Maslow's Hierarchy of

Needs
Maslow, Abraham H. (1908-1970)
Humanistic Theory of Learning
1908 – 1970, Born in Brooklyn NY
Ph.D., Univ. of Wisconsin, 1934

Theory

Abraham Maslow has been considered the Father of Humanistic Psychology.

Maslow's theory is based on the notion that experience is the primary
phenomenon in the study of human learning and behavior. He placed
emphasis on choice, creativity, values, self-realization, all distinctively human
qualities, and believed that meaningfulness and subjectivity were more
important than objectivity. For Maslow, development of human potential,
dignity and worth are ultimate concerns.

Maslow rejected behaviorist views and Freud's theories on the basis of their
reductionistic approaches. He felt Freud's view of human nature was negative,
and he valued goodness, nobility and reason. Also, Freud concentrated on the
mentally ill, and Maslow was interested in healthy human psychology.

Maslow and his colleagues came to refer to their movement as “third force
psychology,” the first two being psychoanalysis and behaviorism. The third
force is based on philosophies of existentialism and humanism.

He is famous for proposing that human motivation is based on a hierarchy of

needs. The lowest level of needs are physiological and survival needs such as
hunger and thirst. Further levels include belonging and love, self-esteem, and
self-actualization.

From Maslow's perspective, the drive to learn is intrinsic. The purpose of

learning is to bring about self-actualization, and the goals of educators should
include this process. Learning contributes to psychological health. Maslow
proposed other goals of learning, including discovery of one's vocation or
destiny; knowledge of values; realization of life as precious, acquisition of peak
experiences, sense of accomplishment, satisfaction of psychological needs,
awareness of beauty and wonder in life, impulse control, developing choice,
and grappling with the critical existential problems of life.

Maslow's theory of learning highlighted the differences between experiential

knowledge and spectator knowledge. He regarded spectator, or scientific,
knowledge to be inferior to experiential.

Properties of experiential learning include:

 immersion in the experience without awareness of the flow of time

 momentarily not being self-conscious
 transcending time, place, history, and society by being beyond and
unaffected by them
 merging with that which is being experienced
 being innocently receptive, as a child, uncritical
 suspending temporarily evaluation of the experience in terms of its
importance or unimportance
 lack of inhibition, subsiding of selfishness, fear, defensiveness
 experience unfolds naturally without striving or effort
 suspending criticism, validation, and evaluation of the experience
 trusting experience by passively letting it happen; letting go of
preconceived notions
 disengaging from logical, analytical, and rational activities

Maslow wanted to understand what motivates people. He believed

that people possess a set of motivation systems unrelated
to rewards or unconscious desires.
Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain
needs. When one need is fulfilled a person seeks to fulfill the next
one, and so on.

The earliest and most widespread version of Maslow's (1943,

1954) hierarchy of needs includes five motivational needs, often
depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
This five stage model can be divided into basic (or deficiency) needs
(e.g. physiological, safety, love, and esteem) and growth needs (self-
actualization).

The deficiency, or basic needs are said to motivate people when they
are unmet. Also, the need to fulfil such needs will become stronger the
longer the duration they are denied. For example, the longer a person
goes without food the more hungry they will become.

One must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to

meet higher level growth needs. Once these needs have been
reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called
self-actualization.
Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy
toward a level of self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress is often
disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences,
including divorce and loss of job may cause an individual to fluctuate
between levels of the hierarchy.

Maslow noted only one in a hundred people become fully self-

actualized because our society rewards motivation primarily based on
esteem, love and other social needs.

The original hierarchy of

needs five-stage model
includes:
1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter,
warmth, sex, sleep.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law,

stability, freedom from fear.
3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and
love, - from work group, family, friends, romantic relationships.

4. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status,

dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.

5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-

fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
Maslow posited that human needs are arranged in a hierarchy:

'It is quite true that man lives by bread alone — when there is no
bread. But what happens to man’s desires when there is plenty of
bread and when his belly is chronically filled?

