Motivation and emotion/Tutorials/Needs/Models which provide organisation of needs

Models which organise psychological needs

Consider:

1. What conceptualisations or organisations of needs have you heard of? (Mostly people can only name one...)
2. Discuss the best known model, Maslow's hierarchy of needs:
   1. What are the need levels identified by Maslow? (Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem, Self-actualisation)
   2. What are the main assumptions or principles in Maslow's model? e.g.,
      1. Higher needs emerge as lower needs are met (deprivation domination proposition)
   3. What are the weaknesses or criticisms of Maslow's model? e.g.,
      1. Are needs strictly hierarchical?
      2. Are needs entirely individualistic (the model doesn't focus on situational determinants of motivation)
      3. Are needs universal across cultures?
      4. Needs can be complex e.g., where does sex belong?
      5. Maslow was “out ahead of the data,” as he himself put it[1]

         

3. Wahba and Bridwell's (1976) model:
   1. Critique of Maslow's hierarchy of needs: "For example, what behavior should or should not be included in each need category? How can a need be gratified out of existence? What does dominance of a given need mean? What are the conditions under which the theory is operative? How does the shift from one need to another take place? Do people also go down the hierarchy as they go up in it? Is there an independent hierarchy for each situation or do people develop a general hierarchy for all situations? What is the time span for the unfolding of the hierarchy? These and similar questions are not answered by Maslow and are open for many interpretations. The most problematic aspect of Maslow’s theory, however, is that. . . it is not clear what is meant by the concept of need"(Wahba & Bridwell, 1976, p. 234).
   2. Suggest a simpler, two-tier model needs model based on:
      1. Deficiency needs
      2. Growth needs
4. Clayton Alderfer's model
   1. Further developed Maslow's hierarchy of needs by categorising the hierarchy into his ERG theory (Existence, Relatedness and Growth):
      1. The existence group is concerned with providing the basic material existence requirements of humans. They include the items that Maslow considered to be physiological and safety needs.
      2. The second group of needs is those of relatedness – the desire people have for maintaining important interpersonal relationships. These social and status desires require interaction with others if they are to be satisfied, and they align with Maslow's social need and the external component of Maslow's esteem classification.
      3. Finally, Alderfer isolates growth needs: an intrinsic desire for personal development. These include the intrinsic component from Maslow's esteem category and the characteristics included under self-actualisation.
   2. Alderfer also proposed a regression theory; when needs in a higher category are not met then individuals redouble the efforts invested in a lower category need.