Abraham Maslow - 1907-1980

Abraham Harold Maslow was an American psychologist who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization. – Wikipedia

Abraham Maslow was originally with the Behaviorist psychologists - utilizing and explaining human behavior using Conditioning and Stimulus-Response. In those days much of behaviorist research was done with animals. Maslow was involved with laboratory-based studies utilizing animals, such as primates, dogs, and rats.

Maslow became more interested in studying human behavior directly and began by studying gestalt psychology and the works of Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wilhelm Wundt. Gestalt psychologists emphasize that organisms perceive entire patterns or configurations, not merely individual components. The view is sometimes summarized with “The whole is more than the sum of the parts.”

Abraham Maslow was a member of the faculty of Brooklyn College and chairman of the psychology department at Brandeis University. He was co-founder of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology in 1961, and the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology in 1969.

Humanistic Psychology Maslow believed that behaviorism and psychoanalysis focused too much on the negative aspects of psychology and with the background of gestalt psychology he asserted that human beings are more than just the sum of their parts, that there are also human, social, and spiritual aspects in our being.

In the mid-20th century, there was a significant shift from the behaviorist approaches of the past, to its focus on individuals’ innate drive to self-actualize, expressing oneself, and achieving their full potential. Maslow’s contribution, Humanistic Psychology, was at the center of this movement. Maslow believed that each of us is aware of our own motivations and drives in our pursuit of self-understanding and self-acceptance’.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs In 1943, Maslow published an article entitled A Theory of Human Motivation that appeared in the journal, Motivation and Personality. According to the theory, humans possess higher-order and lower-order needs, which may be arranged in a hierarchy. The first level of needs are the most important - they are the basic foundation for our growth and existence.

To learn more about Maslow’s beliefs, the reader is urged to refer to A Theory of Human Motivation - A. H. Maslow (1943) for the full commentary by the author.

These needs are:

• Physiological needs

• Safety needs

• Love and belonging

• Esteem

• Self-actualization (Maslow, 1943)

Levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy and Coaching Considerations

Physiological needs At the base of the hierarchy are physiological needs; air, water, food, sleep, health, clothes, and shelter (There are many more needs listed in the journey cited above). These needs are positioned at the base of the pyramid to indicate that they are fundamental to human wellbeing and will always take priority over other needs. (Maslow, 1943)

Coaching Considerations Players struggling to meet any of these physiological needs are unlikely to be learning and doing their best to progress toward higher-order needs. For example, we coaches must be alert to signs that this player’s lack of energy is caused by his need of rest. We also must keep a positive, interpersonal relationship with our players’ parents.

Safety needs If a person doesn’t feel safe in their environment, they are unlikely to keep their awareness at an otherwise high level. In particular, safety needs include personal and emotional security (e.g., safety from abuse), financial security, and wellbeing. (Maslow, 1943)

Coaching Considerations Safe usage of equipment (e,g, baseball bat) - Total absence of bullying - Total lack of coach’s insults and threats - Encouraging positive crowd behavior.

Love and belonging Third in the hierarchy is the need for love and belonging through family connections, friendship, and intimacy.Humans are wired for connection, meaning that we seek acceptance and support from others, either one-on-one or in groups, such as clubs, professional organizations, or online communities. In the absence of these connections, we fall susceptible to states of ill-being, such as clinical depression (Teo, 2013 - Maslow, 1943).

Coaching Considerations The most important issues for the coach are the team and each of the players. Teamwork is critical. Each player caring for every other player.

Esteem needs The fourth level of the hierarchy is esteem needs. According to Maslow, there are two subtypes of esteem. The first is esteem reflected in others’ perceptions of us. That is, esteem in the form of prestige, status, recognition, attention, appreciation, or admiration. The second form of esteem is rooted in a desire for confidence, strength, independence, and the ability to achieve. Further, Maslow notes that when our esteem needs are thwarted, feelings of inferiority, weakness, or helplessness are likely to arise (Maslow, 1943).

Coaching Considerations

Teaching the players the rules and history of the game helps connect them to the traditions for the game. Guiding and supporting every player as they develop is critical. Players want to feel competent. Building competencies enhances motivation and develops confidence.

Self-Actualization, Peak Experiences and Self-Transcendence Needs At the top of Maslow’s hierarchy is self-actualization. Humans will only seek the satisfaction of this need following the satisfaction of all the lower-order needs. While scholars have refined the definition of self-actualization over the years, Maslow related it to the feeling of discontent and restlessness when one is not putting their strengths to full use: (Maslow, 1943). Those pursuing self-actualization and self-transcendence are more likely to have peak experiences, which are profound moments of love, rapture, understanding, or joy (Maslow, 1961)

Coaching Considerations

Creating safe spaces that permit players to be their authentic self is a key ingredient for self-actualization. Players expressing themselves wholly and fully are able to experience the Joy inherent in our beautiful games.

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization.” – Maslow (1943)