Maslows Theory of Hierarchy of Needs - Essay Example

Sigmund Freud and Abraham Maslow’s Theories of Personal Development Sigmund Freud and Abraham Maslow’s Theories of Personal Development Abraham Maslow and Sigmund Freud are researchers who developed theories of development of a person. The theories of the two researchers have similarities and differences that distinguish them; for example, while Maslow’s hypothesis argues that human needs are hierarchical, Freud postulates that human development is takes place in phases that are based on their psychological progress. This paper will analyze the theories of the two researchers and evaluate their similarities and differences. Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs Maslow developed a theory of hierarchy of needs. In his hypothesis, he argues that human beings are born with needs that are in the form of a ladder. A person must fulfill the needs at the bottom of the ladder before gratifying those at the top. In the hierarchy, the most fundamental needs of human beings are the psychological needs that include food, water, shelter, air, and sleep (Maslow, 2013). The next needs include safety, esteem, belonging and love, and self actualization. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Source: http://allpsych.com/personalitysynopsis/maslow.html Maslow then postulates that once human beings have satisfied their psychological needs, they move up to gratify their want for security and safety. After finding security, they then find friends who love and accept them in their lives. This satisfies the third hierarchy, which is the need for love and belonging (Lester, 2013). The last need that individuals seek is that of self actualization. This is the level where human beings strive to maximize their education, career, and achievements in the community to earn respect from others. Maslow (2013) argues that this is the last phase of the hierarchy because it is in it that people achieve their maximum potential. Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Sigmund Freud, on the other hand, developed a theory of development known as psychoanalytic development. Freud postulates that humans develop in four stages. In the first stage when children are born until they reach two years, they mainly focus on eating and breastfeeding through the mouth (Hoffman, 2010). Freud argues that it is at this stage that sexual desires develop when children love their mothers who are always close to them and feed them; while they dislike their fathers who keep a distance from them. In the next stage that is known as the sadistic-anal phase when children are between two and four years, the researcher argues that children concentrate on discovering how the society requires them to conduct the elimination process (Newman, B., & Newman, P., 2007). This is the process where children go to the toilet and excrete waste from their bodies. The next stage that is known as the phallic phase is the one where children learn to cope and understand their fathers because the society requires them to do so (Freud, & Strachey, 2011). Children compete with their fathers for attention from their mothers. Freud argues that sex drive is high at this stage, and that is why there is competition between children and their fathers (Chan, 2005). Freud’s last stage known as genital phase is the one where individuals learn how to balance their id, super ego, and ego. The id refers to the unconscious psyche that is the need for immediate satisfaction. The super ego, on the other hand, is the moral psyche that does not recognize special situations; while the ego is the need that balances the imbalances brought about by the super ego and the id (Lester, 2013). Difference in the Modes of Study of the Two Theories Abraham Maslow developed his theory from a study of theories that were developed by other researchers such as Ruth Benedict, Albert Einstein, and Max Wertheimer. However his study mainly concentrated on Albert Einstein’s theory. Sigmund Freud, on the other hand, developed his theory from the studies that he conducted in the form of clinical observations. Freud conducted the clinical observation when he was working at Vienna Hospital. Freud then tested his theory by applying them in anthropology, art, history, and literature. After testing his theory, Freud then published his hypothesis of the ego, id, and super ego (Hoffman, 2010). Similarities of the Two Theories Maslow’s and Freud’s theories of personal development have numerous similarities; for example, the two hypotheses argue that human development takes place in stages. Although Freud did not state that his developmental stages were hierarchical, his stages of development take the explanation of a hierarchy because children have to grow in the initial stages before moving up to the next stage (Newman, B., & Newman, P., 2007). The other similarity between the two theories is that they were developed from various studies. Maslow developed his theory by studying those of others while Freud developed his from his clinical observations and applications in history, art, and anthropology. Differences between the Theories Freud’s and Maslow’s theories have various differences; for example, while Maslow argues that there are three stages of development; Freud argues that the stages are four. The stages of the two theories are also difference in that Maslow’s theory is based on motivation; while Freud’s hypothesis is based on sexual desires. In Maslow’s theory, a person may take a life time to move from one stage to the other; while in Freud’s hypothesis, a child develops in the last stage during teenage and adolescence years and then continues to grow in this stage forever (Freud, & Strachey, 2011). Another major difference between the two theories is that Maslow based his hypothesis on theories that were developed by earlier researchers (Maslow, 2013). Freud, on the other hand, based his hypothesis on clinical observations and applications in history, art, and anthropology. The other difference is that Freud bases his argument on the psychological development of the mind from when a child is born while Maslow bases his theory on material needs of a person. The material needs include shelter, food, security, and self achievements. The psychological needs of Freud, on the other hand, include the ego, id, and super ego (Chan, 2005). Conclusion Abraham Maslow and Sigmund Freud are researchers who have developed theories if development that have various similarities and differences. Maslow argues that humans develop according to the way they satisfy their hierarchical needs while Freud postulates that individuals develop in four stages that are motivated by sexual desires and psychological needs known as the id, super ego, and ego. The two theories are similar in that they argue that development takes place through various stages in which the basis phases must be satisfied before a person moves to the next phase. The difference in the two hypotheses is that a person may take a prolonged time to move from one stage to the next in Maslow’s theory; while a person takes only two to five years to switch phases. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the driving force of a person is motivation while the main force in Freud’s hypothesis is the ego, id, and super ego. References Chan, H. A. (2005). The mediator as human being: From a study of major concepts of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Erik Erikson and Abraham Maslow. Lima, Ohio: Wyndham Hall Press. Freud, S., & Strachey, J. (2011). Three essays on the theory of sexuality. Mansfield Centre, Conn: Martino Publishing. Hoffman, L. (2010). One hundred years after Sigmund Freuds lectures in America: towards an integration of psychoanalytic theories and techniques within psychiatry. History of Psychiatry, 21, 4, 455-470. Lester, D. (2013). Measuring Maslows hierarchy of needs. Psychological Reports, 113, 1, 1027- 1039. Maslow, A. H. (2013). Toward a Psychology of Being. Lanham: Start Publishing LLC. Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2007). Theories of human development. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Read More