Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

According to Maslow's theory, the inner force of individual growth and development is motivation. Motivation is composed of a variety of needs of different natures, between the various needs, there is a sequential order and high and low levels; each level of need and fulfillment, will determine the individual personality development of the realm or degree.

Maslow believed that human needs are hierarchical, from high to low. They are:

Self-actualization

Respect needs

Social needs

Safety needs

Physiological needs

Physiological needs are the most primitive and basic needs of people, such as food, clothing, housing, medical care and so on. If they are not satisfied, their lives are in danger. That is to say, it is the strongest unavoidable lowest level of need, and a powerful driving force for people's actions.

The need for safety requires labor safety, occupational safety, stability of life, hope for freedom from disaster, hope for a secure future, and so on. Safety needs are higher than physiological needs, and when physiological needs are satisfied, they need to be safeguarded. Every person who lives in reality has a desire for security, a desire for freedom, and a desire for strength in defense.

The need for socialization, also called the need for belonging and love, refers to an individual's desire to get the care and love of family, groups, friends, colleagues to understand, is the need for friendship, trust, warmth, love. The need for socialization is more subtle and elusive than physiological and safety needs. It is related to personal character, experience, living area, ethnicity, living habits, religious beliefs, etc. This need is difficult to perceive and cannot be measured.

The need for respect can be divided into three categories: self-esteem, self-esteem and desire for power, including self-esteem, self-evaluation and respect for others. The need for respect is seldom fully satisfied, but basic satisfaction can be a driving force.

The need for self-actualization is the highest-ranking need. Satisfaction of this need requires performing work commensurate with one's abilities, maximizing one's potential, and becoming the desired person. It is a creative need. People with a need for self-actualization seem to be doing everything in their power to bring themselves to perfection. Self-actualization means experiencing life fully, actively, unselfconsciously, and with full concentration.

According to Maslow, there are two distinct categories of needs in the human value system, one being instincts or impulses that gradually become weaker as they rise along the biological spectrum, known as low-level and physiological needs. One is the potential or need that gradually emerges with biological evolution, called high-level needs.

People are latent with these five different levels of needs, but the urgency of the various needs expressed at different times is different. The most urgent needs of people is the main reason and motivation to motivate people to act. The human need is from the external satisfaction gradually to the internal satisfaction of the transformation.

The lower needs must be properly satisfied before the higher needs can fully emerge.

Maslow also believed that the creative process of self-actualization produces a so-called ? peak experience? The emotion, this time is the person is in the most exciting moment, is the highest, most perfect, most harmonious state of human existence, this time the person has a kind of ecstasy, drunkenness, the feeling of soul.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory and Marketing Strategy

Maslow's theory divides needs into five categories: physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, respect needs, and self-actualization needs, in order from the lower level to the higher level, from the point of view of the enterprise management consumer satisfaction (CS) strategy, the requirements of consumers for the products on each level of needs are not the same, i.e., different products to meet the different needs levels. level of demand. The marketing approach is based on the consideration of consumer demand, different needs, that is, to produce different marketing tools.

According to the five levels of demand, can be divided into five consumer markets:

1, physiological needs? To meet the minimum demand level of the market, consumers only require products with general functions

2, safety needs? To meet the needs of? safety? The market is concerned about the effect of the product on the body

3. Social needs? To satisfy the need for socialization, consumers are concerned about the impact of the product on the body. Socialization Markets that require products that help improve their social image

4. Respect needs? To meet the requirements of the product has a different market, consumers are concerned about the symbolic meaning of the product

5, self-fulfillment? To meet the market for products with their own standards of judgment, consumers have their own fixed brand

The higher the level of demand, the less likely that consumers will be satisfied. Economics, ? The price that consumers are willing to pay ì?ì_ì?_ì?_ì?_ì?_ì?_ì?_ì′? "the satisfaction that consumers get? Competition in the market, always the lower end the more intense, price competition is obviously will ? The price competition is obviously to minimize the level of demand. The price competition is obviously to minimize the level of demand, and the consumers can not feel the other levels of? Satisfaction?

