Maslow's Heirarchy of needs

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In anyones'opinion, How did Maslow's Thory of Motivation contribute to literature in this field? How does his paper relate to current knoweledgge in this area?

-- Amy Eriksmoen (aeriksmoen@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002

Answers

I'm sure there will be other opinions on this, but in my own view, Maslow's work has largely been consigned to the history of the field by most psychologists, though it was important enough in its own day (i.e, the hey-day of humanistic psychology) that it still regularly appears in personality textbooks. My understanding is that it is still occupies signficiant part of many business management courses, though I do not know how seriously it is still taken in the scholarly discipline of management per se.

-- Christopher Green (christo@yorku.ca), April 02, 2002.

While I don't believe Maslow's theory got as much attention as that of Carl Rogers, his theory is still interesting if you're interested in humanistic psychology. Also, it is my understanding as well (based on personal contacts) that his theory is very much used in business courses (specifically the human resources elements of the course). If it is the case, why the business field has chosen to adopt his theory so much over competing theories is an interesting question.

-- Daniel J. Denis (dand@yorku.ca), April 03, 2002.

Effective marketers utilize this model, or variations of it, to understand more about their product. They understand what needs certain products can meet and their advertising shows consumers how these needs are met. To increase the effectiveness of advertising one must increase the coorelation between their product and consumer need satisfaction. Therefore, using Maslows Heirarchy in marketing directly impacts our day to day behaviour as consumers.

-- Darren Mahony (d_mahony@hotmail.com), August 18, 2004.

Understanding human needs, even in their most basic form, is paramount to understanding human motivation. Knowing how to motivate employees is probably one of the most valuable managerial skills.

-- Pamela B (pamela@metalfusion.com), September 24, 2004.

This theory is still taught in nursing schools across the United States. It is extremely valuable in identifying patient needs in order to provide appropriate care and referrals.

-- Jo Ellen Roberson (midwife34@aol.com), October 10, 2004.


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