Do Psychologists Still Use Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

You've probably seen the pyramidal diagram of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It's straightforward enough but, it might be a bit too subjective to really measure human needs.

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[Master_Therion]

Maslow: I'm going to represent human needs with a pyramid.
Freud: Clearly you have mummy issues.

[mandastarlight]

I thought the hunger was basically if you're starving to death, not simple hunger because you haven't eaten in a few hours. So, no, you can't really focus on hanging out with friends if you're starving. Food and/or water will be the only thing on your mind.

[TweetBird]

I think that he meant (and it was taught to me in this way) that a person who is starving - literally starving - will focus on getting food. That will be their primary motivation if all other physical needs are met. it works this way going up the pyramid. The example that you used, a person who is hungry being able to have fun with friends, is disingenuous at best. There is a difference between a person that is starving/ is in need of food and a person who just needs a snickers. As a person who has been homeless, a person who has been in therapy most of her life, and a person with a degree in psychology - I think that you are misapplying Maslow's theory. Every psychiatrist, psychologists, and counselor that I know (including myself) does not apply his theory as liberally as you have. When I was homeless - I worried about getting food, getting water, and getting shelter before I worried about anything else because it was a literal "find this or die" situation. I put myself in dangerous situations to get those needs met. Once I had food, water, and shelter from the elements - then I worried about making sure that I was safe from the other people. It was not until my life was stabilizing that I was able to worry about anything else.

[wezul]

The line "You can be hungry and still have fun hanging out with your friends" is something of a cheap shot. Being hungry because you skipped lunch doesn't mean your dietary needs aren't being met. Everyone in the developed world has enough reserves on them to skip a meal or two without harm to their body. Maslow was referring to SERIOUS need. If you're *literally* starving, as in, your body is digesting itself because it needs calories for your brain, you are not going to go have fun with your friends. You are going to do everything in your power to get food. Of course, the first basic need is Oxygen. That should be the base of the pyramid. Nobody lasts more than a few minutes without it! ;]

[benlabarre]

The pyramid holds strong still. This video fails to see why Maslow represented it as a pyramid instead of a venn diagram. He even states himself numerous times that lower needs need not be met in order to strive for higher needs, only that the LONGER a need goes unfulfilled does it pose a threat to reaching higher needs... thus a pyramid. The lower level tiers are needs that only have to lapse a short time of being unfulfilled before they overwhelm the system, whereas the higher needs successively can be left longer or never met at all.

The video states Maslow’s research was subjective but that too needs to be moderated. His work on the lower tiers was some of the most objective research in human motivation to that point. As you go up the tiers it does become harder to get definitive data since so few people ever have all of the lower needs sated long enough to reach for higher goals.

I’m not saying Maslow’s hierarchy was perfect but this is entry level research into the subject at best. To totally miss the understanding that the tiers are representative of time/importance is a mistake that shouldn’t be massively disseminated. His work should be expanded upon— he wished for as much through a myriad of revisions throughout his life and expected his work to go on long after his demise.

[hotsistersue]

I've always defended Maslow to detractors. His pyramid was in no way perfect or comprehensive, but every field of study needs a foundation from which to build, and that's what Maslow provided. I have such deep respect for his work.

[ryn]

I personally wouldn't trust Gallup though. I was contacted for one of their surveys a week ago and the questions were very leading. "Are Muslims more or less peaceful than people who follow other religions?" I wanted to say "same", but they only accepted the answers "more" or "less". "Do you trust the media?" I was like 'which media?', but they just wanted their "yes" or "no" answer. If these are your questions, the data you get from them is not going to be reliable, I'm sorry.

[Kaylad]

Can you do an episode on finding a mental health professional? Something that can address the difficulties of finding one when your insurance doesn't cover it, when you are low income, or when you have someone (family member, abuser, etc) preventing you from finding help.

[kingkiller]

I think the pyramid deal works fine for things like, "can be hungry and still enjoy hanging out with friends", you won't think about hanging out with friends if it's been 2 weeks since you last ate, and sure you can enjoy doing something less than safe with a friend but you won't be thinking about making plans with them while the plane you are in is crashing. Safety and food only seem less important than respect and socialization when you have enough food and safety to think about those things.

