the framework's historical content and organization of motives rather than proving one universal ordering across all situations.
Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020)
Major contributors
Abraham Maslow; subsequent cross-cultural motivation researchers
A selective attribution, not a complete intellectual genealogy or a sole-founder claim.
Apply the explanation
Original teaching scenario
Someone facing housing insecurity still creates art and supports friends. Their actions show why a rigid staircase reading is too simple.
Constructed for learning. This scenario does not report an empirical result.
Common confusion: A rigid diagnostic staircase
Maslow's framework organizes recurring human priorities, but people routinely pursue love, dignity, and creative meaning even when basic material needs are not fully secured.
Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020)
Limits and alternatives
- People pursue several needs at once and can value relationships or ideals during deprivation. Cultural and material circumstances complicate any fixed ordering, so the diagram should not be used to judge whose aspirations count.
Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020)
Textbook connection
Direct coveragePsychology 2e: 10.1 Motivation
This section directly discusses the account presented here. The profile is an original synthesis, not a reproduction of the textbook.
Related explanations
Sources and inspection notes
Checked October 21, 2026. An inspection date is not a publication date. Original experiments described by a textbook are not individually re-audited unless a separate primary source is listed.
- Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/10-1-motivationTextbook section inspected, October 21, 2026
Supports the introductory account and historical framing. Does not independently verify every original experiment cited by the textbook.