Such a division is set to meet the different levels of demand for products, the higher the income of consumers, the higher the level of achievement, take laundry detergent as an example:

1, ? Physiological needs? Consumers are concerned? The product is indeed laundry detergent? , choose the cheapest price of laundry detergent

2, ? safety needs? Consumers are concerned about? Good quality laundry detergent? , in the case of the price difference is not very big, choose the better quality of laundry detergent.

3. ? Social needs? Consumers are concerned about the impact of the product on socialization. The impact of the product on socializing? , such as beautiful packaging, fragrance, softening and other additional features, as well as the brand's image can make consumers willing to pay a higher price.

4, ? Respect demand? Consumers are concerned about ? Getting recognized by others? , the product as a status symbol, the best technology, special barrels, unique features, and even including the highest price are their reasons for choice.

5, ? Self-actualization? Consumers already have 1-4 levels of various needs, their understanding of laundry detergent transformed into a brand on their lives, in the spirit of recognition of a brand. That is, the brand spirit of laundry detergent connotation of their choice of a great influence.

At the low end of the market? Physiological needs? With price as the fulcrum, the competition in this market is the most intense, and profits are also very thin. Products only need to have the most basic functions, characterized by cheap, because the profits are very low, so many companies give up this market. Then, the shopping mall quote? Thin profit, high sales? proves that this market can be successful, Hualong Instant Noodles'? Rural Marketing Strategy? is a classic example of success. Hualong simplified the packaging and seasoning packets, with a low price of 0.6 yuan based on the rural market, after three or four years of development, this small and obscure enterprise has risen to the forefront, creating a surprising speed of development: the annual production capacity of 1,600 tons to 160,000 tons of surging; the average monthly sales income of 580,000 yuan to more than 34 million yuan; fixed assets from 2.18 million yuan rose to 250 million yuan; followed by? Master Kong? The average monthly sales revenue increased from RMB 580,000 to more than RMB 34 million; fixed assets increased from RMB 2.18 million to RMB 250 million; followed by Master Kong Uni-President The company's main goal is to provide the best possible service to its customers.

Obviously for the lowest end in order to meet? For consumers who buy instant noodles to fill their stomachs, so? The light-proof packaging, the good taste of the seasoning. s packaging, the flavor of the seasoning packet can not be the focus of their attention, on the contrary, the cheap price of Hualong noodles, the product is not a problem, which is easy to be welcomed.

In the mid-market? safety needs? Product quality as a point of appeal, Fujian Minmeng mattress in the advertisement, to the roller rolling products to prove the quality, such a product demand point is easy to get the second and third-tier market consumers to recognize. And Beijing Fuya paint planning? Drinking paint? event, also out of the consumers of the? Safety Consideration of the needs of consumers, when consumers named to buy? When consumers named to buy the paint that they can drink, it proved the success of this marketing tool. The success of this marketing technique was proved when consumers named the paint they wanted to buy. As this marketing means to meet the needs of consumers at the second level, in the operation of the enterprise will lead to the whole industry level on the not, not under the situation, and to change the situation needs to high-end breakthroughs, the usual way out is to set up another brand.

Hualong noodles launched in large and medium-sized cities? Imabarang? Popping noodles, packaging, flavors, product features are based on the quality of the breakthrough, but also to hire? Zhang Weijian? as the image of the spokesman, these strategies rise to the third level or even higher. In the mid-to-high-end market, there is a need for socialization. Socialization needs to? Social Recognition as a point of appeal,? Every time you blink your eyes, four Nokia cell phones are sold around the world. The Nokia advertisement expresses the recognition of Nokia cell phones by people all over the world, which is the third level of marketing strategy.

In addition, some vendors are keen to publicize the fact that they are the number one seller of mobile phones in the world. The first sales?

