inner need, and then, on the relationship between that inner need and the perceived behavior required to satisfy that need.
Maslow's (1954) Hierarchy of Needs model of human behavior and motivation continues to be validated in the twenty-first century. The validation of the hierarchy has occurred in relation to a wide variety of environments. Among these environments are the following:
Motivating geriatric patients to behave in ways that are beneficial to themselves (Majerscik, 2005)
Lowering recidivism among individuals released from incarceration (Jones, 2004)
Effective management of human resources in organizational environments (Buhler, 2003)
The effective marketing of services, a consumption-related behavior (Sevier, 2002)
The effective management of diversity in organizational environments (Cullen and Gotell, 2002)
The evidence supports a determination that Maslow's (1954) Hierarchy of Needs model of human behavior and motivation remains valid in the twenty-first century. Maslow's (1954) model is being applied with good effect in a wide variety of environments. The issue still to be assessed in this paper, however, is the applicability of Maslow's (1954) Hierarchy of Needs model of human behavior and motivation across cultures.
An Assessment of the Applicability across Cultures of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Model of Human Behavior and Motivation
The focus on the consideration of the applicability of Maslow's (1954) Hierarchy of Needs model of human behavior and motivation across cultural boundaries is on consumer behavior. An important frame of this examination is the variation in consumption behavior in Asian societies (as reflected in Japan) and in Western societies (as reflected in the United States). Regardless of behavioral constructs that help explain consumer behavior, the economic reality is that consumption, as a proportion of national income, is much lower in Japan than it is in the Uni...