Measuring Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Key digested message Maslow’s hierarchy of needs simplified earlier long lists of human motives into five core needs: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, and self-actualisation. His key innovation was self-actualisation, the drive to realise one’s potential. The hierarchy is based on three principles: lower needs dominate when unmet, higher needs emerge in advanced species and needs unfold developmentally. Maslow’s model influenced management practices and inspired psychological inventories to measure need satisfaction. Research shows that these needs are distinct from, but influenced by, personality traits like neuroticism and extraversion. Overall, the hierarchy shifted from a theoretical idea to an empirically testable framework through measurement tools.