At once other (and “higher") needs emerge and these, rather than
physiological hungers, dominate the organism. And when these in turn
are satisfied, again new (and still “higher") needs emerge and so on.
This is what we mean by saying that the basic human needs are
organized into a hierarchy of relative prepotency' (Maslow, 1943, p.
375).

The expanded hierarchy of

needs:
It is important to note that Maslow's (1943, 1954) five stage model has
been expanded to include cognitive and aesthetic needs (Maslow,
1970a) and later transcendence needs (Maslow, 1970b).

Changes to the original five-stage model are indented and include a

seven-stage model and a eight-stage model, both developed during
the 1960's and 1970s.

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter,

warmth, sex, 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-

fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

8. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self actualization.

Self-actualization
Instead of focusing on psychopathology and what goes wrong with
people, Maslow (1943) formulated a more positive account of human
behavior which focused on what goes right. He was interested in
human potential, and how we fulfill that potential.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1943, 1954) stated that human
motivation is based on people seeking fulfillment and change through
personal growth. Self-actualized people are those who were fulfilled
and doing all they were capable of.

The growth of self-actualization (Maslow, 1962) refers to the need for

personal growth and discovery that is present throughout a person’s
life. For Maslow, a person is always 'becoming' and never remains
static in these terms. In self-actualization a person comes to find a
meaning to life that is important to them.

As each person is unique the motivation for self-actualization leads

people in different directions (Kenrick et al., 2010). For some people
self-actualization can be achieved through creating works of art or
literature, for others through sport, in the classroom, or within a
corporate setting.
Maslow (1962) believed self-actualization could be measured through
the concept of peak experiences. This occurs when a person
experiences the world totally for what it is, and there are feelings of
euphoria, joy and wonder.

It is important to note that self-actualization is a continual process of

becoming rather than a perfect state one reaches of a 'happy ever
after' (Hoffman, 1988).
Maslow offers the following description of self-actualization:

'It refers to the person’s desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the

tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially.

The specific form that these needs will take will of course vary greatly
from person to person. In one individual it may take the form of the
desire to be an ideal mother, in another it may be expressed
athletically, and in still another it may be expressed in painting pictures
or in inventions' (Maslow, 1943, p. 382–383).

Are you self-actualized?

Maslow (1968): Some of the

characteristics of self-
actualized people
Although we are all, theoretically, capable of self-actualizing, most of
us will not do so, or only to a limited degree. Maslow (1970) estimated
that only two percent of people will reach the state of self
actualization. He was particularly interested in the characteristics of
people whom he considered to have achieved their potential as
persons.

By studying 18 people he considered to be self-actualized (including

Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein) Maslow (1970) identified 15
characteristics of a self-actualized person.

Characteristics of self-actualizers:

1. They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty;

2. Accept themselves and others for what they are;

3. Spontaneous in thought and action;

4. Problem-centered (not self-centered);

5. Unusual sense of humor;

6. Able to look at life objectively;

7. Highly creative;

8. Resistant to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional;

9. Concerned for the welfare of humanity;

10. Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience;

11. Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with a few

people;

12. Peak experiences;

13. Need for privacy;

14. Democratic attitudes;

15. Strong moral/ethical standards.

Behavior leading to self-actualization:

(a) Experiencing life like a child, with full absorption and concentration;

(b) Trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths;

(c) Listening to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead of

the voice of tradition, authority or the majority;

(d) Avoiding pretense ('game playing') and being honest;

(e) Being prepared to be unpopular if your views do not coincide with

those of the majority;

(f) Taking responsibility and working hard;

(g) Trying to identify your defenses and having the courage to give
them up.

The characteristics of self-actualizers and the behaviors leading to

self-actualization are shown in the list above. Although people
achieve self-actualization in their own unique way, they tend to share
certain characteristics. However, self-actualization is a matter of
degree, 'There are no perfect human beings' (Maslow,1970a, p. 176).
It is not necessary to display all 15 characteristics to become self-
actualized, and not only self-actualized people will display them.
Maslow did not equate self-actualization with perfection. Self-
actualization merely involves achieving ones potential. Thus, someone
can be silly, wasteful, vain and impolite, and still self-actualize. Less
than two percent of the population achieve self-actualization.