In addition, some manufacturers are keen to publicize the first sales? The first national brand? are based on this level of advertising strategy. Notebook market, most domestic notebook computers, although advocating personalization, fashion (third level of communication needs), but because the quality is often problematic, and often manifested as a price war (the first level), consumer satisfaction is always on the not go, so in the competition, the lower the price, the lower and lower, profits continue to lose. But IBM is positioning the laptop for business, IBM laptop and business people's identity integration, business people in order to reflect their identity in the communication, the choice of IBM laptop has become a **** knowledge.

At the high end of the market? Respect the needs? With? Price & quality? The combination of the market to seize the market, to enter this market first of all to high prices, and then quality assurance. High price is the most direct factor to attract the attention of consumers, followed by quality. BMW, Mercedes-Benz brand value is very high, because they have the highest-end products, the best shape, performance makes them become a symbol of the rich. For the average consumer, the high price makes him develop ? respect? Therefore, all business enterprises, if you grab the highest end of the market, you can produce a strong brand appeal. ibm because of the deep blue computer, let the whole world think that ibm's computer is the best, this is the most classic high-end marketing case. --TCL's gem-setting on cell phones is in fact doing something at this level.

In response to? Self-actualization needs? The brand connotation needs to change according to the market changes, such as McDonald's ?I?m love in it? brand strategy change, consolidated the young people to McDonald's recognition. Through the long-term interaction between enterprises and consumers, consumers will form a certain degree of loyalty to the enterprise's brand, and this kind of consumers come from all levels and are the group that enterprises need to pay the most attention to. They are fundamental to the survival of the business, and at the same time they often influence the consumers around them in their perception of the Angel brand. Any business can not ignore these loyal consumers, so for? Old customers?

The cultivation of brand loyalty, many companies have begun to grasp from the child. For example, NIKE, it is in the brand to the child's impression is to wear NIKE brand symbolizes maturity and grow up, so the children will be very happy to grow up to buy a pair of NIKE shoes. At the same time, NIKE is still a kind of sportsmanship, NIKE is well combined with sports. In China, there are a lot of fake NIKE shoes, but NIKE did not go to fight against counterfeiting, because the spirit of sports is real, if consumers have the ability to pay, NIKE company firmly believe that consumers will buy the real NIKE.

The market competition is ever-changing, but the needs of the consumer is unchanged, there are only five categories.CS strategy requires to improve the level of consumer satisfaction, the company must be based on the market's CS strategy requires to improve consumer satisfaction, the enterprise must according to the specific situation of the market, to understand its products to meet which levels of consumer demand, and then can purposefully formulate marketing strategy, effectively to improve consumer satisfaction.

〖Practical Case〗

A well-known small home appliance products, product line to the demand theory is divided into five levels, on the basis of which the marketing work in 2004:

1, low-end products - to give up the fierce competition of the low segment of the market, semi-giveaway marketing, expanding the low-end market share, expanding the brand influence. market share and expand brand influence.

2, mid-range products - the release of anti-counterfeiting program, hype because of the quality of the current situation of counterfeiting

3, mid-range and high-end - the recognition of the community, mainly in the form of advertising to promote

4, high-end -- Launch the highest-end products in the market, maintain the highest price in the market, and hype technology

5, branding -- infiltration of advertising concepts, trade-in, consumer appreciation activities

Maslow and the "Posthumanistic Psychology"

" Post-humanistic psychology" is the original "Transpersonal Psychology".

Maslow and Postpersonal Psychology.

