Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory

Maslow was a psychologist who proposed that within every person is a hierarchy of five needs:

1. Physiological needs- a person’s needs for food, drink, shelter, sex, and other physical requirements.
2. Safety needs- a person’s needs for security and protection from physical and emotional harm, as well as assurance that physical needs will continue to be met.
3. Social needs- a person’s needs for affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship.
4. Esteem needs- a person’s needs for internal esteem factors, such as self-respect, autonomy and achievement, and external esteem factors, such as status, recognition, and attention.
5. Self-actualization- a person’s needs for growth, achieving one’s potential, and self-fulfillment; the drive to become what one is capable of becoming.

Maslow’s theory that there is a hierarchy of five human needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization.