Biografa

Nacido en Brooklyn, Abraham Maslow fue el mayor de siete hermanos cuyos padres
eran emigrantes judos procedentes de Rusia. Era lento y ordenado, y recordaba su
niez como solitaria y bastante infeliz. En sus propias palabras: Yo era un nio
pequeo judo en un barrio no judo. Era un poco como ser el primer negro en una
escuela de blancos. Estaba solo e infeliz. Crec en las bibliotecas y entre libros. Maslow
iba a estudiar Derecho, pero finalmente fue a la Escuela de Postgrado de la Universidad
de Wisconsin para estudiar psicologa. En diciembre de 1928, antes de terminar sus
estudios, se cas con su prima mayor Bertha Goodman, y durante esa poca conoci a
su principal mentor, el profesor Harry Harlow. Comenz una lnea original de
investigacin,
estudiando
el comportamiento sexual y
de dominacin de
losprimates. BA en 1930, obtuvo su maestra en 1931 y su doctorado en 1934, todos
en psicologa y en la Universidad de Wisconsin. En ese ao propuso la teora
psicolgica llamada hoy en da Jerarqua de necesidades de Maslow, una teora sobre
la motivacin humana. Un ao despus de su graduacin, volvi a Nueva York para
trabajar con Edward Thorndike en la Universidad de Columbia, donde empez a
interesarse en la investigacin de la sexualidad humana. All encontr a otro mentor
en Alfred Adler, uno de los primeros colegas de Sigmund Freud.
Pirmide de Maslow: jerarqua de necesidades.
Entre 1937 y 1951, Maslow estuvo en la facultad del College de Brooklyn de la
Universidad de la Ciudad de Nueva York, donde asumi un cargo acadmico de
profesor y comenz a dar clases a tiempo completo. En Nueva York entr en contacto
con muchos inmigrantes europeos que llegaban a Estados Unidos, en especial a
Brooklyn; personas como Alfred Adler, Erich Fromm, Karen Horney, as como
varios psiclogos de la Gestalt y freudianos. En concreto, conoci a dos mentores ms,
la antroploga Ruth Benedict y el psiclogo de la Gestalt Max Wertheimer, a quienes
admiraba tanto profesional como personalmente. Estos eran tan consumados en sus
respectivos campos, y tan maravillosos seres humanos para l, que empez a tomar
notas acerca de ellos y de su comportamiento. Esta sera la base de su investigacin y
pensamiento a lo largo de toda su vida sobre la salud mental y el potencial humano.
En 1951Maslow se mud a Boston y pas a ser jefe del departamento de psicologa en
la Universidad de Brandeis, donde permaneci diez aos y tuvo la oportunidad de
conocer a Kurt Goldstein (quien le introdujo al concepto deautorrealizacin) y empez
su propia andadura terica. Fue aqu tambin donde empez su cruzada a favor de la
psicologa humanista (corriente que ulteriormente lleg a tener mayor alcance que la
teora de las necesidades).
La tesis central de la pirmide de las necesidades, que ha tenido aplicacin en diversos
campos incluso ms all de la psicologa, expresa que los seres humanos tienen
necesidades estructuradas en diferentes estratos, de tal modo que las necesidades
secundarias o superiores van surgiendo a medida que se van satisfaciendo las ms
bsicas. La aplicacin de las teoras de Maslow en la psicologa laboral buscaba
afianzar la estima de los trabajadores, ayudarlos a crecer, a autorrealizarse y a innovar
en la empresa. Escribi extensamente sobre el tema, tomando prestadas ideas de otros
psiclogos y aadiendo su propia aportacin de forma significativa, destacando,
adems de los conceptos de jerarqua de necesidades y autorrealizacin, los
de metanecesidades, metamotivacin y experiencias sublimes. Maslow se convirti en
el lder de la escuela humanista de psicologa que surgi en los aos 1950 y 1960, a la
que l se refera como la tercera fuerza ms all de la teora freudiana y

el conductismo. En 1967, la American Humanist Association lo nombr Humanista del

Ao. En los ltimos aos de su vida y ya semi retirado de la actividad docente, Maslow
se dedic a un gran proyecto terico no acabado: desarrollar una filosofa y una tica
que concordaran con las hiptesis de la psicologa humanista. El 8 de
junio de 1970 muri en California a causa de un infarto del miocardio.

BY Biography in gnglish
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, Abraham Maslow was the oldest of seven children whose parents
were Jewish immigrants from Russia. It was slow and orderly, and remembered his
childhood as lonely and rather unhappy. In his own words: "I was a little Jewish child in
a non-Jewish neighborhood. It was a bit like being the first black in a white school. He
was alone and unhappy. I grew up in libraries and among books. " Maslow was to study
law, but eventually went to the Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin to study
psychology. In December 1928, before completing his studies, he married his first
cousin Bertha Goodman, and during that time he met his main mentor, Professor Harry
Harlow. He began an original line of research, studying the sexual and domination of
losprimates behavior. BA in 1930, earned his master's degree in 1931 and his doctorate
in 1934, all in psychology at the University of Wisconsin. In that year suggested
psychological theory called today "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs," a theory of human
motivation. A year after graduation, he returned to New York to work with Edward
Thorndike at Columbia University, where he became interested in research on human
sexuality. There he found another mentor in Alfred Adler, one of the first colleagues of
Sigmund Freud.
Pyramid of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
Between 1937 and 1951, Maslow was on the faculty of Brooklyn College, where he took
an academic teaching position and began teaching full time. In New York he came into
contact with many European immigrants to the United States, especially Brooklyn;
people like Alfred Adler, Erich Fromm, Karen Horney, as well as several Gestalt
psychologists and Freudian. In particular, he met two more mentors, anthropologist
Ruth Benedict and Gestalt psychologist Max Wertheimer, who admired both
professionally and personally. These were so accomplished in their respective fields,
and so "wonderful human beings" for him, he began taking notes about them and their
behavior. This would be the basis of his research and thinking throughout his life on
mental health and human potential. In 1951Maslow he moved to Boston and became
head of the department of psychology at Brandeis University, where he remained for
ten years and had the opportunity to meet Kurt Goldstein (who introduced him to the
concept deautorrealizacin) and began his own theoretical career. It was also where he
began his crusade for humanistic psychology (current that later came to be broader
than the theory of needs).
The central thesis of the pyramid of needs, which has application in various fields even
beyond psychology, says that humans have needs structured in different layers, so that
secondary or higher needs emerging as They will meet the most basic. Applying
Maslow's theories in occupational psychology sought to strengthen the esteem of the

workers, help them grow, innovate and self-realization in the company. He wrote
extensively on the subject, borrowing ideas from other psychologists and adding its
own contribution significantly, highlighting, in addition to the concepts of hierarchy of
needs and self-realization, those of metaneeds, metamotivation and sublime
experiences. Maslow became the leader of the humanistic school of psychology that
emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, which he referred to as the "third force" -more than
Freudian theory and behaviorism. In 1967, the American Humanist Association named
him Humanist of the Year. In the last years of his life and now semi retired from
teaching, a great theoretician Maslow unfinished project devoted to: develop a
philosophy and ethics that were consistent with the assumptions of humanistic
psychology. The June 8, 1970 in California died because of a heart attack.