Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: a recipe for life fulfillment

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs offers a framework for understanding motivation and fulfillment. It can help you realize personal and professional goals, social needs, and barriers to a meaningful life.

Many people are familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy. However, they are often less familiar with how to apply it to create change. To effectively use the theory, you need to understand what it looks like to meet each need and how to identify your current stage in the hierarchy.

American psychologist Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs to explain human behavior and motivation. He presented this theory in a 1943 paper published in Psychological Review titled “A Theory of Human Motivation.” He then further developed the idea in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality. 

Maslow’s hierarchy focuses on the conditions necessary for well-rounded health and happiness. He was a humanist who believed that people have infinite potential for personal growth and development. But to act freely and take control of your life, you must first satisfy a hierarchy of basic human needs: 

1. Physiological needs
2. Safety needs
3. Love and belonging needs
4. Esteem needs
5. Self-actualization needs

All five needs are structured like a pyramid, with number one (physiological) at the bottom and number five (self-actualization) at the top. The size of each pyramid section (number one being the largest and number five being the smallest) showcases the hierarchy and importance of each need.

According to Maslow, meeting all five needs is the key to reaching your full potential. 

The elements in Maslow’s hierarchy correlate with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation, which is associated with completing a task for a reward, relates to safety and physiological needs. People are driven to meet those needs for the reward of feeling healthy, safe, and physically satisfied.

Intrinsic motivation is driven by how you feel after completing a task. This is correlated with esteem and self-actualization needs, leading to self-love, fulfillment, and happiness.

It’s worth noting that there’s a difference between wants vs. needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs focuses on elements that are important to human survival and functioning, like shelter and sleep. Meanwhile, wants are things a person would like to have but aren’t necessary to live. Wants could include certain experiences or possessions that help you live more comfortably.

The five levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs explained

Maslow explains his theory on basic human needs through five different levels of needs. Here’s how they differ.

1. Physiological needs

Physiological needs are your most basic requirements for survival, like your need for the following:

• Food
• Water
• Shelter
• Clothing (protection)
• Sleep

Physiological needs may seem so basic that you don’t check in on them. But if you’re feeling sluggish and unmotivated, consider whether you’re following healthy habits. This might mean fixing your sleep schedule, changing your diet, or getting more exercise.

2. Safety needs

Once you’ve met your physiological needs, your body and mind require stability and security. This includes feeling financially, physically, and mentally safe. Meeting these needs differs from person to person. Consider what specifically makes you feel calm and protected.

That might be owning a house or having a retirement fund for financial security. It may also mean having healthy relationships you can count on.

3. Love and belonging needs

This level of the hierarchy refers to your social needs. It emphasizes the importance of community and loving relationships. You might fulfill this level by forming healthy relationships through the following:

• Friendships
• Work relationships 
• Partnerships
• Family dynamics
• Social groups, like joining a club or industry networking group
• Community groups, like attending church or volunteering

Social health, or the ability to form meaningful relationships, is essential to mental health and happiness. You gain a community of like-minded people who encourage you to adopt a growth mindset. They can also make you feel more purposeful and fulfilled.

When you don’t connect with people, you might experience the adverse effects of social isolation. These may include living with depression, anxiety, and a lack of motivation. 

This is why collaboration at work is so important. Spending time with your coworkers offers an excellent opportunity to foster your social health. To do so, try showing your gratitude at work, saying thank you to your team, or giving real-time recognition.

4. Esteem needs

Once you’ve met your lower-level deficiency needs, you can fulfill your growth and self-management needs. This includes improving your self-esteem and self-confidence. Some ways you might meet your esteem needs include the following:

• Having loved ones recognize your efforts and positive qualities
• Gaining respect from industry professionals
• Feeling competent in personal and professional skills 

Meeting your esteem needs can help you build confidence in knowing yourself and your abilities. These traits are key to taking risks, challenging yourself, and tackling daunting objectives. All of these activities lead to more accomplishments you can feel great about. Awards and recognition can also boost your sense of self-worth and help you tackle imposter syndrome. 

5. Self-actualization needs

Self-actualization in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs represents the highest level of fulfillment. According to Maslow, your personal potential is fully realized here. 

Examples of self-actualization include getting out of your comfort zone, contributing to social good, and chasing after your life goals.

The best way to self-actualize is to gain self-awareness regarding what you want out of life once you’ve met all your other needs. Highly self-actualized people worry less about others’ opinions and more about finding their calling. They dedicate themselves to doing things they love. 

The 3 additions to Maslow's hierarchy of needs

In 1970, Maslow added three more needs to his original hierarchy. The first two sit between esteem and self-actualization, and the last one follows self-actualization:

1. Cognitive needs regard exploring your curiosities and pursuing further knowledge
2. Aesthetic needs cover your appreciation for beauty, balance, and form
3. Transcendence needs involve seeking peak experiences, like spiritual, nature-based, and service-based connections

Understanding deficiency needs vs. growth needs

The first three levels of Maslow’s pyramid are known as deficiency needs, and the last two are growth needs. Maslow hypothesized that you must meet deficiency needs before accomplishing growth needs.

