Maslow's Pyramid of Needs is a well-known model in science. It also appears regularly in theses, for instance when you want to explain developments within a group of people. The explanation behind Maslow's Pyramid is as follows: every person has basic needs and you can only be satisfied with a certain basic need if the basic needs below it are also met. This is how a pyramid is created.
Explanation of Maslow's pyramid
From bottom to top, Maslow's Pyramid consists of five levels of needs. The idea is that the bottom needs must be met first, in order to satisfy the needs at the level above. To explain Maslow's Pyramid, we will go into each of the five levels.
1. Primary physical needs
These are the absolute basic needs you need to stay alive as a human being (such as oxygen, water and food). Only when you are provided with these will you start thinking about the other higher categories of needs.
2. Need for livelihood security
When your primary physical needs are met, a need for security and safety arises. These two are needed to ensure your survival. These include shelter and a safe living environment.
Incidentally, there are strong cultural differences in what is considered to be livelihood security. For instance, there are several cultures in which family is essential for livelihood security. In those cultures, younger generations take care of older people. It is then necessary to have a family and keep family ties strong to meet this need.
3. Social needs
Do you experience sufficient livelihood security? Then various social needs arise. These include building friendships or romantic relationships. Also important for these needs is having enough free time to maintain friendships or other relationships.
4. Need for recognition
Is there friendship and love? Then a need for recognition from those around you arises. You value the opinions of others, such as friends or colleagues. You want to be appreciated and gain respect.
5. Need for self-development
The highest need in Maslow's Pyramid is self-development. This involves developing yourself as a person. You need enough time and money to be able to invest in this, for example in the form of studies, courses or coaching programmes.
Using Maslow's pyramid in your thesis
This explanation will give you an idea of what Maslow's Pyramid is. How do you use this model in your thesis? The pyramid originally comes from sociology, but can also be used in many other fields.
You can use this pyramid to determine the needs of people or a group of consumers. For example, you can use it to explain developments, experiences or opinions. For instance, the pyramid explains why people act differently in times of economic crisis. People then have less money and thus less security of existence, which will reduce their social needs, among other things.
Another example is that in times of crisis, workers are less likely to invest in courses. Their need for livelihood security is not met (there is no job security), so they are less likely to invest in self-development.
You could give this pyramid a place in the theoretical framework section of your thesis or the introduction to further explore a phenomenon.
Counterpart: Pyramid of Pinto
Maslow's Pyramid has been criticised in recent years. The main criticism is that the pyramid is based too strongly on Western culture. This has led to an alternative pyramid: Pinto's Pyramid. In it, self-fulfillment is not the highest need, but instead it is the interest of the group.
Pinto distinguishes between two types of cultures: those in which the individual is more central, and those in which the group is more important. Western society is rather individualistic, which fits well with Maslow's Pyramid. In several other cultures with more of a sense of community or togetherness, Pinto's Pyramid would be a better fit.
Do you need more explanation on models for your thesis?
When working on your theoretical framework or interpreting your results, you can use several models to explain the findings. Besides Maslow's Pyramid, we also explain other models for you. For example, consider the SWOT analysis or the BCG matrix. Check out our explanation of each of these models, or read our writing tips for your thesis.