Paper Summary:

This paper details the psychological theory of Abraham Maslow. The paper discusses his hierarchy of needs, listing each need and providing examples, as well as showing how the hierarchy is built. There is an expanded section detailing what is meant by self-actualization as well as what Maslow called "peak experiences." A full listing of the B-values are given, as well as numerous other traits and characteristics of self-actualized people. Also explained are Maslow's other hypothesized needs, such as the cognitive, aesthetic, and neurotic needs, and how these all interact with his hierarchy of needs. The paper introduces Maslow as a visionary and pioneer of humanistic psychology who came from a world dominated by psychoanalysis and behaviorism and emerged to provide the world with a more positive, instructional, and human view of mankind and his place in nature.

From the Paper:

"These theories shared in common an approach to understanding human nature and behavior that were based directly outside the subjective needs, beliefs, and values of the individual. In grossly simplified terms, the individual was viewed either as a locus in the environment where current stimuli reacted with past reinforced behavior patterns to produce a response or as an almost helpless entity, where deep in the primitive recesses of the human brain a battle was fought for psychological control. Where forces of the good "superego" were beating back the evil armies of the "id" (sex and aggression) and whichever side was winning the battle at any given time would manifest itself in the person's overt behavior. Abraham Maslow was a visionary who pioneered the field of "humanistic" psychology. Aptly named because its primary goal was to center the field of psychology around the individual person to treat them as wanting, feeling, needing, spiritual, and unique beings and to guise psychological theory in terms that took this into account."

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