In the preface to the 1968 reprint of Explorations in the Psychology of Being, Maslow wrote: "I believe that the psychology of the humanistic, third force is transitional, a preparatory stage for the development of a higher fourth psychology. The fourth kind of psychology is beyond the individual, beyond the human; it transcends such concepts as human nature, self-identity, and self-actualization, and is centered on the universe rather than on human needs and interests." (Maslow, Explorations in the Psychology of Being, translated by Li Wentian, p. 6, Yunnan People's Publishing House, 1988)

"We need something 'greater than us' as the object of our awe and devotion." (Maslow, Explorations in the Psychology of Being, translated by Li Wentian, p. 6, Yunnan People's Publishing House, 1988)

Maslow did not further point out what the relationship between the third and fourth psychologies was, or what "something greater than us" actually was. But Maslow's psychology is so open-ended that he makes humanistic psychology a psychology of ultimate concern, a bridge to transcendental psychology. This bridge is also a bridge to a belief in God in the broad sense.

In his later years, Maslow also articulated the concept of metaneeds. In some places he did not distinguish this concept from the need for self-actualization, but in an article the year before his death he wrote:

"What is essential to human nature is that, when our material needs have been satisfied, we move along the path from the need for belonging (which includes a sense of belonging to a group, of camaraderie, and of brotherhood), to the need for love and affection, to the need for dignity and self-respect resulting from achievement, to the need for self-actualization, and to the formation and expression of our own unique identity. the ladder of self-actualization and the need to form and express our unique personality. And further up is the 'transcendental need' (i.e., the 'existential need')" (Maslow: Insight into the Future, p. 258, translated by Xu Jinsheng, Reform Publishing House, 1998) This article was not published during Maslow's lifetime, but was later incorporated into the book by the American psychologist Edward Hoffman. Hoffman's me, included in the book "Insight into the Future".

Should we think that Maslow modified his hierarchy of needs in his later years? On the question of transcendent needs, Maslow does not seem to have considered them maturely. He did not explicitly propose to add another level above the need for self-actualization, although he increasingly examined the question of different levels of self-actualization.

Maslow published his paper "Theory Z - Two Different Types of Self-Actualizers" in 1969, which suggested a distinction between two different types of self-actualizers, and which was later included in the book "What Human Nature Can Achieve", published after his death. In this essay, he summarized twenty-four distinctions between two different types of self-actualizers in one ****. The most important of these is that one type of self-actualizer has frequent transcendental experiences (i.e., peak experiences), and the other type of self-actualizer has no or few transcendental experiences. The former is the "transcendent self-actualizer" and the latter is the "healthy self-actualizer," and the difference between the two is primarily that the former has more peak experiences and the latter does not. (See Maslow, The Self-Actualized Man, p. 56, translated by Xu Jinsheng and others, Sanlian Bookstore, 1986)

Here we can already see the crux of the problem, Maslow pointed out that self-actualized people with transcendent experiences have a higher level of self-actualization than self-actualized people without transcendent experiences, whose potentials are more fully realized, but Maslow did not suggest that there is a higher level of self-actualization above self-actualization. did not suggest that there is a higher need above self-actualization. Since the need for self-actualization already includes a transcendent dimension, do we still need to do so?

In fact, a number of thinkers have discussed the transcendental pursuit of human beings. For example, Rudolph? Rudolf Eucken (1846--1926) argued that the fact that one is confused and uneasy about the meaning of life is just proof that there is an inner impulse to seek meaning in the depths of our nature. Since all possible external life fails to satisfy us, it must be due to the fact that our life has depths that cannot be reached from our immediate environment. (Oyken, The Meaning and Value of Life, translated by Wan Yi, Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 1997)

He believes that there exists in us an inner spiritual life, which is the manifestation of the universal life in the human body. Therefore, it is both inner, "our true self", "the innermost essence of our life", and transcendent, "the universal supernatural life".

What Rudolf Oycken calls this "inner most essence of our life" is also transcendent. What is this "our true self", this "innermost essence of our life", that Rudolf Oyken speaks of? In fact, what he said can be better expressed in Maslow's language, which is the "transcendental need". According to Maslow, this transcendental need is "instinct-like" in nature, just like other basic needs.

