Maslow's Model of Human Behavior & Motivation

This research examines Abraham Maslow's (1954) Hierarchy of Needs model of human behavior and motivation. There are two objectives of the study. The first objective is to assess the validity of the Hierarchy of Needs model. The second objective is to assess the extent to which the model is applicable to all cultures.

The following section of this paper reviews Maslow's (1954) Hierarchy of Needs model of human behavior and motivation. The next section of the paper assesses the model's applicability across cultures within the context of consumer behavior.

A Review of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Model of Human Behavior and Motivation

Maslow's (1954) Hierarchy of Needs model of human behavior and motivation is (essentially) a drive theory. While the model is a drive theory, however, it also has provided a base upon which many behavioral and motivational strategies have been developed.

Maslow (1954) built the theory of the hierarchy of needs on the needs, wants, and hungers of individuals. Maslow's (1954) hierarchy divides human needs into higher and lower orders. The lower order needs are primary, such as food, shelter, sex, and physical security, while the higher order needs involve love for other and self-actualization. When the lower order needs are absent in the life of an individual, the satisfaction of those needs become the center of the individual's life. In most modern societies, however, the primary needs are satisfied. Thus, real motivation to behave in

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signed to fulfill self-actualization desires in similar situations. In these similar situations, however, the actions of Japanese and Americans may differ. The differentiation in actions does not automatically negate the goal of self-actualization in Maslow's (1954) model. Rather, the differentiation likely reflects variations in perceptions of how different people seek fulfillment. In the context of this contention, the theory of the Maslow (1954) model is valid across cultures, but the strategies applied in the manipulation of the model must vary to account for variations in cultural values. The intention of consumer behavior theory, together with any models derived from such theory, is to (a) identify consumer variables, (b) explain relationships between the variables, (c) develop operational definitions for the variables, and (d) specify cause-and-effect outcomes from variable interactions. Models derived from consumer behavior theory may be (a) physical or behavioral in character, (b) quantitative or verbal in statement, (c) descriptive or analytical in object, (d) static or dynamic in function, and (e) partial or holistic in approach. Both sociology and psychology provide strong underlying bases for the description o

Category: Psychology - M