Module 9.

HICRARCHY OF NEEDS
This is on the humanistic perspective of motivation brings our
understanding to the pattern that human motivations generally move
through. This Will make learners understand how human needs fluence our
motivations

Iearning Outcomes:
the end of the unit, the students should be able to

1 discuss hierarchy of needs which represent different levels of

motivation,

2. explain that when needs are satisfied at one level, they would be
able to progress to the next level; and
3 state how needs influence motivation

Essential Questions.

1 How needs affect the learners' desire to learn?

2 How are the two major groups of human needs interrelated?

3 Why is the hierarchy of human needs related to learning?

Key Terms: deficiency needs, being needs, pyramid presentation,

motivation, self-actualization

Abraham Maslow clearly delineates human needs that span from

psychological drives to social motives up to our creativity. Such hierarchy
is composed of five levels: psychological, safety, belonging and love,
esteem, and self-actualization heeds. Maslow has delineated five basic
human needs that must be satisfied in order to fulfill our dreams in life.
These needs are presented in a hierarchy. The pyramidal presentation
describes that the lower needs are more pervasive and that the higher needs
are more tenuous and they are easily over-powered by the influence of
lower needs.

Physiological needs include the need for foods

clothing, shelter, sex, and others. These lie at
 the base be satisfied first before the needs in
the higher levels fully achieved
Safety needs are concerned with our needs to feel
safe avoid danger. If we are starving, we can risk our
physical safety just for food

Belonging and love needs move us to affiliate

Ourselves be connected to, or be respected and loved
by others. If feel that we are already free from danger
or peril, we may seek for love, affection and
belongingness.
Esteem needs involve our needs to express and do
what is necessary in order to gain respect and honor.
> Self-actualization needs deal with our need to develop
ourselves to the fullest and to the most productive
persons we can be. This teaches us to use our creative
power to move on the highest level in order to be
self-actualized. It also teaches us that some of our
needs are more important than others.

The first four stages are based on deficiency needs or

D-needs. Failure to meet D-needs mean that we lack the
qualities for basic psychological adjustment. It means we
lack a positive sense of self-a sense that allows us to love,
be loved or feel secured. Maslow believed that this positive
sense of self is very important in developing optimism for
future actions & decisions. If these needs are not met, a very
weak foundation of personality is produced.

Self-actualizing needs or B-needs is associated with

truth justice, beauty, wholeness, richness, playfulness,
meaningfulness and goodness. Maslow postulated that
 self-actualizing people are more motivated by the B-
needs rather than the D-needs (Dandapani, 2004).
Maslow's hierarchy of needs posits that humans need to have the
most basic life needs met before they can achieve anything in life
beyond those basic needs. So, for example, we must be able to be fed,
clothed, and sheltered before we are able to work on being part of a
community or society, meeting our social needs, which are higher on
Maslow's pyramid. This hierarchy has profound implications in the
educational setting because unless and until students' most basic needs are
met, they are simply unable to attend to higher order tasks such as learning.
Teachers must have an awareness of the unmet needs Of students, since
teaching and learning occur at the higher parts of the pyramid, with social
gratification, self-esteem, and self-actualization. These are what learning is
meant to achieve. A student who is homeless or unsafe cannot focus on
learning anything properly. A student who is hungry or tired cannot, neither.
Learning implies that one's brain is clear of the dreadful disruption of
problems such as these. If you have ever tried to prepare for an exam while
tired or hungry, you might have experience just a little of this. So, while
teachers sometimes complain that they are not social workers, it is
incumbent upon us to understand Maslow's dynamic and do our very best to
ameliorate the appalling conditions under which students often are trying to
learn. I know many teachers who keep food handy, for example, or just
take time out to listen and offer their best advice on solving students' most
basic needs. It would be wonderful if the rest of society would understand
this hierarchy and be willing to ensure that the most basic needs of all
students were met. If that were the case, every students could be a success.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs has great implications for the practice of

effective teaching and learning. The hierarchy suggests that people
cannot reach the level of selfactualization if they do not have basic
needs met, including physiological needs and needs related to safety.
The next two levels of the hierarchy, love/belonging
and esteem, mean that students must feel a sense of and love
from them school. They must sense that their administrators
and teachers care for them. In addition must develop a
healthy sense of self-regard, fostered by schools and parents.
Only if all of these elements are in will they be able to move
to the level of self-actualization realizing their potential.
Classroom Situations where the Theory can be Seen or be Applied

• To support our students' physiological needs, we ensure

that all students have access to water in ther rooms.
Water bottles are a simple solution and research shows
the many benefits of hydrated students.

• To support our students' physiological needs, we can

ensure that we have nutritious snacks available. Foods
wit slow-burning complex carbohydrates (such as
granola bars) can help students sustain energy levels
throughout the morning or afternoon.

• To support our students' physiological needs, we can

ensure that if a student is in desperate need of sleep,
they are allowed to take a short nap at school. If not,
research indicates that sleep-deprived students learn
less and may even disrupt the learning of others.
Summary

Maslow Introduced a hierarchy of needs in 1954

He posited that there are five needs which represent
dif levels of motivation which must be met. He
presented this pyramid.
More basic needs are in the bottom and the highest
lev self-actualization.

• Teachers should help learners' motivation, by

ensuring the environment created meets the
learners' first level n
Teachers will need to appreciate that some learners
may no have these lower needs met in their home
lives, which
might make it difficult for them to move on to the higher
levels.

Physiological needs for survival (to stay alive and

reproduce and security (to feel safe) are the most
fundamental and pressing needs. They are
followed by social needs (for love and belonging)
and self-esteem needs (self-fulfillment and

The underlying theme is that human beings are

"wanting' beings; as they satisfy one need the
next emerges on its own
ASSESSMENT TASK:

The lowest level of needs in Maslow's hierarchy is

a. Safety b. esteem
c. Physiological d. self-actualization
2. The highest level of needs in Maslow’s hierarchy is.
a. safety b. esteem
c. physiological d. self-actualization
3. The order of Maslow's hierarchy of needs from bottom to top 3
is:
a. Safety, Esteem, Belongingness, Self-actualization,
Physiological
b. physiological, esteem, belonginess, safety, self-
actualization
 c. physiological, Safety, Belonginess, Esteem, Self
actualization

d. Self-actualization, Esteem, Belonginess, Safety,

Physiological

4. Catherine always feels like she is never included in group

activities. She has become depressed and lonely, according to
Maslow, which category of needs has not been fulfilled:
a. safety needs c. belonginess and love
needs
b. physiological needs d. self-actualization

5. Self-actualization refers to

a. when people realize it is all about me

b. the motivation to develop to one's full potential as a human
being
c. when people have a lot of friends
d. when people are in meaningful relationships

6 According to Maslow, some needs grow stronger

when unsatisfied. He called these
a being needs c. growth needs
b deficiency needs d. primary needs

7 Which best describes the hierarchy of needs?

a. when a human being ascends, the levels of the hierarchy are
also fulfilled.
b. fixed and rigid sequence of progression
c. a pressing need would need to be mostly satisfied
before someone would give their attention to the
higher needs.
 d. creating a theory that explains the developmental
stages of an individual.

8. Esteem Needs must be met before one is prompted to

a. safety needs c. belongingness need

b. self-actualization needs d. physiological needs

9. Roxanne joined her company picnic at Lake Sebu. Which

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is addressed?

a. esteem c. love and belongingness

b. safety d. physiological

10.Maslow believed that basic needs should be met in order to

move to a higher level. a. True b. False c. I
don’t know d. May be