Educational applications
Maslow's (1968) hierarchy of needs theory has made a major
contribution to teaching and classroom management in schools.
Rather than reducing behavior to a response in the environment,
Maslow (1970a) adopts a holistic approach to education and learning.
Maslow looks at the entire physical, emotional, social, and intellectual
qualities of an individual and how they impact on learning.
Applications of Maslow's hierarchy theory to the work of the classroom
teacher are obvious. Before a student's cognitive needs can be met
they must first fulfil their basic physiological needs. For example a
tired and hungry student will find it difficult to focus on learning.
Students need to feel emotionally and physically safe and accepted
within the classroom to progress and reach their full potential.

Maslow suggests students must be shown that they are valued and
respected in the classroom and the teacher should create a supportive
environment. Students with a low self-esteem will not progress
academically at an optimum rate until their self-esteem is
strengthened.

Critical evaluation
The most significant limitation of Maslow's theory concerns his
methodology. Maslow formulated the characteristics of self-actualized
individuals from undertaking a qualitative method called biographical
analysis.

He looked at the biographies and writings of 18 people he identified as

being self-actualized. From these sources he developed a list of
qualities that seemed characteristic of this specific group of people, as
opposed to humanity in general.

From a scientific perspective there are numerous problems with this

particular approach. First, it could be argued that biographical analysis
as a method is extremely subjective as it is based entirely on the
opinion of the researcher. Personal opinion is always prone to bias,
which reduces the validity of any data obtained. Therefore Maslow's
operational definition of self-actualization must not be blindly accepted
as scientific fact.
Furthermore, Maslow's biographical analysis focused on a biased
sample of self-actualized individuals, prominently limited to highly
educated white males (such as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln,
Albert Einstein, William James, Aldous Huxley, Gandhi, Beethoven).

Although Maslow (1970) did study self-actualized females, such as

Eleanor Roosevelt and Mother Teresa, they comprised a small
proportion of his sample. This makes it difficult to generalize his theory
to females and individuals from lower social classes or different
ethnicity. Thus questioning the population validity of Maslow's
findings.
Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to empirically test Maslow's
concept of self-actualization in a way that causal relationships can be
established.
Another criticism concerns Maslow's assumption that the lower needs
must be satisfied before a person can achieve their potential and self-
actualize. This is not always the case, and therefore Maslow's
hierarchy of needs in some aspects has been falsified.

Through examining cultures in which large numbers of people live in

poverty (such as India) it is clear that people are still capable of higher
order needs such as love and belongingness. However, this should
not occur, as according to Maslow, people who have difficulty
achieving very basic physiological needs (such as food, shelter etc.)
are not capable of meeting higher growth needs.

Also, many creative people, such as authors and artists (e.g.

Rembrandt and Van Gough) lived in poverty throughout their lifetime,
yet it could be argued that they achieved self-actualization.

Contemporary research by Tay & Diener (2011) has tested Maslow’s

theory by analyzing the data of 60,865 participants from 123 countries,
representing every major region of the world. The survey was
conducted from 2005 to 2010.

Respondents answered questions about six needs that closely

resemble those in Maslow's model: basic needs (food, shelter); safety;
social needs (love, support); respect; mastery; and autonomy. They
also rated their well-being across three discrete measures: life
evaluation (a person's view of his or her life as a whole), positive
feelings (day-to-day instances of joy or pleasure), and negative
feelings (everyday experiences of sorrow, anger, or stress).
The results of the study support the view that universal human needs
appear to exist regardless of cultural differences. However, the
ordering of the needs within the hierarchy was not correct.

"Although the most basic needs might get the most attention when
you don't have them," Diener explains, "you don't need to fulfill them in
order to get benefits [from the others]." Even when we are hungry, for
instance, we can be happy with our friends. "They're like vitamins,"
Diener says about how the needs work independently. "We need them
all."

