Baay, Noramie R.

II – BSSE
Prof. Cornelio L. Labao Jr.

Humanistic Theory of Learning (Maslow): The Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow wanted to understand what motivates people. He believed that people possess a set
of motivation systems unrelated to rewards or unconscious desires. He also stated that people are
motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfil the next one,
and so on. Because of this, he had formulated his Hierarchy of needs. This is being presented in a
pyramid which is to indicate that there is a level of needs. His first hierarchy of needs consisting of
five levels, but later on, it has been extended, it is his Extended Hierarchy of Needs.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Extended Hierarchy of Needs

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, etc.
3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and love, - from work
group, family, friends, romantic relationships.
4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance,
prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
5. Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, etc.
6. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.
7. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self - fulfilment, seeking personal
growth and peak experiences.
8. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self- actualization.
What can teachers provide in every hierarchy of need. Give at least 2.
1. Biological and Physiological needs in the classroom
a. As a teacher in order for me to achieve this needs of the students/pupils, I should give
them time to eat their snacks or meals, I have to make sure that they have eaten
something when they are in school.
b. A teacher should make sure that he/she has a good relationship with his learners
so that they will be comfortable with him and the learners could participate very
well in the class and share whatever they want to share.

2. Safety needs in the classroom

a. The teacher should make sure that the classroom is free from any form of threats
from their classmates and others.
b. The teacher should set rules or policies in the class in order to guide the behaviour
of the pupils/students.
3. Love and belongingness needs in the classroom
a. As a teacher, I should make my treatment to all my students fairly and avoid
favouritism to avoid conflict in the class.
b. The teacher should develop or build friendship with the pupils/students for them to
feel they belong and treat everyone as a family, but a teacher should also make sure
that they will still respect you.
4. Esteem needs in the classroom
a. A teacher should motivate and encourage the students to perform better in the
class and if necessary, he should give a reward like saying “Very Good”.
b. The teacher should help the students boost their confidence so they will develop
their self-esteem.
5. Cognitive needs in the classroom
a. A teacher should develop the student’s cognitive aspects by making them think
critically.
b. The teacher should make sure that the information he has to give in the classroom
are significant and also he has to build a constructivist classroom to let the learners
participate well in the class.
6. Aesthetic needs in the classroom
a. The teacher should enhance the learner’s abilities, if they are good in music, develop
it and also in painting, sports and etc.
b. The teacher should teach the learners to act accordingly to their age level.
7. Self-Actualization needs in the classroom
a. The teacher should make the students discover and know his own potentials.
b. The teacher should help the learners be in the thing they are interested in and finding
its purpose.
8. Transcendence needs in the classroom
a. The teacher’s big role is to make the learners be sympathetic and develop emphatic
attitude towards other people.
b. The main purpose of a teacher is to make the learners to be a good person and think
of others not just their own interest.
http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html