Maslow's Hiearchy of Needs - Are We Getting It Wrong?

We all hear about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

HR use it as a reason to talk about your career and work life balance. Want to be entrepreneurs use it as an excuse not to start. And, as an entrepreneur I often lament the lack of balance in my life 

according to the hierarchy.

The common understanding we all have is that you can’t have any of the higher layers of the hierarchy until you have the lower layers.

For example, you can’t have safety until you have your physiological needs. Or, you can’t have self-actualization (the top of the pyramid) until you have esteem.

Given that many people are using this pyramid in making decisions in their lives, the question is, how did Abraham Maslow intend for people to use it.

1. First off, he never used a pyramid.
2. Secondly, Maslow himself said that individuals will need varying amounts of each level of the hierarchy at any given time, and may not even need some of the levels of the hierarchy.

Examples given where it breaks down include:

• A mountain climber taking risks (i.e. ignoring the safety hierarchy) in order to get to the top (i.e. self- actualisation, belonging, esteem).
• A musician or actor who is focussed on self-actualisation but may be living with their parents or friends, barely able to pay for their food or board.
• A community worker who is held in high esteem, has a good sense of belonging, achieves self-actualisation, but has poor income and may even work in risky situations.

These exceptions are to show that everybody has a slightly different mix of needs, and that you will be fulfilling some or all of them, to varying degrees, at the same time.

In other words, don’t get hung up on it, don’t force people to follow it, and don’t lose sleep over it at night.

As a business owner you may well have a loving family, achieve self-actualisation, and have esteem, but also be struggling to pay bills at the same time. This is all normal.

At best, use the Maslow's theory is a good guide to the kinds of things that people value in their lives, and using it that way will enrich your understanding of other people. However, it should never be used as the benchmark by which you should make decisions.

My advice would be to go and talk to other people in your situation and share stories rather than focussing on the ‘pyramid’.