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Purpose and benefits

Abraham Maslow is best known for his hierarchy of needs, a concept he first propounded in an article written in 1943.

According to his theory, the things that make human beings happy can be classified on an ascending scale, beginning with basic physiological requirements and moving through security needs, social needs, and ego-status needs, to culminate in a need for self-actualisation. When a particular class of need has been met, it no longer acts as a positive motivating force and people’s attention becomes fixed on the next in the series.

This theory is a cornerstone of the humanistic school of management thinking. Maslow himself contributed directly to the writings of that school in his later work.