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Part III    Humanistic/Existential Theories284
Reversed Order of Needs
Even though needs aregenerally satisfied inthehierarchical order shown inFigure 9.1,
occasionally theyarereversed. Forsome people, thedrive forcreativity (aself-
actualization need) maytakeprecedence oversafety andphysiological needs. Anenthu -
siastic artist mayrisksafety andhealth tocomplete animportant work. Foryears, the
latesculptor Korczak Ziolkowski endangered hishealth andabandoned companionship 
towork oncarving amountain intheBlack Hillsintoamonument toChief Crazy Horse.
Reversals, however, areusually more apparent thanreal,andsome seemingly 
obvious deviations intheorder ofneeds arenotvariations atall.Ifweunderstood the
unconscious motivation underlying thebehavior, wewould recognize thattheneeds 
arenotreversed.
Unmotivated Behavior
Maslow believed thateventhough allbehaviors haveacause, some behaviors are
notmotivated. Inother words, notalldeterminants aremotives. Some behavior is
notcaused byneeds butbyother factors suchasconditioned reflexes, maturation, or
drugs. Motivation islimited tothestriving forthesatisfaction ofsome need. Much of
what Maslow (1970) called “expressive behavior” isunmotivated.
Expressive and Coping Behavior
Maslow (1970) distinguished between expressive behavior (which isoften unmotivated) 
andcoping behavior (which isalways motivated andaimed atsatisfying aneed). 
Expressive behavior isoften anendinitself andserves noother purpose thanto
be.Itisfrequently unconscious andusually takes place naturally andwithlittleeffort. 
Ithasnogoals oraimbutismerely theperson’s mode ofexpression. Expressive 
behavior includes actions suchasslouching, looking stupid, being relaxed, showing 
anger, andexpressing joy.Expressive behavior cancontinue evenintheabsence of
reinforcement orreward. Forexample, afrown, ablush, oratwinkle oftheeyeisnot
ordinarily specifically reinforced. 
Expressive behaviors alsoinclude one’s gait,gestures, voice, andsmile (even 
when alone). Aperson, forexample, mayexpress amethodical, compulsive person -
alitysimply because sheiswhat sheisandnotbecause ofanyneed todoso.Other 
examples ofexpression include art,play, enjoyment, appreciation, wonder, awe,and
excitement. Expressive behavior isusually unlearned, spontaneous, anddetermined 
byforces within theperson rather thanbytheenvironment. 
Ontheother hand, coping behavior isordinarily conscious, effortful, learned, 
anddetermined bytheexternal environment. Itinvolves theindividual’s attempts to
cope withtheenvironment; tosecure foodandshelter; tomake friends; andtoreceive 
acceptance, appreciation, andprestige from others. Coping behavior serves some aim
orgoal(although notalways conscious orknown totheperson), anditisalways moti-
vated bysome deficit need (Maslow, 1970).
Deprivation of Needs
Lack ofsatisfaction ofanyofthebasic needs leads tosome kindofpathology. Depri -
vation ofphysiological needs results inmalnutrition, fatigue, lossofenergy, obsession Final PDF to printer