Is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Still Relevant?

Chances are pretty high that you've heard of the hierarchy of needs whether you've taken a psychology class or not. Abraham Maslow suggested that needs at the pyramid's base, including food, water, and sleep, must be met before people can move on to needs higher up on the hierarchy.

After fulfilling these fundamental needs, people move on to the need for safety and security, then belonging and love, and then esteem. Finally, once all these lower-level needs are met, Maslow suggested that people move on to the need at the peak of the pyramid, which is known as self-actualization.

Some researchers have suggested that the uncritical acceptance of Maslow's hierarchy needs to be addressed by further research. One older review of the research available at the time found little support for the accuracy of the hierarchy.

More recent research has offered some support for Maslow’s original hierarchy. However, many suggest that the theory might be in need of an update to better reflect the needs of modern life.

Does the Hierarchy of Needs Hold Up?

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs continues to be widely popular and mostly well-accepted, but the available evidence does not necessarily support Maslow’s theory.

Other researchers have noted that Maslow's theory does not account for cultural differences. Maslow's observations were also primarily based on people in his own social and cultural group (i.e., white, Western, and male). The theory doesn't account for the differing motivations and needs of people in individualist and collectivist cultures.

Other critics have also suggested that the original hierarchy does not account for the fact that needs tend to change based on the situation.

The original theory has also been described as classicist since it implies that people who may not have access to the things that support their basic needs, like affordable, safe housing, are less motivated by social relationships, self-esteem, and self-actualization.

One Updated Version of the Hierarchy of Needs

In light of these criticisms, one team of psychologists attempted to modernize Maslow's hierarchy. Their renovated version of the classic needs pyramid was published in an issue of Perspectives on Psychological Sciences. While the original hierarchy contained five levels, this revised version included seven.

The bottom four levels of this new version are quite similar to Maslow's, but the most significant changes can be seen at the top levels of the proposed new version. Perhaps the most surprising change was that it eliminated the very highest levels of the original version—that of self-actualization.

Instead, the authors suggested, many of the activities and pursuits that Maslow initially identified as self-actualizing represent basic biological drives, such as attracting a mate and having children.

According to the researchers, reproduction is the most fundamental biological imperative. For that reason, they placed parenting at the top of their hierarchy.

The proposed revisions to Maslow's original hierarchy did not come without controversy, however. The journal issue containing the revised hierarchy also included four different commentary pieces that offered perspectives on the original and revised versions of the hierarchy.

While many agreed with the basic premise of the revised version, particularly the evolutionary basis for the revisions, many took issue with removing self-actualization as a key motivating need.

Needs Across Cultures

Psychologist Ed Diener of the University of Illinois led a study that put the famous hierarchy of needs to the test in different countries all over the world. The researchers analyzed surveys on food, shelter, safety, money, social support, respect, and emotions taken in 123 different countries between 2005 and 2010. While some aspects of their findings are consistent with Maslow's theory, there were also some notable departures.

Diener concluded that Maslow's theory is largely correct and that the needs identified in the original hierarchy of needs are still relevant and universal today. The primary difference in these more recent findings is that the most basic needs don't necessarily need to be fulfilled before people pursue those higher up the hierarchy.

Even people who don't have their essential physical or safety needs completely fulfilled are still motivated to have meaningful interpersonal relationships and self-fulfillment.

Reconsidering the Hierarchy of Needs

Despite the questions that remain, other researchers have pointed out that the theory can be a useful framework for helping people with mental health issues they might experience. Some suggest that instead of viewing these needs as a hierarchy of steps, it's essential to focus on how all five levels are interdependent and bidirectional. 

In other words, sometimes your needs may change based on the situation. This may then affect your needs and motivations in other areas of your life as well. 

For example, dealing with a chronic health condition can make it more challenging to fulfill your most basic needs. Such difficulty might then make it harder for people to maintain their social connections, which can then affect other areas of life that affect mental well-being. Loneliness, isolation, and lack of support can further erode a person's psychological needs.

Some researchers suggest that instead of thinking of the hierarchy as a pyramid, it would be more accurate to present it as a ladder. When climbing a ladder, your feet and hands are on different rungs, each representing a different level. It suggests that our needs are flexible, interconnected, and that we move between them based on our current situation and needs.