Nain's Porous Hierarchy of Needs: An Alternative to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abstract

model treats all men as pre-programmed robots, all of whom have the same pre-programmed pattern of needs. Human behaviour is an enigma. Nobody can say that he or she has understood it fully. Some even say that it is indeterminable (Gary, 1989), whereas, some say that the same is to some extent predictable / deterministic (Vitor, 2007) and that it can be scientifically studied. The reason why its study is not easy is because human behaviour is based on multiple factors like needs, impulses, circumstances, environment, abilities, repulsions, core beliefs, culture, upbringing, and genetics, etc. Maslow, a father figure in modem psychology, has an important place in the history of understanding human behaviour because he attempted to obtain a simplified model of the motivations/needs of the humans. He developed the Maslow's Needs Hierarchy Model. This was his most well-known contribution to psychology (Cohen, 2011).Maslow's Need Theory and his various supposed Hierarchy Models (Abraham, 2011; Ward & Lasen, 2009) supposedly form the bedrock principles of psychology (Mark, 2006; Marta, 2009), and it has been applied to diverse fields like organizational behaviour (Mustafa, 1992; Neher, 1991), organizational/& behavioural economics (Fred, 1978; Lindner, 1998), and management studies (Venter, 2012; Jerome, 2013) and beyond (Neher, 1991). In the fields of organizational behaviour, organizational economics, and management studies it has been applied by using the said theory as a basis to serve as a theory of motivation for the employees by understanding the employees' needs.However, the said theory is not without demerits and drawbacks. Maslow (1943) has wrongly given a supposedly iron cast hierarchy of needs:Firstly, and most basic, are physiological needs (like breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion, etc).Then, secondly, lesser basic, safety needs (like security of body, employment, resources, morality, family, health, property, etc).Then, thirdly, even lesser basic, belonging needs (like family, friendship, sexual intimacy, etc).Fourthly, then, self-esteem needs (like self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect by others, etc).Fifthly, then, self-actualization needs (like morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts, etc).Sixthly, the later on added, least basic, self-transcendence needs (Abraham, 2011 ; Rivera, 2006).Thus, Maslow recognized that there are distinctly different levels of categories of needs and arranged it in the said hierarchy. As per his theory, all the men generally first aim to satisfy lower (&/ more basic) need (as given lower in their hierarchy model) and then only they aim to satisfy a higher need ie. a need shown higher his hierarchy model. These generalizations and his said theory is wrong due to many reasons, which are enunciated herein-under.The author has primarily done conceptual, theoretical and critical academic analysis of the Maslow's Need Theory/ Hierarchy in the said article. The author has done literature review in this regard.Discussion of flaws in Maslow model (s)Firstly, there can be no iron cast common hierarchy of needs for all. If it were so, all people of world might have been behaviourally similar. It is a known fact that all people are not behaviourally similar. Thus, hierarchy of needs is to be different from person to person.Secondly, the said models assume that certain needs are most basic and, thus, all aim to fulfil them first. It is true that some needs may be basic. But, what is basic for one, may be not basic for another. Eg. Some people may even prefer work (for self-esteem) over and above his family (ie. belonging need) but some don't.Thirdly, Maslow model(s) is very idealist and are not applicable to a large section of society. Maslow model(s) presumes that all people/ individuals are rationally thinking and are having a certain understanding and acceptance of certain societal notion of needs mentioned in the Maslow Model. …