The "class instinct" is a very key concept in Maslow's theory of needs. The term "instinctoid" refers to the fact that basic human needs are both similar to and different from instincts." The word "Instinctoid" (instinct-like) is made up by Maslow himself and consists of the word "Instinct" followed by the suffix "oid". The word "oid" means "similar", "resemblance", "slightly weaker", etc. Maslow believed that basic needs are the most important ones. According to Maslow, basic needs are instinctive and have an innate genetic basis, but their fulfillment and performance depend on the environment. The higher the level of the need, the weaker the link with innate genetics, and the greater the dependence on the acquired environment.

The concept of "class instincts" has a lot of room for thought, both from an evolutionary and a religious point of view.

From an evolutionary perspective, it seems that by further extrapolating from Maslow's concept of "class instincts," we can derive the idea that human nature is constantly evolving, and that the hierarchy of human needs is constantly increasing. We can think of human transcendent needs as a product of human evolution. If expressed in theological language, the reason why our needs are "instinct-like" rather than "instinctive" is the freedom of will given to us by God, and the satisfaction of the need for self-actualization is the basis for human beings to approach God. Only at the level of self-realization can there be a true state of religious faith.

Some words from Maslow on the young

(1) A full and accurate perception of reality. Self-actualized people perceive the world objectively, comprehensively and accurately, because they perceive the world without mixing their subjective desires and preconceptions, or with ego defenses, but reflect the objective world as it is. In contrast, psychologically unhealthy people perceive the world in their own subjective way, and they try to make the world match their own subjective desires, anxieties, and worries.

(2) Acceptance of nature, self and others. Self-actualizers are able to accept the shortcomings and defects of nature, themselves and others without worrying about them. Of course, they will take a positive attitude towards those deficiencies and defects that can be transformed or adjusted, and for those unchangeable deficiencies and defects, they are able to go with the flow and will not go against themselves, others and nature.

(3) Be spontaneous, frank and truthful with others. In interpersonal interactions, self-actualizers have a tendency to reveal their true feelings, they don't pretend to be fake or pretentious, and they behave frankly and naturally. Generally, they have enough self-confidence and security, which makes them enough to behave authentically.

(4) Problem-centered, not self-centered. Self-actualizers love what they do, are dedicated to a cause or mission, and can give it their all. They work harder and are more focused than regular people. For them, work is not really hard work, because the joy is in the work.

(5) The need for transcendence and solitude. Self-actualized people to their own values and feelings to guide their lives, do not rely on others to seek security and satisfaction, they rely only on themselves. They generally prefer to be quiet and alone. This is not because they are afraid of others, nor do they intend to escape from reality, but in order to think better and compare more comprehensively in order to seek a more reasonable solution to the problem under less disturbing conditions. They are calm and serene, keep their cool, and pass through or withstand all kinds of disasters and misfortunes peacefully.

(6) Being autonomous and able to maintain relative independence in their environment and culture. Self-actualizers behavior is mainly driven by the need for internal development and self-realization (i.e., B a drive), rather than from the need for external supplementation due to the lack of something material or spiritual (D a drive), and thus they rely more on themselves than on the external environment, and are able to resist the pressures of the external environment and culture, and independently and autonomously exercise their ability to think, self-direction, and self-management.

(7) Have a never-failing appreciation. Self-actualized people are able to maintain a strange and enduring appreciation of the reality around them, and fully experience all the beautiful things in nature and life. They do not become accustomed and desensitized by the repetition of things; on the contrary, they are as fresh and wonderful to every newborn child, every sunrise or dusk, as they were when they saw them for the first time.

(8) Having indescribable peak experiences. A peak experience is an intense, mind-blowing emotional experience of ecstasy or awe that a person feels. When it arrives, one feels infinitely better, with great power, confidence, and decisive intention, and even mundane daily activities can be elevated to overwhelming, wonderful activities. Maslow believed that all people have the potential to enjoy peak experiences, but that only self-actualized people are more likely and more often to have them.