For example, when you feel drained and experience signs of burnout, it’s likely because you’re not meeting your most basic needs. Maybe you’re not eating enough because you’re being overworked, or your sleep schedule is suffering. To meet your growth needs, like feeling confident and motivated at work, it’s important to also satisfy your physiological needs.

How to meet your psychological and social needs

According to the 2023 U.S. Surgeon General Advisory, loneliness and isolation can be just as harmful to your health as daily smoking. A lack of social connection can increase your chances of heart disease and stroke by 29% and 32%, respectively.

It’s unknown why U.S. residents have had a harder time meeting their social and psychological needs in recent years. Theories about why Americans are so lonely include reduced social contact during the COVID-19 pandemic and social media making people feel like they’re constantly missing out. 

If you feel like your social and esteem needs are unmet, here are some positive social wellness habits you can try:

• Take care of yourself: If you’re feeling stressed, depressed, or unmotivated, it can be hard to make positive connections with other people. To improve your social well-being, make sure you’re satisfying your physiological and self-esteem needs, too. This can be done using self-care practices such as mindfulness activities.
• Make new connections: Try joining a club in your community such as a recreational sports team or a book club. Being part of a group can connect you with other like-minded people who share similar interests.
• Volunteer: Organizations across all sectors rely on volunteers. A volunteer commitment can get you out of the house and around other people. It can also fulfill a desire to make a social impact.
• Prioritize existing connections: It’s easy to lose touch with people when you’re wrapped up in the business of work and other obligations. Consider scheduling time each week to catch up with a friend or family member to maintain your current connections.

• Adopt a pet: Research shows a pet can provide social support that offers health benefits similar to those experienced with a human connection. Pets are also easy conversation starters when meeting people in your neighborhood or out on walks.

Reaching the top of Maslow's hierarchy: self-actualization and transcendence

Maslow placed self-actualization and transcendence at the very top of his pyramid of needs. But what does it look like to actually reach and fulfill these higher-level needs?

Satisfying self-actualization might look like the following:

• Adopting a positive mindset
• Accepting your human flaws
• Finding autonomy at work and in your relationships
• Striving to be your authentic self
• Building resilience to overcome challenges
• Developing self-compassion and gratitude practices

Highly self-actualized individuals are comfortable with themselves and others. They don’t strive to meet others’ expectations of who they should be.

Meanwhile, meeting your need for transcendence might look like the following:

• Constantly wanting to find meaning in life
• Focusing more on the well-being of others than on yourself
• Feeling concerned with the ethical values of others
• Feeling elevated emotions like bliss and ecstasy 

How Maslow's hierarchy can be tactically applied in other areas of life

While Maslow’s hierarchy of needs focuses on our basic personal needs, we can apply it to other settings to help improve our experiences. This includes the following contexts:

• Workplace motivation: Applying Maslow’s needs hierarchy to work situations might include your boss motivating with professional praise (esteem) or a sense of job security (safety)

• Education: Students are constantly learning (self-actualization) to find purpose. They may also be surrounded by encouraging teachers and friends who provide a sense of belonging.

• Marketing: Marketers can use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to understand their customers. They can then use that information to influence sales. For example, if a couple is shopping for a car to transport their young children, the salesman would likely focus more on the vehicle’s safety features rather than aesthetics.

Understanding Maslow's critics

While Maslow’s hierarchy is broadly applied, there are some criticisms of the model. Here are a few reasons critics argue against using the theory as a rigid structure:

• Self-actualization can occur at other points in the pyramid. For example, not being able to meet more basic needs can help you realize your self-actualization goals. According to a study published in the journal Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, those experiencing homelessness still showed a focus on self-actualization despite not having their basic needs met.
• Cultural differences matter. Because different cultures value different things, there may be cultural variations and individual differences in the perceived order of needs. Maslow’s theory doesn’t acknowledge that people from different backgrounds may have different motivators.
• Needs can’t be measured or quantified. There are no specific measurements for when a need has been met. In turn, it can be difficult for people to determine their position in the hierarchy.

Despite the difficulty of testing the hierarchical aspect of Maslow’s theory, the hierarchy can help you identify areas in your life where you’re not prioritizing yourself. If nothing else, the theory invites self-reflection. 

Maslow's hierarchy of needs: create a fulfilling life with BetterUp

Understanding human needs for motivation and personal growth is critical to living a meaningful life. Since needs may vary, it’s important to consider what your most basic needs are and how to apply that knowledge to your daily life.

Ready to identify and fulfill your needs? Partner with a BetterUp Coach to address immediate challenges in work and life so you can reach your peak performance.