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Workflow, Time Management and Productivity for Creatives with Lisa Congdon | CreativeLive

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Fine artist, illustrator Lisa Congdon will teach you how to establish effective, workflows and time management strategies that will to streamline creative work time.

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Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one of the best-known theories of motivation. Maslow's theory states that our actions are motivated by certain physiological and psychological needs that progress from basic to complex.

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 fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs.

While some of the existing schools of thought at the time-such as psychoanalysis and behaviorism -tended to focus on problematic behaviors, Maslow was more interested in learning about what makes people happy and what they do to achieve that aim.

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 behavior. There are five different levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, starting at the lowest level known as physiological needs.

Physiological Needs

The physiological needs include those that are vital to survival. Some examples of physiological needs include:

In addition to the basic requirements of nutrition, air, and temperature regulation, physiological needs also include shelter and clothing. Maslow included sexual reproduction in this level of the hierarchy as well, since it is essential to the survival and propagation of the species.

Security and Safety Needs

At the second level of Maslow's hierarchy, the needs start to become a bit more complex. At this level, the needs for security and safety become primary.

People want control and order in their lives. Some of the basic security and safety needs include:

Finding a job, obtaining health insurance and health care, contributing money to a savings account, and moving to a safer neighborhood are all examples of actions motivated by security and safety needs.

Social Needs

The social needs in Maslow's hierarchy include love, acceptance, and belonging. At this level, the need for emotional relationships drives human behavior. Some of the things that satisfy this need include:

Friendships

Romantic attachments

Family relationships

Social groups

Community groups

Churches and religious organizations

In order to avoid loneliness, depression, and anxiety, it is important for people to feel loved and accepted by others. Personal relationships with friends, family, and lovers play an important role, as does involvement in groups-such as religious groups, sports teams, book clubs, and other group activities.

Esteem Needs

At the fourth level in Maslow's hierarchy is the need for appreciation and respect. Once the needs at the bottom three levels have been satisfied, the esteem needs begin to play a more prominent role in motivating behavior.

At this level, it becomes increasingly important to gain the respect and appreciation of others. People have a need to accomplish things, then have their efforts recognized. In addition to the need for feelings of accomplishment and prestige, esteem needs include such things as self-esteem and personal worth.

People need to sense that they are valued by others and feel that they are making a contribution to the world. Participation in professional activities, academic accomplishments, athletic or team participation, and personal hobbies can all play a role in fulfilling the esteem needs.

People who are able to satisfy esteem needs by achieving good self-esteem and the recognition of others tend to feel confident in their abilities. Conversely, those who lack self-esteem and the respect of others can develop feelings of inferiority.

Self-Actualization Needs

At the very peak of Maslow's hierarchy are the self-actualization needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested in fulfilling their potential.

"What a man can be, he must be," Maslow explained, referring to the need people have to achieve their full potential as human beings.

Maslow's said of self-actualization: "It may be loosely described as the full use and exploitation of talents, capabilities, potentialities, etc. Such people seem to be fulfilling themselves and to be doing the best that they are capable of doing. They are people who have developed or are developing to the full stature of which they capable."

Progressing Through the Pyramid of Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often displayed as a pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid of needs are made up of the most basic needs while the most complex needs are at the top.

Once lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs. As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social.

At the top of the pyramid, the need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority. Like Carl Rogers, Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve individual potential.

Different Types of Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be separated into two types of needs: deficiency needs and growth needs.

Deficiency needs: Physiological, security, social, and esteem needs are deficiency needs, which arise due to deprivation. Satisfying these lower-level needs is important to avoid unpleasant feelings or consequences.

Growth needs: Maslow called the needs at the top of the pyramid growth needs. These needs don't stem from a lack of something, but rather from a desire to grow as a person.

While the theory is generally portrayed as a fairly rigid hierarchy, Maslow noted that the order in which these needs are fulfilled does not always follow this standard progression.

For example, he noted that for some individuals, the need for self-esteem is more important than the need for love. For others, the need for creative fulfillment may supersede even the most basic needs.

Criticisms of Maslow's Theory

Maslow's theory has become wildly popular both in and out of psychology. The fields of education and business have been particularly influenced by the theory. But Maslow's concept has not been without criticism. Chief among the long-held objections are:

Needs don't follow a hierarchy: While some research has shown support for Maslow's theories, most of the research has not been able to substantiate the idea of a needs hierarchy. Wahba and Bridwell (researchers from Baruch College) reported that there was little evidence for Maslow's ranking of these needs and even less evidence that these needs are in a hierarchical order.

The theory is difficult to test: Other critics of Maslow's theory note that his definition of self-actualization is difficult to test scientifically. His research on self-actualization was also based on a very limited sample of individuals, including people he knew as well as biographies of famous individuals who Maslow believed to be self-actualized.

Some of the more recent critiques suggest that Maslow was inspired by the belief systems of the Blackfoot nation, but neglected to acknowledge this. Maslow's studied the Northern Blackfoot tribe as an anthropologist. However, this foundational basis disappeared over time, causing him to misuse the concepts he was originally there to assess.

Impact of Maslow's Hierarchy

Regardless of these criticisms, Maslow's hierarchy of needs represented part of an important shift in psychology. Rather than focusing on abnormal behavior and development, Maslow's humanistic psychology was focused on the development of healthy individuals.

There has been relatively little research supporting Maslow's theory, yet the hierarchy of needs is well-known and popular both in and out of psychology. And in a study published in 2011, researchers from the University of Illinois set out to put this hierarchy to the test.

