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ABRAHAM MASLOW ON MOTIVATION
Maslow developed an important theory on human motivation. This theory in conceptually congruent to the Menschbild of Steiner, in the sense that the subsequent motivators found by Maslow correspond to the subsequent ontological levels that are claimed by Steiner to be present oin thethe human being. But first, have a look at another element of concurrence between Maslow and Steiner, and that I consider to be of crucial importance. ... A biography of Abraham Maslow" Wellingborough (UK): Crucible (1989) (a very fine book! ... Classic economic theory, based as it is on an inadequate theory of human motivation, could be revolutionized by accepting the reality of higher human needs, including the impulse to self-actualization and the love for the highest values" (Maslow, quoted in Hoffman, p.255)
Maslow and the Blackfoot Indians
In 1938, Maslow did anthropological research among Blackfoot Indians in Canada. ... These were the men who benefited the tribe, the men they could be proud of, who warmed their hearts" (Maslow, quoted by Hoffman, p. ...
Maslow discovered that for most Blackfoot Indians, the concept of wealth was linked to the concept of generosity. ...
Maslow also described one of his most helpful Indian informants, the fifty year old Teddy Yellow Fly. ... The others were glad he had the car and would have been glad if five people had had cars instead of just one" (Maslow, quoted by Hoffman, p.120)
Maslow was very impressed by the annual Sun Dance ceremony, that took place in June and encompassed the ritual know as the giveaway:
"In this ceremony, all the tepees of the society gathered in ons huge circle. ... At the end of the Sun Dance ceremony, he was stripped of all his possessions, owning nothing but the clothes he stood in" (Maslow, quoted by Hoffman, p. ...
Maslow had discovered that his dominance test could not be used among the Blackfoot Indians, because ". ... But the Blackfoot Indians turned out to show another distribution along the security/insecurity scale: "about eighty to ninety percent of the population must be rated about as high in ego-security as the most secure individuals in our society, who comprise perhaps five or ten percent at most" (Maslow, quoted by Hoffman, p. ...
The observations among the Blackfoot Indians lead Maslow to abandon his notion of cultural relativity:
"It would seem that every human being comes at birth into society not as a lump of clay to be molded by society, but rather as a structure which society may warp or suppress or build upon. My fundamental data supporting this feeling is that my Indians were first human beings and secondly Blackfoot Indians, and also that in their society I found almost the same range of personalities as I find in our society - with, however, very different modes in the distribution curves" (Maslow, quoted by Hoffman, p. ...
At the end of his life, Maslow corresponded with a young anthropologist, A. ... "Maslow was shocked to learn that nearly all of the Blackfoot culture was gone. ... Precious little was left of the altruism or the warm fellowship and extended family closeness that had touched Maslow so deeply in 1938 and had given him important insight into human nature" (Hoffman, p. ...
"Any talent, any capacity was also a motivation, a need, an impulse "
A turning point in Maslows thinking about therapy came also in 1938, when a college woman desperately sought his help. ... In pouring her hart to Maslow, she said she felt that her life lacked meaning. ... Maslow, relying on his intuition, did not treat her by the classic Freudian approach. ... Any talent, any capacity was also a motivation, a need, an impulse. ... She became more alive, more happy and zestful, and most of her physical symptoms had disappeared at my last contact with her" (Maslow quoted by Hoffman, p. ... But according to Maslow, this is not the whole story. ... This insight of Maslow became an important part of his motivation theory, published in 1943 (see below).
A theory of human motivation
In 1943, Maslow published his influential paper: A theory of human motivation (Psychological Review 50, pp. ... The subsequent levels of needs or drives is given by Maslow as follows:
1. ...
Maslow also remarks that the mere study of animals, such as rats, is not adequate to understand human motivation, because ". ... Therefore, Maslow explicitely starts his theory from the human being, not from any presumably lower or simpler animal: "Too many of the findings that have been made in animals have been proven to be true for aniamls but not for the human being. There is no reason whatsoever why we should start with animals in order to study human motivation". ...
Neurosis is linked by Maslow to a lack of safety, mostly during childhood. ... According to maslow, two subsets of needs can be distinguished: "There are, first, the desire for strength, for achievement, for adeqaucy, for confidence in the face of the world, and for independece and freedom. ...
In his 1943 paper, Maslow is a bit unclear as to where this cognitive drive is to be placed in the hierarchy of subsequently higher motivations. ...
The role of gratification
We already noted that Maslow derives his theory on human motivation from observations on humans, not on animals. But Maslow goes one step further in this direction: in order to come to a complete theory, Maslow states that one has to study the healthy human, not the sick, frustrated or psychologically crippled one.
Maslow was very interested in humans that lead the higher needs direct their life. ... This point should be emphasized because it has been either overlooked or contradicted in every theory of motivation I know. ... Maslow agreed that self-actualization involves a calling to service from the external , day-to-day world, not only a yearning from within".
Self-actualizing people and democracy
In 1950, Maslow published an important paper on the traits characterizing self-actualizing people:
"Self-actualizing people: a study of psychological health" Personality Symposia: Symposium#1 on values, Grune & Stratton: New York
Certain of the traits discussed by Maslow are politically relevant. For instance, Maslow described self-actualizing people as having a democratic rather than an authoritarian outlook. ... In a typical lecture in the summer of 1950, Maslow described the authoritarian character structure as the most important single disease afflicting man today - far more important then . ...
Work motivation
In 1962, Maslow was invited to the firm NLS (Non Linear Systems), were electronic equipment was produced.
Approximate Word count = 5324
Approximate Pages = 21.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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