4/20/2016

RebuildingMaslowsPyramidonanEvolutionaryFoundation|PsychologyToday

DouglasT.KenrickPh.D.
Sex,Murder,andtheMeaningofLife

Rebuilding Maslows Pyramid on an

Evolutionary Foundation
ModernizingMaslowwithamultilevelevolutionarystructure.

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PostedMay20,2010

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Ifyouveevertakenageneralpsychologycourse,youveseenMaslowspyramidofmotivesitsone
ofthefieldsmostvividandmemorableimages.Maslowproposedahierarchyofmotives,withthoseat
thebottomtakingprecedenceoverthosehigherup.Ifyouarestarving,forexample,thebasic
physiologicalcravingforfoodwilltrumpallothergoals(/basics/motivation)anddominateyourthought
processes.Onceyourewellfed,youbegintoworryaboutsafety,andonceyouresafe,youbeginto
worryaboutgettingaffection.AtthetopofMaslowspyramidwasselfactualizationthedesiretofulfill
youruniquecreativepotential(ifyouareamusician,andyouvesatisfiedallyourlowerbiological
needs,youcanmoveontoplayingmusicforitsownsakeifyoureapoet,youcandedicateyourself
toyourpoetry).
Insomeways,Maslowsideaswerebrilliant,
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them.Forexample,Maslowwasrebelling
againstthetraditionalBehavioristassumption
thattherewereonlyafewprimarymotives
(suchashunger(/basics/appetite)andthirst,for
example)andthatallothermotiveswere
derivedfromthoseviaclassicalconditioning
experiences.Hearguedthatthereweremultiple
independentmotivationalsystemsinvolvedin
seekingsafety,thedesireforlove
(/basics/relationships),andtheneedforesteem,

andthatthesewerenotdirectlyconnectedtothosebasicphysiologicaldesires.Laterresearchfrom
neuroscience(/basics/neuroscience)andevolutionarybiologyhassupportedthisideaquitewell.
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RebuildingMaslowsPyramidonanEvolutionaryFoundation|PsychologyToday

Maslowalsopresumedthatdifferentmotivationalsystemscomeonlineatdifferentphasesof
development.Aninfantisonlyconcernedwithbasicphysiologicalneeds,andnotwithmakingfriends.
Akindergartenchildbeginstodevelopaninterestinmakingfriends,anddoesnotworryaboutgaining
esteemuntilhecaresaboutsocialopinions.
MaslowRevisited
Butthemodernintegrationofideasfromneuroscience,developmentalbiology,andevolutionary
psychology(/basics/evolutionarypsychology)suggeststhatMaslowhadafewthingswrong.Forone
thing,henevergavemuchthoughttoreproduction.Heconceivedofhigherneedsascompletely
personalstrivings,unconnectedfromotherpeople,andtotallydivorcedfrombiologicalneeds.Parental
motivationswerecompletelymissingfromhishierarchy,andheplacedsexualneedsdownatthe
bottomalongwithhungerandthirst.Presumably,sexualurgeswerebiologicalannoyancesthat
couldbeaswelldispatchedbymasturbation(/basics/masturbation)asbyhavingintercourse,before
onemovedbacktohigherpursuitslikeplayingtheguitarorwritingpoetry.
Fromamodernevolutionaryperspective,thatisacurioussetofassumptions.Foronething,allliving
organisms,includingyouandI,inheritedasetofmotivationalmechanismsthatinspiredusto
reproduce.Likeothermammals,humansalsohavestrongattachmentstotheoffspringtheyproduce,
andunlikemostmammals,bothsexesdevelopattachmentstotheirmatesandtheiroffspring.Inthe
renovatedpyramid,reproductivegoalsareatthetop,notthebottom.Furthermore,thereismorethan
oneindependentsetofmotivationsinvolvedinreproduction.First,oneneedstoattractamate.After
thatisaccomplished,oneneedstomaintainarelationship(averydifferentsetofproblems,assomeof
ushavelearned).Finally,oneneedstocareforonesoffspring.
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RebuildingMaslowsPyramidonanEvolutionaryFoundation|PsychologyToday

Selfactualizationdoesnotappearinthenew
pyramid,notbecauseitsnotinterestingand
important,butbecauseitisnotfundamental.
Researchsuggeststhatcreativeperformances
arehardlydetachedfromothersocialmotives
theyarelinkedtogainingstatusandacquiring
mates,especiallyformen(whichiswhymen
showoffsomuchmorethanwomen,whoare
everybitastalented,butlessostentatiousabout
it).
Therearesomeotherintellectuallysnazzy
featuresoftherenovatedpyramid,whichIlltalkaboutlater.Forexample,thenewframeworksortsout
threeimportantlevelsofanalysisthatwereblurredorignoredbyMaslow:evolutionaryfunction,
development,andproximatelinksbetweenmotivesandthesocialenvironment(/basics/environment).
Importantly,themotivesinthenewpyramidarenotstacked,asinMaslowspyramid.Instead,thenew
pyramiddepictslaterdevelopinggoalsareasoverlappingwith,ratherthancompletelyreplacing,
earlierdevelopinggoals.
Formoreinformation,seetheoriginalpaper(http://pps.sagepub.com/content/current),whichwas
publishedalongwithseveralcommentariesbyprominentresearchpsychologists(severalofwhom,
likeJohnBargh,SonjaLyubomirsky,ChrisPeterson,andJoshAckerman,are,coincidentally,also
bloggersforPsychologyToday).
References
Ackerman,J.M.,&Bargh,J.A.(2010).Thepurposedrivenlife:CommentaryonKenricketal.(2010).
PerspectivesonPsychologicalScience,5,323326.
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RebuildingMaslowsPyramidonanEvolutionaryFoundation|PsychologyToday

Kenrick,D.T.,Griskevicius,V.,Neuberg,S.L.,&Schaller,M.(2010).Renovatingthepyramidofneeds:
Contemporaryextensionsbuiltuponancientfoundations.PerspectivesonPsychologicalScience,5,
292314.
Kesebir,S.,Graham,J.,&Oishi,S.(2010).Atheoryofhumanneedsshouldbehumancentered,not
animalcentered:CommentaryonKenricketal.(2010).PerspectivesonPsychologicalScience,5,
315319.
Lyubomirsky,S.,&Boehm,J.K.(2010).Humanmotives,happiness(/basics/happiness),andthe
puzzleofparenthood(/basics/parenting):CommentaryonKenricketal.(2010).Perspectiveson
PsychologicalScience,5,327334.
Peterson,C.,&Park,N.(2010).Whathappenedtoselfactualization?CommentaryonKenricketal.
(2010).PerspectivesonPsychologicalScience,5,320322.
Schaller,M.,Neuberg,S.L.,Griskevicius,V.,&Kenrick,D.T.(2010).Pyramidpower:Responseto
commentaries.PerspectivesonPsychologicalScience,5,335337.
Besuretoreadthefollowingresponsestothispostbyourbloggers:

WhatMovesUs(/blog/inhindsight/201303/whatmovesus)isareplybyNealRoesePh.D.

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