What they discovered is that, while the fulfillment of the needs was strongly correlated with happiness, people from cultures all over the world reported that self-actualization and social needs were important even when many of the most basic needs were unfulfilled.

Such results suggest that while these needs can be powerful motivators of human behavior, they do not necessarily take the hierarchical form that Maslow described.

The Expanded Hierarchy of Needs

In 1970, Maslow built upon his original hierarchy to include three additional needs at the top of his pyramid, for a total of eight:

Cognitive needs. This centers on knowledge. People generally want to learn and know things about their world and their places in it.

Aesthetic needs. This addresses the appreciation of beauty and form. People might fulfill this need through enjoying or creating music, art, literature, and other creative expressions.

Transcendence needs. Maslow believed that humans are driven to look beyond the physical self in search of meaning. Helping others, practicing spirituality, and connecting with nature are a few ways we might meet this need.

A Word From Verywell

Whether you accept Maslow's hierarchy of needs or not, his theory shines a light on the many needs we have as human beings. And even if we don't all place these needs in the same order, keeping them in mind when interacting with others can help make our interactions more caring and respectful.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Explains Human Motivation

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Maslow's hierarchy of needs describes five levels of needs that motivate human nature. Learn more about the pyramid of needs and why it matters.

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I see my boss walk into the men's room and I realize -- OK, here is my big chance! My boss at the time was Ted Turner -- the swashbuckling media titan who founded CNN -- and I was a 30-year old publicity director whose duties included handling his PR.

As spokespeople go, I wasn't especially good at speaking up for myself. In fact, back then I was such a wallflower that I had worked there for over a year and Ted Turner didn't even know my name! But in that instant, I decided to change all that. I would summon my courage and -- finally -- make sure he knew my name. And so when Ted exited from the men's room at the United Nations -- he was there to accept a Big Award -- I was ready for him.

"Hi Ted, I want to formally introduce myself: I'm..."

But before I could get my name out, he cut me off: "Oh, hi," he said in his signature southern drawl as he gave me a perfunctory handshake that was also uncomfortably wet. He paused a moment to see if I had anything of actual importance to tell him. Instead I looked down as Ted Turner walked away while zipping up his fly.

Now, you may not think it possible given my career path, but you must believe me when I tell you I have always been shy and reserved, quiet and introverted. Being an introvert feels awkward, even painful at times, but I recall that moment as fairly excruciating.

More than hurt, I was furious -- with myself! My icky wet hand now clenched into a fist, I vowed then and there that I was going to make a change: to overcome the obstacle of being introverted in a business world that requires you to assert yourself, conquer a room and connect instantly with others.

I gave myself permission to break out of what was holding me back -- to move outside my comfortable space, get past the parts of introversion that held me back and use the parts that are an advantage. Here's how:
The Introvert's Advantage
Let's face it: business is an extrovert's arena. I've had to get comfortable adopting the extrovert's way to success. I've worked hard to "overcome" my introversion. But I also appreciate the advantages it brings. Introverts tend to process information internally; we prefer to express our ideas after they are well formed. We may not always speak up at meetings, but we're not hogging the conversation either. You can bet we're processing the discussion thoughtfully, taking it all in. I believe my introversion has helped me be a keen observer and listener--what I've come to call the introvert's advantage.

Introversion is just one aspect of my character, not a label to define me. I think it's important to understand who we are and how it may help us. If we don't appreciate who we are, how can we ever fully focus on what we have to contribute or what we're capable of?

I challenge myself to ask one question or make one comment during a meeting, thinking about it in advance so that it doesn't distract me from the conversation. Bosses and colleagues who know this about me will also help by asking me for an opinion in a meeting when I've not spoken up.

I follow up meetings with a note to my manager or the project leader summarizing what I heard and offering additional ideas and comments on how to be successful. I've become good at synthesizing discussions into core themes, and this, too, gives me a role in discussion as "the synthesizer." And it shows that I'm engaged.

I've learned to focus intently on the idea, not making it about the person with the idea or a potential attack against me. To me, this is part of the introvert's advantage -having the perspective and distance to give an idea attention and enthusiasm, and not make it personal (it's hard sometimes to not be sidelined by personal dynamics!).

I've learned how to conserve and replenish my energy. I'll take a walk or go somewhere to be alone after an intense meeting or discussion. I will often pass on a night out to go home, or call in room service on a trip to "recharge my batteries." Be careful that you don't use this as an alibi because you are actually nervous about socializing.

For Those Who Manage Introverts: It is important to realize that the introverts have a lot to say, even if they aren't speaking up. Tell them up front that you are going to call on them, or ask them after the meeting for their thoughts. When trolling for new ideas, be sure to plan both group brainstorming and individual and small-group time, to get the best out of the introverts who work for you.

These are tricks I found useful in navigating my my career, and I wanted to pass them along as encouragement to a bright, spirited person (Maybe you?) who knows that they're holding themselves back. At the same time, I am saying that you need to embrace parts of your nature -- so introversion for me has been something to both work through and embrace.

Beth Comstock is the author of Imagine it Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change, from which this article is excerpted.

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Introverts have a distinct advantage at work. Here's how they can shine.

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I see my boss walk into the men's room and I realize -- OK, here is my big chance! My boss at the time was Ted Turner -- the swashbuckling media titan who founded CNN -- and I was a 30-year old publicity director whose duties included handling his PR.

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Personality Dimensions

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Free personality test - take it to find out why our readers say that this personality test is so accurate, "it's a little bit creepy." No registration required!