Abraham Maslow: Understanding and Meeting Human Needs

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was an American psychologist known for his theory about the relationship of motivation to the meeting of human needs. This theory was first described in his book Motivation and Personality (1954) and identified as his “Hierarchy of Needs Theory.”

Maslow’s credentials include Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. degrees in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; President of the American Psychological Association; and professor at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, and Columbia University.

The Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow organized needs into five levels. These are:
Physiological needs (food, water, and shelter),
Safety needs (security and stability),
Love and belongingness needs (social relationships),
Esteem needs (recognition and respect), and
Self-actualization needs (realization of one's full potential).

Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs Theory.” has influenced the development of person-centered approaches to teaching, learning, and communication. This presentation will describe the five levels of needs and make application to teaching in school and church contexts.

At the heart of the Theory is the concept that humans possess a hierarchically structured set of needs, ranging from the most basic physiological requirements for survival to the more advanced areas of self-actualization including creativity, sacrifice, and depth of thought. This hierarchy is often pictured as a pyramid, with basic needs forming the foundation and higher-order needs at the top.

Needs
Our understanding of the word “need” can be defined as “an inner drive that directs a person toward achieving a behavioral goal.” For example, if we feel hungry (inner drive), we become motivated to find something to eat (behavioral goal). If we feel lonely (inner drive), we look for friends or consider joining a group. These are “felt needs.”

The Hierarchy and its Application to Education
Physiological Needs
Physiological (or basic) needs are at the foundation of the Hierarchy. These are the most essential elements for survival. They include the necessities of life, such as air, water, food, sleep, and shelter. Without these fundamental requirements being met, it is difficult to focus on other life and learning activities.

Meeting Physiological Needs
Educators should be sensitive to whether or not students have access to adequate food, reside in a safe and clean environment, and are getting enough rest. In church education, leaders can be sensitive to the basic needs of their members and the surrounding community. This could include assistance with provisions for food, clothing, and shelter as a foundation for nurturing spiritual growth.

Safety Needs
Once physiological needs are satisfied, people start to focus on safety and security needs, such as shelter, protection from harm, emotional security, freedom from fear, and stability.

Meeting Safety Needs
Schools and churches can create a climate of safety and security by having clear rules (or policies or guidelines), procedures, and structures. These might include having an emergency response plan, security assessments and training, background checks, safety protocols, anti-bullying policies, accountability procedures for reporting and communication, and providing a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Love and Belonging Needs
When individuals feel safe and secure, they begin to crave connectedness, interpersonal relationships, love, intimacy, and identity with a group.

Meeting Love and Belonging Needs
Love and belonging needs can be met by providing opportunities for social interaction, teamwork, and community service activities. In schools, participatory learning activities, extracurricular clubs, and sports teams can help students develop a sense of mutual support and belonging. In churches, small groups, fellowship experiences, and ministry groups can foster connections between participants.

Esteem Needs
This level focuses on the need for self-respect, respect for others, achievement, dignity, and recognition. It can include developing feelings of competence, confidence, and freedom.

Meeting Esteem Needs
Schools and churches can support the development of self-esteem and confidence in individuals by recognizing and celebrating their achievements and contributions. This might involve acknowledging academic, music, and athletic accomplishments in schools and, in churches, highlighting acts of service, use of spiritual gifts, and examples of spiritual growth.

Self-actualization Needs
At the top of Maslow’s pyramid is the need for self-actualization, which refers to the desire for personal growth toward reaching one's full potential. It may include expressions of creativity, appreciating beauty, personal growth and wholeness, self-sacrifice, and supporting the needs of others.

Meeting Self-actualization Needs
In educational settings, this can involve providing opportunities for students to pursue their interests, talents, and passions through elective courses, creative projects, and experiential learning opportunities. Similarly, in church education, self-actualization can be supported by facilitating spiritual growth through courses and service, in helping individuals understand their spiritual gifts and abilities, and through encouraging biblical reflection and meditation.

Summary
The "Hierarchy of Needs Theory," developed by Abraham Maslow, categorizes human needs into five levels: physiological, safety, love and belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization. These needs progress hierarchically, with basic survival needs forming the foundation and higher-order needs at the apex. By understanding Maslow's theory, educators can go beyond just delivering content and focus on creating an environment where participants feel safe, supported, and empowered to reach their unique potential as persons who are created in the image of God and possess unlimited possibilities for life and service.

Resources
Maslow, Abraham H. Motivation and Personality. https://amzn.to/3xcxqEZ
Maslow, Abraham H. Motivation and Personality. (Kindle edition) https://amzn.to/3ITyPmf
Smith, Landon T. Meet Maslow. https://amzn.to/3xfjSbS
Simply Psychology website. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

End Notes
There are qualifying factors for understanding and using Maslow’s Hierarchy. In particular, keep the following in mind.

Moving through the levels of the hierarchy does not necessarily follow a linear, bottom-to-top progression. For some individuals, the importance of filling higher-level needs may precede the filling of lower-level needs, while some levels may be met simultaneously. Understanding needs and how they may be met requires openness and flexibility.

Limitations of the Hierarchy have been noted by Christian theologians. These include the criticism that the Hierarchy does not recognize spiritual needs, is individualistic and person or self-centered, does not deal with human brokenness or sinfulness, and reflects a Western cultural context.

Despite the above limitations (and others), Maslow’s Hierarchy can be a useful tool for education and church ministry. It is important to remember that a “theory” can be understood as a proposed, plausible explanation for phenomena and is not the same as a universal principle, doctrine, or truth.