Abraham Maslow

“The story of the human race is the story of

men and women selling themselves short.” ~ Abraham
Maslow

The modern era gave birth to a new field of research, the

study of human behavior or psychology. Engrossed in the
study of pathology, mainstream.psychologists such as
Freud and Skinner did not give as much thought to the
sources of happiness as to the roots of unhappiness. One
of the earliest psychologists to focus attention on happy
individuals and their psychological trajectory was
Abraham Maslow, who is most well known for his
“hierarchy of needs.”

Inspired by the work of the humanistic psychologist Erich

Fromm, Maslow insists that the urge for self-actualization
is deeply entrenched in the human psyche, but only
surfaces once the more basic needs are fulfilled. Once the
powerful needs for food, security, love and self-esteem are
satisfied, a deep desire for creative expression and self-
actualization rises to the surface. Through his “hierarchy
of needs,” Maslow succeeds in combining the insights of
earlier psychologists such as Freud and Skinner, who focus
on the more basic human instincts, and the more upbeat
work of Jung and Fromm, who insist that the desire for
happiness is equally worthy of attention.

Human life will never be understood unless its

highest aspirations are taken into account. Growth,
self-actualization, the striving toward health, the
quest for identity and autonomy, the yearning for
excellence (and other ways of phrasing the striving
“upward”) must by now be accepted beyond
question as a widespread and perhaps universal
human tendency … (Maslow, 1954,Motivation and
Personality, pp.xii-xiii)
Abraham Maslow essentially made self-fulfillment and
happiness a central part of his life’s work. In a break from
the other experts of his time, he wanted to understand
what motivated the great people of history and to
understand human potential; he wanted to know what
humans are capable of as their healthiest self.

MASLOW: A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Maslow’s studies in psychological health and happiness
are rooted in a surprisingly sad and frustrated early life.
His father was frequently absent physically as well as
emotionally while he openly expressed hatred towards his
mother, calling her “schizophrenogenic” (schizophrenia-
inducing) ignorant and cruel (Hoffman, 1999, pp. 8-9). He
was largely socially isolated as a Jew in a non-Jewish
community; and while he was later tested at an IQ level of
195, he found himself on academic probation during his
freshman year of college, which he left only to go on to quit
law school after a few weeks and Cornell University after
one semester (Hoffman, 1999, p. 28). But fortunately for
us, a series of experiences redirected the course of
Maslow’s life (Hoffman, 1999, pp. 137-139). He gained a
sense of purpose, mission and a profound optimism that
would color all of his theories and works.

MASLOW VERSUS TRADITIONAL

PSYCHOLOGIES
Like the ideas of Mencius, Maslow’s theories are
essentially optimistic about human nature and human
possibilities. His theories grew from his intuitive ‘hunch’
that deep down, human nature is good or neutral and not
inherently bad or evil.
 Freud (seated left) and other psychoanalysts, 1922.
Maslow thought Freudian psychologists placed too much
emphasis on human weaknesses, obscuring a deeper
understanding of psychological health. This would be, in
some sense, throwing out the baby with the bath water.
Maslow felt that the baby (in this case, human nature)
shouldn’t be so easily mistaken for the bathwater (the
problem itself). Maslow felt that psychoanalysis and its
emphasis on neuroses had its place. Yet he intended his
studies on happiness and health to complement those of
the established schools of psychology. And so he turned
his attention towards what he saw as the best and
brightest in human history and society in order to
determine human potential. From this happy point of
departure, we move to highlight some of the many
contributions Maslow brings to the pursuit of happiness.

HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
The more we learn about man’s natural tendencies,
the easier it will be to tell him how to be good, how
to be happy, how to be fruitful, how to respect
himself, how to love, how to fulfill his highest
potentialities … The thing to do seems to be to find
out what one is really like inside; deep down, as a
member of the human species and as a particular
individual (Maslow, 1987, p. 6).
One of Maslow’s lasting and most significant contributions
to psychology is what he calls the “hierarchy of needs.” In
his quest to understand human motivation and the pursuit
of happiness, he formulated a list of basic human needs
that had to be fulfilled for maximum psychological health.
Through his interviews and studies, he came to categorize
a hierarchical list of needs that need be fulfilled for
increasing life satisfaction:

Physiological Needs
The Physiological Needs such as breathing, food, drink,
sleep, sex, excretion are largely (and obviously) biological
and physical requirements. When they are not fulfilled,
people become preoccupied with filling those needs above
all else. For example, starving people in a war zone can be
oblivious to danger when in search of food (Maslow, 1987,
pp. 15-17).

Safety needs
Once the basic needs are fulfilled, other needs invariably
arise (Maslow, 1987, pp. 17-18). In Maslow’s hierarchy, the
safety needs come after the physiological needs. Maslow
used the word “safety” to mean more than just physical
safety. Economic, social, vocational, psychological security
all fall underneath this second tier of human needs. While
safety needs are less immediate or demanding than the
physiological needs, when one loses one’s job, family,
home, life savings, health insurance, etc, one is likely to
feel terribly insecure and unprotected. Fulfilling the safety
needs might be likened to providing a bumper or airbags
on a car; while you don’t always need them, having them
gives you some confidence that you can face minor bumps
and bruises along the road of life (Maslow, 1987, pp. 18-
20).

Belongingness and love needs

As social beings, family, friendships and intimate
connections get many people through the ups and downs
of life. Numerous studies have shown that the healthiest,
happiest people tend to be more involved in their
communities. While there is debate on whether one causes
the other is unclear, there is some sense that having wider
social connections and relationships are an important part
of being happy. Lack of interactions, human relationships
and the sense of belonging may result in depression or
loneliness while an abundance of love and community
often sustain people through difficult times (Maslow, 1987,
pp. 20-21).

Esteem needs
Maslow felt there was a clear distinction between love and
respect or esteem. He felt that an ability to feel self-esteem
and personal uniqueness sprung from being loved and
embraced by families and communities. As individuals, we
naturally wish to excel or be exceptional, to be noticed for
our unique talents and capabilities. Once one has some
measure of self-esteem and confidence, one gains the
psychological freedom to be creative and to grow as well as
to be more generous to others (Maslow, 1987, pp. 21-22).

An interpretation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

SELF-ACTUALIZATION
What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call
self-actualization…It refers to the desire for self-
fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become
actualized in what he is potentially. This tendency might
be phrased as the desire to become more and more what
one is, to become everything that one is capable of
becoming. (Maslow, 1954, Motivation and Personality, p.
93)
The top ‘pier’ of Maslow’s hierarchy is dubbed “self-
actualization.” Maslow studied happy people in order to
determine what it was that made them happy or, self-
actualized (Maslow, 1987, p. 22).

Self-actualizing people enjoy life in general and

practically all its aspects, while most other people
enjoy only stray moments of triumph … (Maslow,
1999, p. 37)
Maslow refers to peak experiences as the experience of
happiness. He notes above that self-actualized people tend
to experience a steadier, grounded sense of well-being and
satisfaction with life. According to Maslow, self-actualizing
people perceive reality accurately; they have a sense of
awe, wonder and gratitude about life. They are not self-
centered but rather problem-centered and focus on how to
improve and are not deficiency-centered. They are
independent thinkers and are not overly influenced by the
general culture. Their sense of humor is not sarcastic or
hurtful but rather “life-affirming” with a philosophical
sense of humor. They have a deeply felt sense of kinship
with the human race.

