Motivation and Personality

work by Maslow

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July 1, 2026

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Abraham Maslow's work on motivation, particularly in his book Motivation and Personality, centers on his hierarchy of needs. This theory posits that human behavior is driven by a series of needs, starting with basic physiological requirements like food and safety. As these lower-level needs are met, individuals are motivated by higher-level needs, such as belonging, esteem, and ultimately, self-actualization. Self-actualization represents the drive to fulfill one's greatest potential. Maslow believed that few people reach this highest level, as it requires the satisfaction of all preceding needs, and it is a lifelong process for those who do.123

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Abraham Maslow
In his major works, Motivation and Personality (1954) and Toward a Psychology of Being (1962), Maslow argued that each person has a hierarchy of needs that must be satisfied, ranging from basic physiological requirements to love, esteem, and, finally, self-actualization. As each need is satisfied, the next higher level…
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In his major works, Motivation and Personality (1954) and Toward a Psychology of Being (1962), Maslow argued that each person has a hierarchy of needs that must be satisfied, ranging from basic physiological requirements to love, esteem, and, finally, self-actualization. As each need is satisfied, the next higher level…
Read More