fei75766_ch09_271-308.indd 281  02/06/20 12:09 PM
Chapter 9    Maslow: Holistic-Dynamic Theory281
Athird category includes those people whohavereceived loveandbelongingness 
onlyinsmall doses. Because theyreceive onlyatasteofloveandbelongingness, they
willbestrongly motivated toseekit.Inother words, people whohavereceived onlya
littleamount oflovehavestronger needs foraffection andacceptance thandopeople 
whohavereceived either ahealthy amount ofloveornoloveatall(Maslow, 1970).
Children need loveinorder togrow psychologically, andtheirattempts tosat-
isfythisneed areusually straightforward anddirect. Adults, too,need love,buttheir
attempts toattain itaresometimes cleverly disguised. These adults often engage in
self-defeating behaviors, suchaspretending tobealoof from other people oradopting 
acynical, cold, andcalloused manner intheirinterpersonal relationships. They may
givetheappearance ofself-sufficiency andindependence, butinreality theyhavea
strong need tobeaccepted andloved byother people. Other adults whose loveneeds 
remain largely unsatisfied adopt more obvious ways oftrying tosatisfy them, butthey
undermine theirownsuccess bystriving toohard. Their constant supplications for
acceptance andaffection leave others suspicious, unfriendly, andimpenetrable.
Esteem Needs
Totheextent thatpeople satisfy theirloveandbelongingness needs, theyarefreetopur-
sueesteem needs, which include self-respect, confidence, competence, andtheknowl -
edgethatothers holdthem inhighesteem. Maslow (1970) identified twolevels of
esteem needs—reputation andself-esteem. Reputation istheperception oftheprestige, 
recognition, orfame aperson hasachieved intheeyesofothers, whereas self-esteem 
isaperson’s ownfeelings ofworth andconfidence. Self-esteem isbased onmore than
reputation orprestige; itreflects a“desire forstrength, forachievement, foradequacy, 
formastery andcompetence, forconfidence inthefaceoftheworld, andforindepen -
dence andfreedom” (p.45).Inother words, self-esteem isbased onrealcompetence 
andnotmerely onothers’ opinions. Once people meet theiresteem needs, theystand 
onthethreshold ofself-actualization, thehighest needrecognized byMaslow. 
Self-Actualization Needs
When lower levelneeds aresatisfied, people proceed more orlessautomatically tothe
nextlevel. However, once esteem needs aremet,theydonotalways move tothelevel
ofself-actualization. Originally, Maslow (1950) assumed thatself-actualization needs 
become potent whenever esteem needs havebeen met.However, during the1960s, 
herealized thatmany oftheyoung students atBrandeis andother campuses around 
thecountry hadalltheirlower needs gratified, including reputation andself-esteem, 
andyettheydidnotbecome self-actualizing (Frick, 1982; Hoffman, 1988; Maslow, 
1971). Whysome people stepoverthethreshold from esteem toself-actualization 
andothers donotisamatter ofwhether ornottheyembrace theB-values (B-values 
willbediscussed inthesection titled Self-Actualization). People whohighly respect 
suchvalues astruth, beauty, justice, andtheother B-values become self-actualizing 
aftertheiresteem needs aremet,whereas people whodonotembrace these values 
arefrustrated intheirself-actualization needs eventhough theyhavesatisfied eachof
theirother basic needs.
Self-actualization needs include self-fulfillment, therealization ofallone’s poten -
tial,andadesire tobecome creative inthefullsense oftheword (Maslow, 1970). Final PDF to printer