Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Maslow first published his paper "A Theory on Human Motivation" in 1943. You've likely seen the iconic pyramid before, but if you'd like a refresher course, the video below gives an overview.
Remix by Brooke Brei is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Physical First
I feel it's necessary to discuss Maslow's theory because I, like so many others, have a large population of students who are affected by poverty. Maslow places physiological needs (food, water, shelter, sleep) first in his hierarchy because he postulated that those needs must be met before we are motivated to meet psychological needs. I have seen this in action when my students come to class day after day hungry, sleepy, or cold. They are often far less motivated to participate in class or even engage with their friends when they arrive in these states and are unable to meet their physical needs.
Kaufman (2019) points out plenty of criticism of the theory and that Maslow didn't actually create the pyramid we're so used to seeing when presented with his ideas. There is more to his theory than one diagram can express and his work can be criticized for it's lack of scientific methods (Kaufman, 2019). Regardless, we can all understand, even in some small way, that when our basic physical human needs are not met, our focus is divided between a desire to meet that need and the task at hand. Just think of a day when you arrived at school to find there was no coffee or a sudden cold front appeared during the day and you did't bring a sweater.
To mitigate these issues in my classroom, I've adopted a student-paced curriculum that employs a mastery-based assessment model.
hierarchy or complex system?
In my reflection of Maslow's theory, I couldn't help but notice similarities between the needs expressed by Deci and Ryan (2000,2008) in their theory of self-determination and the psychological needs presented by Maslow. The biggest difference being that Maslow's needs are hierarchal and the needs required for self-determination are all interrelated. Psychological needs are more complicated than our physiological needs. Although long-term neglect can cause lasting effects on the brain and cause a range of socio-emotional and psychological issues (Weir, 2014), from day to day, a physiological need can be met relatively easily. When our students are hungry, we can provide a snack. When they don't have a coat on a cold day, we can sit them further from the windows and connect them with a community service to provide them with one.
These basic needs are the first ones we attempt to meet in the morning, and thus are appropriately placed first in a hierarchy, however, my experience tells me that my students' psychological needs are more effectively addressed in a more complex connected system.
discussion
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references
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1449618
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life's domains. Canadian Psychology, 49(1), 14-34. https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.libproxy.library.unt.edu/scholarly-journals/facilitating-optimal-motivation-psychological/docview/220818810/se-2?accountid=7113
Kaufman, S. B. (2019, April 23). Who created Maslow’s iconic pyramid? Scientific American Blog Network. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/who-created-maslows-iconic-pyramid/
Weir, K. (2014). The lasting impact of neglect. (2014). Monitor on Psychology, 45(6), 36. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/06/neglect