A.H.Maslow developed a conceptual framework for understanding human motivation, which has been widely acclaimed. According to him, process of motivation begins with an assumption that behavior, at least in part, is directed towards the achievement of satisfaction of needs. Maslow proposed that human needs could be arranged in a particular order from the lower to the higher
1. Basic Physiological Needs
The needs that are taken as the starting point for motivation theory are the so-called physiological needs. These needs relate to the survival and maintenance of human life. They include such things as food, clothing, shelter, air, water and other necessaries of life.
2. Safety and Security Needs
After satisfying the physiological needs, people want the assurance of maintaining a given economic level. They want job security, personal security, security of source of income, provision for old age, insurance against risks, etc.
3. Social Needs
Man is a social being. He is, therefore, interested in conversation, sociability, exchange of feelings and grievances, companionship, recognition, belongingness, etc.
4. Esteem and Status Needs
These needs embrace such things as self-confidence, independence, achievement, competence, knowledge and success. They are also known as egoistic needs. They are concerned with prestige and status of the individual.
5. Self-actualization Needs
The final step under the priority model is .the need for self-fulfillment or the need to fulfil what a person considers to be his mission in life. It involves realizing one's potentialities for continued self-development and for being creative in the broadest sense of the word. After his other needs are fulfilled, he wants to do something, which is challenging and since this challenge gives him enough boost and initiative to work, it is beneficial to him in particular and to the society in general. The sense of achievement gives him psychological satisfaction.
Maslow felt that the needs have a definite sequence of occurrence. Second need does not dominate an individuals thoughts until first need is reasonably satisfied and third need does not dominate until first two needs have been reasonably satisfied and so on. The other side of the need hierarchy is that man is a wanting animal, he continues to want something or the other. He is never fully satisfied. If one need is satisfied, the other need arises. As said above (according to Maslow), needs arise in a certain order of preference and not randomly. Thus, if one's lower level needs (physiological and security needs) are unsatisfied, he can be motivated only by satisfying his lower level needs and not satisfying his higher level needs. Another point to note is that once a need or a certain order of needs is satisfied, it ceases to be a motivating factor. Man lives for bread alone as long as it is not available. In the absence of air one can't live, it is plenty of air, which ceases to be motivating.
The physiological and security needs are finite, but the needs of higher order are sufficiently infinite and are likely to be dominant in persons at higher levels in the organization. This has been proved by various studies. A study by Boris Blair supported this by showing that managers and professionals in U.S.A. highly value self-realization, while service and manual workers in India reported that they give to priority to job security, earnings and personal benefits - all lower order needs.
Kavungya answered the question on March 26, 2019 at 13:10