Is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Still Relevant?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDoes the Hierarchy of Needs Hold Up?One Updated Version of the Hierarchy of NeedsNeeds Across CulturesReconsidering the Hierarchy of Needs

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Does the Hierarchy of Needs Hold Up?

One Updated Version of the Hierarchy of Needs

Needs Across Cultures

Reconsidering the Hierarchy of Needs

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Chances are pretty high that you’ve heard of thehierarchy of needswhether you’ve taken a psychology class or not.Abraham Maslowsuggested that needs at the pyramid’s base, including food, water, and sleep, must be met before people can move on to needs higher up on the hierarchy.

After fulfilling these fundamental needs, people move on to the need for safety and security, thenbelongingand love, and then esteem. Finally, once all these lower-level needs are met, Maslow suggested that people move on to the need at the peak of the pyramid, which is known asself-actualization.

More recent research has offered some support for Maslow’s original hierarchy. However, many suggest that the theory might be in need of an update to better reflect the needs of modern life.

At a Glance

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs continues to be widely popular and mostly well-accepted, but the available evidence does not necessarily support Maslow’s theory.

In their review of the available research, Wahba and Bridwell found that there was little empirical support suggesting that needs exist in a hierarchy at all.

Other researchers have noted that Maslow’s theory does not account for cultural differences. Maslow’s observations were also primarily based on people in his own social and cultural group (i.e., white, Western, and male). The theory doesn’t account for the differing motivations and needs of people inindividualistandcollectivist cultures.

Other critics have also suggested that the original hierarchy does not account for the fact that needs tend to change based on the situation.

Problems With the Pyramid

Self Efficacy and Why Believing in Yourself Matters

In light of these criticisms, one team of psychologists attempted to modernize Maslow’s hierarchy. Their renovated version of the classic needs pyramid was published in an issue ofPerspectives on Psychological Sciences.While the original hierarchy contained five levels, this revised version included seven.

The bottom four levels of this new version are quite similar to Maslow’s, but the most significant changes can be seen at the top levels of the proposed new version. Perhaps the most surprising change was that it eliminated the very highest levels of the original version—that of self-actualization.

The authors of the article suggested that while self-actualization is still significant and interesting, it is not an evolutionarily fundamental need.

Instead, the authors suggested, many of the activities and pursuits that Maslow initially identified as self-actualizing represent basic biological drives, such as attracting a mate and having children.

The Updated Hierarchy of Needs

So what replaces self-actualization at the top of this revised hierarchy?

According to the researchers, reproduction is the most fundamental biological imperative. For that reason, they placed parenting at the top of their hierarchy.

The proposed revisions to Maslow’s original hierarchy did not come without controversy, however. The journal issue containing the revised hierarchy also included four different commentary pieces that offered perspectives on the original and revised versions of the hierarchy.

While many agreed with the basic premise of the revised version, particularly the evolutionary basis for the revisions, many took issue with removing self-actualization as a key motivating need.

Issues That Remain UnaddressedDeclining birth rates in developing countries seem to contradict the premise of this revised hierarchy of needs.If reproduction and parenting are the top needs, why are fewer and fewer people in the world’s wealthiest nations increasingly choosing to forgo it altogether?An updated hierarchy of needs should reflect how greater control over individual choices, including the decision to have children, can affect people’s needs,happiness, andquality of life—and how economic disparity andgender discriminationmay prevent people from fulfilling those key needs.

Issues That Remain Unaddressed

Declining birth rates in developing countries seem to contradict the premise of this revised hierarchy of needs.If reproduction and parenting are the top needs, why are fewer and fewer people in the world’s wealthiest nations increasingly choosing to forgo it altogether?An updated hierarchy of needs should reflect how greater control over individual choices, including the decision to have children, can affect people’s needs,happiness, andquality of life—and how economic disparity andgender discriminationmay prevent people from fulfilling those key needs.

Declining birth rates in developing countries seem to contradict the premise of this revised hierarchy of needs.If reproduction and parenting are the top needs, why are fewer and fewer people in the world’s wealthiest nations increasingly choosing to forgo it altogether?

An updated hierarchy of needs should reflect how greater control over individual choices, including the decision to have children, can affect people’s needs,happiness, andquality of life—and how economic disparity andgender discriminationmay prevent people from fulfilling those key needs.