[ChelseaATea]

This is one of my favourite psychological concepts of all time. It gives us context. Whenever I see, hear, or read about people judging others' problems by making the argument, "They shouldn't be so caught up in themselves, their problem isn't real or is silly, look at the "real" problems of those in less fortunate cities or countries" I do get a bit ticked off, or disappointed in those types of responses. Yes, perspective perhaps can help deal us with our own problems, and in a perfect world should ideally focus our behaviours towards helping those who are less fortunate (those dealing with problems further down on the pyramid). Yet, we are not in an ideal world, and so when people say this, they don't see the big picture. If someone's main issue they are focusing on is say, being accepted by others, or self-acceptance, who are we to judge their problems simply based on the problems of others, when their circumstances in their time and place have allowed them the opportunity to do so? Should we not celebrate that at least in some space and time the achievements of humanity have actually allowed someone the privilege to do this, to satisfy all other needs, despite everything? We shouldn't judge them based on the problems of others, but rather UNDERSTAND them in context of the hierarchy of needs. Yes, it would be lovely for them to help others who have problems closer to the bottom of the pyramid now that they have achieved such a feat as self-actualization or acceptance and love, but you can't force someone to do something just because it's the right thing to do. People are people. And all problems ARE REAL, they're just on a different level of the pyramid.

[AndriyVasylenko]

Neither pyramid nor overlapping circles. But I think it's closer to pyramid. When you are hungry you are f*cking hungry. When you have no money to support family, you just can't think fully about your self-actualisation.

[cherylgirltech]

Is it just me, or is "You can be hungry, but still want to hand out with your friends" oversimplification to the point of misrepresentation? Because I think that if you're hungry and still hanging out with you're friends, you're pretty confident that you know where your next meal is coming from, and/or that you can obtain food if the need grows dire enough. I thought Maslow was referring to the *security* of finding food - like knowing that food was readily available... vs feeling unsure about whether or not food could be obtained at a time of need.

Or am I way off base here?

[JustFlynn]

Me: *wakes up tired, lonely and hungry* *has no stronger desire than writing a novel*

[MtnNerd]

I still think there's a lot of truth in it. Talk to anyone who is struggling with bills or abuse and they care a lot less about things higher in the pyramid. It's good advice to look at the pyramid and prioritize those needs if you want to feel happier.

[zstehura]

Maslow did not think that "every need had to be fulfilled before you think about the next one" as you say. His pyramid was more nuanced than that. He believed that each Need is at a certain percentage of satisfaction at any given point. "If need A is satisfied only 10%, then need B may not be visible at all. However, as this need A becomes satisfied 25 percent need B may emerge 5 percent, as need A becomes satisfied 75 percent need B may emerge 50 percent, and so on." - from his book "Motivation and Personality" So it seems that his hierarchy of needs actually was a combination of a pyramid and overlapping circles...

[Charziken]

I wanna know what happens if somebody secretly puts an addictive substance in something u use regularly....

Example...
Somebody sprinkles cocaine in your orange juice.

Will u become addicted to orange juice?
Will the OJ work like a placebo and fill that urge for the cocaine?
Will your body crave cocaine even tho u have no idea you've been using it?

[elanianiyvwia]

It’s a base to launch from. It may have its flaws but it’s a basic start. Nothing is ever 100% when it comes to humans!! But we can start with basics. And go from there.

[BetsyArcherella]

I wad agreeing with you up to 3:34. Seriously? “You can be hungry but still have fun hanging out with your friends.” Have YOU ever been hungry? I mean REALLY hungry? The kind of hungry that Maslow is referring to in his theory? Because in his theory, he doesn’t mean that you skipped lunch and can’t wait until dinner. He means the kind of hungry in which you haven’t eaten for days and you don’t know where your next meal will come from. So in that case, would you really be able to hang out and have fun? Of course not!

[PBNrandom]

3:32 "...like, you can be hungry and still have fun hanging out with friends."

NOPE. My friends better feed me if they don't want to have a bad time 🤤😂

[Soldierboyb]

"First comes a full stomach, then comes ethics" (Bertolt Brecht, 1928).