Move Over, Maslow

In 1954, Abraham Maslow got the word out about his Hierarchy of Needs, the idea we satisfy our human needs in predictable steps. His ideas are still useful.

Just last spring, I attended a workshop where Maslow’s Hierarchy was used to look at paths that help us move on to the next level of "being" by satisfying the basic needs – physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. As far as telling us about the different kinds of needs we all have, Maslow’s ideas are easy to follow.

There have been niggling doubts all along, though, the needs are actually hierarchal, dependant on one “level� being satisfied before being motivated to work toward meeting the “next� need. Maybe the needs are really on an equal playing field, with personal preference choosing the stair steps to the greatest fulfillment. We’ve all known someone who shows a talent, yet is homeless or friendless or lacks status! It’s no surprise there are some new ideas about what shakes us awake in the morning, looking forward to the day’s work.

One of the newer explanations of motivation is Victor Vroom’s* expectancy theory: "The strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of the outcome to the individual."

Three activities I enjoy are walking, eating tasty food and learning new things. A task I really dislike is scrubbing the basement floor.

In terms of expectancy theory, eating tasty food is its own reward (useful, though - -I only cook well when I'm hungry), although I often use it as a reward (cheesecake!) for getting a really unappealing job (e.g., scrubbing the basement floor) done.

Walking also is its own reward (bless that endorphin!), jogs the natural thought processes out of ruts and into new concepts, AND improves physical and mental health. I expect a lot from walking, and I get it!

As for new ideas, I just recently overheard some acquaintances discussing the "Butterfly Theory,� for example, an idea that changes my view on minuscule actions. If the fan of a butterfly's wing permanently alters the world, how does one spoken word fit into the arrangement? Thoughts like these are a lot more entertaining than inventing a better way to scrub the basement floor.

As for scrubbing the basement floor, I actually didn't do any this weekend. I think the horrible smell has gone away all on its own! What a useless activity, don't you agree? It's cold, it's lonely, there are a lot of creepy bugs, and the scrubbing stirs up my back so that I'm laid up for days afterward. The only advantages are, when it's done, the house smells clean and I know I've done the best I can . . . but no one else in the family cares!

Now, where is that cheesecake recipe?



*V.H. Vroom, Work and Motivation (New York John Wiley, 1964)