Comparison of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs with Skinners Behaviorist Theory

Abraham Maslow (1908–1970), some-time President of the American Psychological Association, is best known for his work on human motivation and in particular for his Hierarchy of Needs, which was first defined in a paper of 1943. Five basic needs are defined, all of which he considered to be hard-wired in the human species. They are arranged hierarchically, with self-actualization referring to people’s desire for self-fulfillment, namely, the tendency for them to become actualized in what they are potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one idiosyncratically is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming (Maslow, 1943, p.22). Maslow’s 1943 paper mentions cognitive needs such as the desire to know and to understand, and also aesthetics, but does not place them within the hierarchy of five.

Motivation is having a reason or reasons to act/behave in a particular way. It creates “drive” in people whether it is in pursuit of a goal, or the need to complete an activity. It produces enthusiasm and a willingness to achieve in both a work environment and in your personal life. Motivation can be increased and decreased in line with the incentives on offer.

* The need for self actualisation is the pinnacle of human needs according to Maslow. To reach the point where these needs are met, one needs not only to have met the previous four, but needs to have mastered them as

According to Abraham Maslow, the needs of man begin with the primal – food, water, air, shelter, and move upwards, up and all the way to the elusive quality of self-actualization. To self-actualize is to become all or most of that which one imagines, or perhaps desires, himself to be. It is to realize the ego ideal which rests within, that abstract and fabled construct of an ideal you.

Motivation is defined as having a strong reason to act or accomplish something. This reason to act could be a variety of things. The motivation one receives can also come in many forms. For some, the act for themselves; others act for someone else. Still others receive their motivation from another who has complete faith in them to accomplish their task. In the epic poem The Odyssey, by the Greek poet Homer, the main character, Odysseus, is motivated to return home by the courage he receives from the goddess, Athena.

Abraham Maslow created a ‘needs theory’ where “human needs are ranked on an ascending scale according to how essential the needs are for survival” (Kozier & Erb, 2014, p. 237). “Once a lower need is fulfilled, a next

Motivation is the force that makes us do things: this is a result of our individual needs being satisfied (or met) so that we have inspiration to complete the task.

Motivation is the drive someone has to complete a task. The ingredients of motivation are combined with many factors which include simplicity, attitude, the people that we associate and hang around with, the way we think, how much we know ourselves, the way we help other people and so much more.

Skinner, a Psychologist  and behaviorist is known for his work in operant conditiong. Operant conditioning influences behavivor by using reward or punishment. Skinner introduced a theory of negetive reinforcement and positive reinforcement. In negetive reinforcement a behaviour is strenthened by either removing or avoiding an unfavourable or negetive outcome. In skinners theory positive reinforcement is when a reinforcing stimulus is given after a particular behavior is displayed to make it more likely to repeat that same behavior and behavior is being less likely to be repeated if punished.

Motivation is the reason or purpose behind action, or what causes one to act in

With these few thoughts in mind Abraham Maslow made up a hierarchy of needs. (Boeree, Page 2) The hierarchy of needs has five levels: the bottom one is Physiological Needs, the next one up is Safety needs, the next one is Belonging needs, the next one is Esteem Needs and finally the last one is Self-actualization needs. As Maslow thought he “saw human beings needs arranged like a ladder”, the most basic needs at the bottom and at the top the need to fulfill yourself. (pbs.org, Page 1) Below is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Motivation is the various drives within or environmental forces surrounding individual that stimulate or attract them in a specific manner.

Motivation is a reason or set or reasons for engaging in a particular behavior, especially human behavior as studied in psychology and neuropsychology. The reasons may include basic needs (e.g., food, water, shelter) or an object, goal, state of being, or ideal that is desirable, which may or may not be viewed as "positive," such as seeking a state of being in which pain is absent. The motivation for a behavior may also be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism or morality.

Motivation is the “why” behind our behaviors. Behavior that is usually goal-oriented. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature. There are, indeed, a plethora of inducements that cause us to act the way we act and do the things we do. They include things like quenching our thirst, reading to gain knowledge, studying to ace an exam, surpassing quotas and meeting deadlines for a promotion, etc. According to Kendra Cherry’s article on “WHAT IS MOTIVATION”, there are three components of motivation: activation, persistence and intensity. Activation is the decision to initiate a behavior. Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may exist. Intensity is the

To begin this discuss a definition of motivation is presented. Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social and cognitive forces that activate behavior. In everyday usage, the term motivation is frequently used to describe why a person does something (Motivation Psychological Factors That Guide Behavior, 2016).