GROWTH MOTIVATIONS AND DEFICIENCY

MOTIVATIONS
Growth takes place when the next step forward is
subjectively more delightful, more joyous, more
intrinsically satisfying than the previous
gratification which we have become familiar and
even bored (Maslow, 1999, p. 53).
In his hierarchy of needs, Maslow called the bottom four
levels “deficiency needs.” He claims that the lower needs,
such as the need for food, safety, love and esteem are
needs that humans cannot do without. A deficiency in any
of these interferes with one’s psychological health and so
one might react defensively, or at times, irrationally, from
a place of weakness rather than strength. And so,
consciously or unconsciously, one works to fill these needs
– literally or symbolically. But it is important to note that
Maslow viewed these as “needs” and necessities. On the
other hand, healthy people who have fulfilled these lower
needs are able to act based on the desire to grow rather
than being motivated by deficiencies. Simply put, their
deficiencies do not determine their actions and instead,
they are motivated by growth and fulfillment! It is from a
position of psychological well-being that one is able to
pursue what Maslow perceived as the universal human
tendency to strive for growth, autonomy, identity and the
excellence of self-actualization (Maslow, 1987, pp. 117-
118).

A FEW NOTES ABOUT THE HIERARCHY

Maslow used the term ‘hierarchy’ because, like a pyramid,
the higher levels of needs rest upon the foundation of the
lower level needs. Though pyramid shapes are frequently
used to visually represent Maslow’s hierarchy of needs it
may be more accurate to think of the needs as sitting not
firmly atop the lower level of needs but nested inside the
previous level. This suggests a much more organic,
integrated relationship between each of the different
stages. It is important to note that Maslow saw the
hierarchy as a general description of a person’s general
needs. He points out that the levels are not fixed and that
each need does not necessarily need to be fulfilled 100% in
order for one to move on to the next level or for someone
to feel the pull from the next level of needs. We can be
struggling to fulfill our basic physical needs (food, drink,
sleep, etc) but still feel a need to pursue stability in our
homes and receive love and esteem within our
communities. For some, love needs may come after esteem
needs, but both are necessary in different ways and
degrees (Maslow, 1987, pp. 57-59).

PEAK EXPERIENCES
Maslow described peak experience as a “tremendous
intensification of any of the experiences in which there is
loss of self or transcendence of [self]” (Maslow,
1970, Motivation and Personality, p. 165). It is a
rapturous emotional experience and similar to what
religious people might call an ecstatic “mystical
experience” where the divisions cease to exist (for
example, the division between the head and the heart).
Maslow found these peak experiences to be rare and
difficult to describe. Their most important contribution is
their ability to promote growth and cause one to change in
a profound way (Maslow, 1987, p. 138).
Maslow notes that feelings of intense happiness associated
with peak experiences would always be fleeting. In fact, he
discouraged people from expecting peak experiences to be
anything other than temporary. He seemed to feel that it
was only when people accepted this that they were free to
settle into personal well-being and happiness. He found
that not all self-actualizing people had peak experiences,
but noted a higher degree of satisfaction for those who did
experience them versus those who did not (Maslow, 1987,
p. xxii).

MENTAL ILLNESS
Maslow viewed psychological illnesses as “fallings away
from full humanness, from the blooming of human
nature” (Maslow, 1973, The Farther Reaches of Human
Nature, p. 31) and not as a physical or strictly biological
affliction. He suggested, for instance, that neuroses were
“related to spiritual disorders, to loss of meaning, to
doubts about the goals of life, to grief and anger over a lost
love, to seeing life in a different way, to loss of courage or
of hope, to despair over the future, to dislike for oneself, to
recognition that one’s life is being wasted, or that there is
no possibility of joy or love, etc.” (Maslow, 1973, The
Farther Reaches of Human Nature, p. 31). Though he
acknowledged the possibility that psychological disorders
may have some physical or biological factors, Maslow saw
social, educational, political, familial, etc. factors as
playing a far greater role.
This view allows Maslow to be optimistic about reversing
pathologies and neuroses. In fact, he sees neuroses as
preferable to apathy because unlike those who have given
up hope, the neurotic person manifests a timid, ineffectual
“striving towards full humanness”. He is especially hopeful
about being able to restore children back to psychological
health by applying his principles of the hierarchy of needs.
Simply put, if a child is lacking love, he/she should
surrounded by love. If another is lacking self-confidence,
he/she should be shown respect, etc. The point is, for
Maslow, psychological illness does not have to happen and
if it does, there are ways to reverse its effects or, at the very
least, to improve the situation.