Skip to main content
ExamExplained

Maslow's hierarchy of needs: WACE Year 12 Psychology Unit 4

Syllabus dot point

“Hierarchy of needs (Maslow, 1954, 1970): deficiency needs (physiological, safety, love and belongingness, esteem) and growth needs (self-actualisation) (1954); the expanded hierarchy (1970) with cognitive, aesthetic and transcendence needs; the concept of self-actualisation and the characteristics of a self-actualised person”

WACEPsychologyUnit 4: Motivation, wellbeing and health8 min read

Quick answer

Maslow's hierarchy of needs (1954) arranges motivation in levels: four deficiency needs (physiological, safety, love and belongingness, esteem) that motivate us when they are lacking, and the growth need of self-actualisation, the drive to fulfil our potential. The expanded hierarchy (1970) adds cognitive needs (knowledge and understanding), aesthetic needs (beauty and order) and transcendence (helping others and connecting with something beyond the self). Lower needs generally have to be met before higher ones become the main motivators.

Jump to a section
  1. What this dot point is asking
  2. The original hierarchy (1954)
  3. The expanded hierarchy (1970)
  4. Self-actualisation
  5. Strengths and limitations
  6. Exam-style questions

What this dot point is asking

Maslow is a named theorist, so the syllabus expects the features of the theory, its strengths and limitations, and its application to a real-world context. You also need the concept of self-actualisation and the characteristics of a self-actualised person.

The original hierarchy (1954)

From the bottom up:

Level Need Examples Type
1 Physiological Food, water, sleep, warmth Deficiency
2 Safety Physical safety, security, stability, health, a secure income Deficiency
3 Love and belongingness Friendship, family, intimacy, being part of a group Deficiency
4 Esteem Self-respect, achievement, recognition and respect from others Deficiency
5 Self-actualisation Fulfilling your potential, becoming the best you can be Growth
  • Deficiency needs arise from something missing. An unmet deficiency need creates tension that motivates us to satisfy it; once satisfied, it stops being a strong motivator.
  • Growth needs come from the desire to develop. They are never fully satisfied; pursuing them tends to increase motivation.

The expanded hierarchy (1970)

Maslow's expanded model has eight levels:

  1. Physiological
  2. Safety
  3. Love and belongingness
  4. Esteem
  5. Cognitive: knowledge, understanding, curiosity, meaning
  6. Aesthetic: appreciation of beauty, balance and order
  7. Self-actualisation
  8. Transcendence: helping others reach their potential, and connecting with something beyond the self (such as nature, a cause or spirituality)

In the expanded model, the first four levels are deficiency needs and the upper four are growth needs.

Know which additions are 1970

The syllabus separates the 1954 hierarchy from the expanded 1970 hierarchy. The three additions are cognitive, aesthetic and transcendence needs.

Self-actualisation

Self-actualisation is the ongoing process of realising your full potential and becoming the most complete version of yourself. Maslow believed only a small proportion of people fully reach it. He described self-actualised people as tending to:

  • perceive reality accurately and tolerate uncertainty;
  • accept themselves, others and nature;
  • be spontaneous and natural;
  • be problem-centred, focused on issues beyond themselves;
  • value privacy and independence (autonomy);
  • keep a fresh appreciation of everyday experiences;
  • have peak experiences, moments of intense joy and fulfilment;
  • form deep, close relationships with a few people;
  • hold democratic values and a strong ethical sense;
  • have a thoughtful, non-hostile sense of humour and be creative.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths.

  • Simple, intuitive and easy to apply in schools, workplaces and health care.
  • Takes a positive view of people, including growth and potential, not only needs caused by deficits.
  • Covers a wide range of needs, from biological to social and personal.

Limitations.

  • The order is not rigid: people sometimes pursue higher needs while lower needs are unmet (Maslow himself said needs only have to be partly met).
  • Self-actualisation is hard to define and measure; Maslow based it on studying a small, selective group of people he admired, so it is difficult to test scientifically.
  • It may reflect individualistic Western values; in more collectivist cultures, belonging may be ranked above personal esteem.
Applying the hierarchy

A refugee family settling in Perth

  • Physiological and safety needs come first: housing, food, health care and a safe neighbourhood.
  • Love and belongingness: joining a community group and making friends at school.
  • Esteem: a parent gaining a job that uses their qualifications and earning respect.
  • Cognitive and aesthetic: a teenager developing a love of science and enjoying the city's parks and art.
  • Self-actualisation and transcendence: years later, one parent trains as a counsellor and helps other new arrivals settle.

Marker's note: name the level, say whether it is a deficiency or growth need, and link it to the detail in the scenario.

Common errors
Calling self-actualisation a deficiency need
It is a growth need.
Leaving out the 1970 additions, or adding them to the 1954 model
Cognitive, aesthetic and transcendence needs belong to the expanded hierarchy.
Treating the order as absolute
Evaluate the strict sequence as a limitation.

Exam-style questions

Questions in the style of SCSA exam questions on this dot point, each with a worked answer. They are written by ExamExplained unless tagged "Past paper"; the year shows the paper a question is modelled on.

Original6 marks
Distinguish between deficiency needs and growth needs in Maslow's hierarchy (1954), and use the hierarchy to explain why a student who has not eaten and feels unsafe at home may struggle to focus on schoolwork.
Show worked answer →

Two marks for each type of need and two marks for the application.

Deficiency needs
Physiological, safety, love and belongingness, and esteem needs. They arise from a lack of something; when unmet they create tension that motivates behaviour to reduce the deficit, and motivation drops once they are satisfied.
Growth needs
Self-actualisation (and, in the expanded model, cognitive, aesthetic and transcendence needs). They come from a desire to grow and fulfil potential, and motivation continues or increases as they are pursued.
Application
The student's physiological need (food) and safety need are unmet. According to Maslow, lower-level deficiency needs generally have to be largely met before higher needs, such as esteem from achievement or cognitive needs to learn, become the main motivators. The student's attention and energy are directed towards the unmet basic needs, so schoolwork is harder to prioritise.
Original6 marks
Evaluate Maslow's hierarchy of needs as an explanation of motivation, giving two strengths and two limitations.
Show worked answer →

Up to six marks for two strengths and two limitations, each explained, with a judgement.

Strengths
It is simple, intuitive and widely applied, for example by schools providing breakfast programs so students can learn. It includes growth and positive potential, not just the reduction of needs.
Limitations
The strict order is not always supported: people sometimes pursue higher needs, such as creativity or relationships, while lower needs are unmet. Self-actualisation is hard to define and measure, and Maslow based it on a small, selective sample of people he admired. The model may reflect individualistic Western values.
Judgement
Useful as a general framework, but it should not be treated as a rigid sequence that applies to everyone.

Practise this

Sources & how we know this

Based on the official SCSA syllabus. Not yet individually reviewed by a person; always check SCSA and your school's materials for current rules.

ExamExplained