Unit 6 Assignment History of Psychology

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Course Code and Name Instructor’s Name Date Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Humanistic psychology is a concept that emerged in the mid-20th century and created a significant change in the psychological field. Through humanistic psychology, the main focus was the achievement of self-actualization and strongly emphasized different subjective experiences that individuals faced. One humanistic theorist selected is Abraham Maslow, who developed the hierarchy of needs, which promotes human motivation and development. Therefore, understanding Maslow's major concepts prompts learning more about self-actualization and using contemporary examples to explain the humanistic principles connected to real-life environments. Major Concepts Proposed by This Theory and Psychological Thought Process Major Concepts The hierarchy of needs proposed by Abraham Maslow is a humanistic theory that focuses on understanding the diverse needs of human motivations. It is a pyramid-like hierarchy, and at the base, there are physiological needs followed by safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization, and self-actualization is found at the top of the pyramid (Payne, 2000). The theory explains that individuals will start by fulfilling their basic needs before they achieve higher-level aspirations. As a humanistic theory, Maslow emphasized the positive aspects of human nature, promoting individuals to be self-determined and pursuing personal growth. These are the main concepts in the theory that developed the humanistic school of thought. Psychological Thought Process The hierarchy of needs theory aligns with developmental stages discussed in aspects of psychological thoughts. The early psychological theories mainly focused on pathology and handling abnormal behaviors. However, with humanistic theory, understanding humans and bringing out their positive aspects through different experiences was a primary concern. ...