5 Ways to Make Yourself Happier

Psychologist Ed Diener of the University of Illinois led a study that put the famous hierarchy of needs to the test in different countries all over the world. The researchers analyzed surveys on food, shelter, safety, money, social support, respect, and emotions taken in 123 different countries between 2005 and 2010. While some aspects of their findings are consistent with Maslow’s theory, there were also some notable departures.

The needs described in Maslow’s theory appear to be universal. However, research shows that the order in which these needs are met had little impact on people’s satisfaction with life.

Diener concluded that Maslow’s theory is largely correct and that the needs identified in the original hierarchy of needs are still relevant and universal today. The primary difference in these more recent findings is that the most basic needs don’t necessarily need to be fulfilled before people pursue those higher up the hierarchy.

Even people who don’t have their essential physical or safety needs completely fulfilled are still motivated to have meaningfulinterpersonal relationshipsand self-fulfillment.

Despite the questions that remain, other researchers have pointed out that the theory can be a useful framework for helping people with mental health issues they might experience. Some suggest that instead of viewing these needs as a hierarchy of steps, it’s essential to focus on how all five levels are interdependent and bidirectional.

In other words, sometimes your needs may change based on the situation. This may then affect your needs and motivations in other areas of your life as well.

For example, dealing with a chronic health condition can make it more challenging to fulfill your most basic needs. Such difficulty might then make it harder for people to maintain their social connections, which can then affect other areas of life that affect mental well-being.Loneliness, isolation, andlack of supportcan further erode a person’s psychological needs.

Taking a more flexible approach and considering how all of the needs described in the hierarchy can contribute to individual equilibrium can be helpful.

Some researchers suggest that instead of thinking of the hierarchy as a pyramid, it would be more accurate to present it as a ladder. When climbing a ladder, your feet and hands are on different rungs, each representing a different level. It suggests that our needs are flexible, interconnected, and that we move between them based on our current situation and needs.

What This Means For YouWhile recent research seems to support the idea of universal human needs, support for Maslow’s ranked hierarchy remains elusive. Some research has shown support that the basic components in the hierarchy are essential for human health and happiness, but it is important to remember that there is a lot of variation from one person to the next.More research is needed to understand is the hierarchy of needs is still relevant today, and how it might be updated to best explain people’s needs and motivations in modern life.

What This Means For You

While recent research seems to support the idea of universal human needs, support for Maslow’s ranked hierarchy remains elusive. Some research has shown support that the basic components in the hierarchy are essential for human health and happiness, but it is important to remember that there is a lot of variation from one person to the next.More research is needed to understand is the hierarchy of needs is still relevant today, and how it might be updated to best explain people’s needs and motivations in modern life.

While recent research seems to support the idea of universal human needs, support for Maslow’s ranked hierarchy remains elusive. Some research has shown support that the basic components in the hierarchy are essential for human health and happiness, but it is important to remember that there is a lot of variation from one person to the next.

More research is needed to understand is the hierarchy of needs is still relevant today, and how it might be updated to best explain people’s needs and motivations in modern life.

Motivation: The Driving Force Behind Our Actions

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Maslow AH.A theory of human motivation.Psychological Review.1943;50(4):370-396. doi:10.1037/h0054346

Wahba MA, Bridwell LG.Maslow reconsidered: A review of research on the need hierarchy theory.Organizational Behavior and Human Performance.1976;15(2):212-240. doi:10.1016/0030-5073(76)90038-6

Kenrick DT, Griskevicius V, Neuberg SL, Schaller M.Renovating the pyramid of needs: Contemporary extensions built upon ancient foundations.Perspect Psychol Sci. 2010;5(3):292-314. doi:10.1177/1745691610369469

Scientific American.Who created Maslow’s iconic pyramid.

Arizona State University.Maslow updated: Reworking of the famous psychological pyramid of needs puts parenting at the top.ScienceDaily.

Tay L, Diener E.Needs and subjective well-being around the world.J Pers Soc Psychol. 2011;101(2):354-365. doi:10.1037/a0023779

Shoib S, Amanda TW, Menon V, et al.Is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs applicable during the COVID-19 pandemic?Indian J Psychol Med. 2022;44(1):98-100. doi:10.1177/02537176211060435

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