Available as a YouTube video at https://youtu.be/yI-Baz_eJ3I

Supplementary online resources that may have been consulted include ChatGPT, Google Search, Google Bard, Bing, and Wikipedia Church and School Education (CASE) Resources is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com.

Jean Piaget: Understanding Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget (1896–1980) was a Swiss psychologist and pioneer in the areas of cognitive theory and child development, even though his doctorate was in zoology. He is most well known for his “stage theory on human development” described in his book, The Psychology of Intelligence, (1947, French; 1948 English). This presentation will give an overview of the four stages of cognitive
development and selected key concepts that are related to the stages

Stages of Cognitive Development

Children progress through distinct stages of cognitive (or intellectual) development. These are organized hierarchically and completing a lower-level stage is necessary for progression to the next stage. The stages are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. In this blog, each stage is briefly described. Keywords are also identified as they relate to the stages. These keywords are defined after the stages are summarized. Words related to all the stages include schema, assimilation and accommodation, equilibration, and constructivism. Terms uniquely associated with specific stages include object permanence, conservation and reversibility, and egocentrism

Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to around 2 years old. Infants learn by exploring the world through their senses and motor activities. Infants begin to realize that objects exist, even if they are not directly perceived. This is referred to as “object permanence.”

Preoperational Stage: Ages 2 to 7. Children develop symbolic thinking, language skills, and begin to demonstrate pretend play and imagination. Logical thinking remains limited and it is difficult for the child to see reality from the perspective of others.

Concrete Operational Stage: Ages 7 to 11. Logical reasoning emerges, and children can understand conservation and reversibility (see below). They begin being able to grasp complex cognitive concepts.

Formal Operational Stage: Ages 11 years and beyond. Abstract thinking and hypothetical reasoning develop. Children can understand complex concepts, think logically, and participate in deductive and inductive reasoning. During this stage, a transition is made into developing adult cognitive abilities.

Terms Related to the Stages of Cognitive Development
Following are selected terms related to the Stages of Cognitive Development. There are many others. The terms described here are among the ones most frequently used in or about Piaget’s writings.

Schema (plural is schemata or schemas): This is a term popularized by Piaget to describe the mental structures (or categories of knowledge) that shape, organize, and interpret thoughts and interactions. For example, a young child may have a schema for “cat” that includes furry, four legs, and a tail. The schema is constantly being revised as the child assimilates and accommodates new information about cats.

Assimilation and Accommodation: Piaget pointed out how children adapt to new information. Assimilation involves taking new experiences into existing mental structures. Accommodation, then, is the modification of these structures to reconstruct the schema so that it includes the newly acquired knowledge. For example, a child without exposure to dogs but living in a house with cats may refer to dogs as cats until enough information is assimilated to create a schema for dogs.

Equilibration: This refers to the urge to achieve a balance between schemas and experiences through assimilation and accommodation. A child who only knows cats will become “disequilibrated” upon discovering dogs. The differences and similarities drive the child to distinguish between the two, thereby creating a revised understanding of cats and a new schema for dogs.

Object Permanence: Infants in the sensorimotor stage grow to understand that objects continue to exist even when out of sight. This concept can be seen when playing “peek-a-boo” with a young child. By hiding our faces behind our hands, the infant thinks that we are no longer present and is surprised when we take away our hands and reappear.

Egocentrism: Young children have difficulty seeing things from the perspectives of others. They understand the world in terms of themselves and their own needs. A favorite quote illustrating egocentrism from Winnie the Pooh is, “Where there is honey, it must be for me.” This is characteristic of children in the preoperational stage, ages 2-7.

Conservation and Reversibility: Children in the concrete operational stage learn that certain properties (like number, volume, or mass) remain constant despite changes in appearance. A classic experiment that is used to illustrate this is to have two groups of marbles side by side with one group tightly organized and one loosely grouped. A child in the early concrete operational stage will say that there are more marbles in the loosely organized grouping. However, when, at the age of 7 or 8, the child can reason that both groups are of the same volume; the child has achieved reversibility.

Constructivism: This is the idea that individuals are active in creating their own understanding of the world through their experiences and interactions. Piaget emphasized the importance of hands-on, experiential learning because it allows children to engage with and build upon their existing knowledge. Examples of constructivist teaching methods that are consistent with Piaget's theories are typically related to play and discovery learning. These include problem-solving activities, simulation games and role playing, and cooperative learning activities.

Summary
We have briefly surveyed the educational contributions of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. This has included his proposed four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. These stages highlight how children's thinking develops as they experience the world. Key concepts include schema, assimilation and accommodation. Children strive for equilibrium between these processes. Object permanence, conservation and reversibility, and egocentrism are terms associated with specific stages. Constructivism aligns with Piaget's ideas and is a valuable framework for planning participatory, discovery learning activities.

Resources
Piaget, Jean. The Psychology of Intelligence (1947 French, 1948 English). https://amzn.to/3UWgWug

Piaget, Jean. The Origins of Intelligence in Children (1936 French, 1952 English). https://amzn.to/3IcGHzb

Singer, Dorothy. A Piaget Primer. https://amzn.to/3OYGcMK

YouTube video of this blog. https://youtu.beYkG/ohEGCJdc

Supplementary online resources that may have been consulted include ChatGPT, Google Search, Google Bard, Bing, and Wikipedia

Church and School Education (CASE) Resources is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com.