Maslow

I agree with Maslows Hierachy of Needs to some extent. I believe that if a child is hungry, improperly clothed, and has a lack of shelter this will of course affect his or her learning immensley. Maslow states in his theory that if the child does not have the bottom four needs met (physiological, safety, love and acceptannce,and self esteem and respect of others) he or she may not aquire growth needs. However i believe that a mother may be lacking proper shelter, for example she could live on the streets and still be willing to give up her life for her child. Because Maslow does not give an explanation of how this would apply to parent child relationships it defects his argument. Just because an individual does not completely aquire one of the bottom four needs does not mean it intereferes or haults one of the top four needs (self transendence, self actualizaiton, aesthetics/beauty, and knowledge and understanding). When examing the stages and trying to put myself in one I realize it is a lot harder than it looks. I believe I have adequate shelter, food, clothing etc. My basic needs are met. I have a caring circle of friends and family that provide that love and acceptance. I have self-esteem and respect for others and I also feel safe in my environment. I would argue that my four deficiency needs are being met. However I don't think I have aquired all four growth needs, which I think is completely acceptable. Because, as stated, they are growth needs. Things that over time individuals aquire to be all that they can be. As I am only 19, I don't believe I will reach the top of the pyramid for a while and that is okay with me. Maslows hierarchy of needs, however insightful, has some pros and cons and would not be my number one choice when looking for an explanation of human needs.