(9) Love for people. Self-actualized people's concern is not limited to their friends and relatives, but extends to all human beings. They regard it as their vocation to help the poor and suffering people, and have a strong sense of suffering with all people, **** suffering, and do everything possible for the sake of others. In the view of self-actualizers, the happiness of others is their own happiness, and they have liberated themselves from the prison of satisfying their own narrow needs.

(10) Have deep friendships. Self-actualized people focus on friendship with friends, they make a small number of friends; the circle of companions is relatively small, but the friendship is deep and full. As far as the understanding of love is concerned, they believe that love should be totally selfless and that it should be at least as important to give love as to receive it. They are able to care for the growth and development of their loved ones as much as they care for themselves.

(11) Have a democratic spirit. Self-actualizers treat people with humility, respect others' rights and individuality, and are good at listening to different opinions. For them, social class, educational program, religious beliefs, race or color, are not important, the important thing is whether they grasp the truth. Self-actualizers have very few prejudices and are willing to learn from all who are worthy of learning.

(12) Distinguish between means and ends. The behavior of self-actualizers almost always exhibits a means-end boundary. In general, they emphasize the end, and the means must be subordinate to the end. Self-actualizers often see ordinary people as means to an end, and treat the experience of the activity as an end in itself, and thus experience the activity itself more than ordinary people do.

(l3) Creativity. This is one of the characteristics of all the subjects of Maslow's study **** the same, each of them in one way or another show ingenuity and creativity. Although some of them are not necessarily writers, artists or inventors, they have a similar ability to the child's naive imagination, characterized by originality, invention and the pursuit of innovation.

(14) Humor and wit. Self-actualizers are adept at observing the absurdities and incongruities of the world and are able to express them appropriately in a witty and amusing manner. But they never use this skill on defective people. They always sympathize with the unfortunate.

(15) Against blind conformity. Self-actualizers have a strong aversion to conforming to the views and behaviors of others, and they believe that people must have their own opinions, and that they should stick to what they have decided to do without regard to the power of tradition or the pressure of public opinion. Their tendency to oppose blind conformity is obviously not an intentional contempt for cultural traditions or public opinion, but a reflection of their self-reliance and self-improvement personality.

As the most prominent representative of the humanistic movement, Maslow conducted the most systematic research on mental health problems. Maslow's interest in the study of mental health problems began with his love for his two mentors, Benedict and Weitheimer, in his college days. He realized that these two mentors were different in many ways, including physical appearance and cultural background, but shared many psychological traits. They were both psychologically healthy, academically accomplished, and their abilities were fully utilized, reaching self-actualization in Maslow's words. Maslow felt that the patterns of psychological behavior embodied in these two mentors might serve as models for the average person to learn from and follow.

To this end, Maslow used a variety of methods, such as free association, psychometric tests, and biographies, to explore the psychological behavioral patterns of "self-actualizers". He selected 48 people from the great figures of history and students and acquaintances around him for further study, and these people can be divided into three categories: the first category he called "case", that is, basically in line with his conception of the "self-actualizer" requirements of the people, these people include Abraham Lincoln (A. Lincoln), Jefferson (T. Jefferson), Roosevelt (T. ROOsevelt), B. SPinoza, James and T.H. Huxley, and 12 others: the second group of 10, which he calls "incomplete cases" or "partial" self-actualizers, who are at a certain distance from the standard envisaged; and the third group of 26, which he calls "potential or probable cases", which includes both young people who have developed towards self-actualization in real life; and young people who have developed towards self-actualization in real life; as well as young people who have developed towards self-actualization in real life.

In his research, Maslow found that people who really achieve self-actualization are usually in middle age or old age, and that younger people usually have a hard time achieving self-actualization. This is because young people still have many lower-level needs, such as security, love, self-esteem and so on have not been satisfied to an appropriate degree, not the formation of enduring values, wisdom, willpower and stable love relationships, and not clearly choose their own life-long struggle for the cause. However, young people have great potential for development, and they can gradually approach this level or goal through positive efforts.