Abraham Maslow is known for establishing the theory of a hierarchy of needs, writing that human beingsare motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needscan be satisfied. Maslow studied exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, EleanorRoosevelt, and Frederick Douglas rather than mentally ill or neurotic people. This was a radical departurefrom two of the chief schools of psychology of his day: Freud and B.F. Skinner. Freud saw little differencebetween the motivations of humans and animals. We are supposedly rational beings; however, we do notact that way. Such pessimism, Maslow believed, was the result of Freud's study of mentally ill people. "Thestudy of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield only a cripple psychology and acripple philosophy" (Motivation and Personality). Skinner, on the other hand, studied how pigeons andwhite rats learn. His motivational models were based on simple rewards such as food and water, sex, andavoidance of pain. Say, "sit" to your dog and give the dog a treat when it sits, and-after several repetitions--the dog will sit when you command it to do so. Maslow thought that psychologists should instead study theplayfulness, affection, etc., of animals. He also believed that Skinner discounted things that make humansdifferent from each other. Instead, Skinner relied on statistical descriptions of people.Maslow's hierarchy of needs was an alternative to the depressing determinism of Freud and Skinner. He feltthat people are trustworthy, self-protecting, and self-governing. Humans tend toward growth and love.Although there is a continuous cycle of human wars, murder, deceit, etc., he believed that violence is notwhat human nature is meant to be like. Violence and other evils occur when human needs are thwarted. Inother words, people who are deprived of lower needs such as safety may defend themselves by violentmeans. He did not believe that humans are violent because they enjoy violence. Alternatively, that they lie,cheat, and steal because they enjoy doing it.According to Maslow, there are general types of needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) that must besatisfied before a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs "deficiency needs." As long as we aremotivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving towards growth, toward self-actualization. Satisfyingneeds is healthy; blocking gratification makes us sick or evil. In other words, we are all "needs junkies" withcravings that must be satisfied and should be satisfied. Else, we become sick.Needs are proponent. A proponent need is one that has the greatest influence over our actions. Everyonehas a proponent need, but that need will vary among individuals. A teenager may have a need to feel that agroup accepts him/her. A heroin addict will need to satisfy his/her cravings for heroin to function normallyin society, and will not worry about acceptance by other people. According to Maslow, when the deficiencyneeds are met:At once other (and higher) needs emerge, and these, rather than physiological hungers, dominate theorganism. In addition, when these in turn are satisfied, again new (and still higher) needs emerge, and soon. As one desire is satisfied, another pops up to take its place.Physiological NeedsPhysiological needs are the very basic needs such as air, water, food, sleep, sex, etc. When these are notsatisfied we may feel sickness, irritation, pain, discomfort, etc. These feelings motivate us to alleviate themas soon as possible to establish homeostasis. Once they are alleviated, we may think about other things.Safety NeedsSafety needs have to do with establishing stability and consistency in a chaotic world. These needs aremostly psychological in nature. We need the security of a home and family. However, if a family isdysfunction, i.e., an abusive husband, the wife cannot move to the next level because she is constantlyconcerned for her safety. Love and belongingness have to wait until she is no longer cringing in fear. Manyin our society cry out for law and order because they do not feel safe enough to go for a walk in theirneighborhood. Many people, particularly those in the inner cities, unfortunately, are stuck at this level. Inaddition, safety needs sometimes motivate people to be religious. Religions comfort us with the promise of asafe secure place after we die and leave the insecurity of this world.Love NeedsLove and belongingness are next on the ladder. Humans have a desire to belong to groups: clubs, workgroups, religious groups, family, gangs, etc. We need to feel loved (non-sexual) by others, to be accepted byothers. Performers appreciate applause. We need to be needed. Beer commercials, in addition to playing onsex, also often show how beer makes for camaraderie. When was the last time you saw a beer commercialwith someone drinking beer alone?Esteem NeedsThere are two types of esteem needs. First is self-esteem, which results from competence or mastery of atask. Second, there is the attention and recognition that comes from others. This is similar to thebelongingness level; however, wanting admiration has to do with the need for power. People, who have allof their lower needs satisfied, often drive very expensive cars because doing so raises their level of esteem."Hey, look what I can afford-peon!"Self-ActualizationThe need for self-actualization is "the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everythingthat one is capable of becoming." People who have everything can maximize their potential. They can seekknowledge, peace, esthetic experiences, self-fulfillment, and oneness with God, etc. It is usually middle-classto upper-class students who take up environmental causes, join the Peace Corps, go off to a monastery, etc.