Editing Content theory (section)

== Maslow's hierarchy of needs ==
[[File:MaslowsHierarchyOfNeeds.svg|thumb|right|300px|Maslow's hierarchy of needs, represented as a pyramid with the more basic needs at the bottom]]

Content theory of human motivation includes both [[Abraham Maslow]]'s [[Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs|hierarchy of needs]] and [[Frederick Herzberg|Herzberg]]'s two-factor theory. Maslow's theory is one of the most widely discussed theories of motivation. Abraham Maslow believed that man is inherently good and argued that individuals possess a constantly growing inner drive that has great potential. The needs hierarchy system is a commonly used scheme for classifying human motives.<ref>Pardee, R. L. (1990). The basic concept behind the hierarchy system is that it's like a food pyramid. Everybody starts at the bottom of the pyramid and is motivated to satisfy each level in ascending order to work our way to the top of the pyramid, and those levels (needs) are categorized into two main groups with five different sections which are explained below. Motivation Theories of Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor & McClelland. A Literature Review of Selected Theories Dealing with Job Satisfaction and Motivation.</ref>

The American motivation psychologist Abraham H. Maslow (1954) developed the hierarchy of needs consisting of five hierarchic classes. According to Maslow, people are motivated by unsatisfied needs. The needs, listed from basic (lowest-earliest) to most complex (highest-latest) are as follows:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/MBA/9791F/BusinessServices/LO/1207_020138_605F_02_wi/1207_020138_605F_0204_wi.htm|title=The Content Theories of Motivation|access-date=2020-12-04|archive-date=2018-03-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315070455/https://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/MBA/9791F/BusinessServices/LO/1207_020138_605F_02_wi/1207_020138_605F_0204_wi.htm|publisher=Sydney Institute - e-Learning Services}}</ref>

*[[Physiology]] ([[hunger]], [[thirst]], [[sleep]], etc.)
*[[Safety]]/[[Security]]/[[Shelter (building)|Shelter]]/[[Health]]
*[[Social]]/[[Love]]/[[Friendship]]
*[[Self-esteem]]/[[Recognition (sociology)|Recognition]]/Achievement
*[[Self actualization]]/achievement of full [[potential]]

The basic requirements build upon the first step in the pyramid: physiology. If there are deficits on this level, all behavior will be oriented to satisfy this deficit. Essentially, if a person has not slept or eaten adequately, he or she will not be interested in their self-esteem desires. Subsequently, we have the second level, which awakens a need for security. After securing those two levels, the motives shift to the social sphere, the third level. Psychological requirements comprise the fourth level, while the top of the hierarchy consists of self-realization and self-actualization.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory can be summarized as follows:

* Human beings have wants and desires which, when unsatisfied, may influence behavior.
* Differing levels of importance to human life are reflected in a hierarchical structure of needs.
* Needs at higher levels in the hierarchy are held in abeyance until lower-level needs are at least minimally satisfied.
* Needs at higher levels of the hierarchy are associated with individuality , humanness, and psychological health.