Maslow, Monkeys and Motivation Theory

Abstract

One of the most enduring influences in motivation theory is Maslow's needs hierarchy. The empirical basis for the needs hierarchy was Maslow's own studies of dominance in monkeys and humans. In both cases, Maslow concluded that one individual's ability to be dominant over others was due to that individual's acknowledged superiority, and that differences in human or monkey groups occurred because of differences in the exercise of dominance by the individuals in those groups. The incorporation of these ideas into the needs hierarchy explains its intuitive appeal: the hierarchy justifies managerial power, while at the same time absolving managers of accountability for ineffective motivational practices. However, recent primatological research reveals serious flaws in Maslow's understanding of the nature of dominance in monkeys and apes. As a consequence, Maslow's theory is based on research which is no longer considered valid by the discipline in which it was done.

Of Maslow, motives, and managers: The hierarchy of needs in American business, 1960–1985

“…To understand the trajectories of the hierarchy of needs requires understanding Maslow's early investigations into the relationship between dominance, self‐esteem, and self‐actualization. Maslow's understanding of motivation was shaped by his 1930s doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin‐Madison with psychologist Harry Harlow on the relationship between sexual behavior and dominance hierarchies in primates (Cullen, ; Vicedo, ). Shaped by this study into primate hierarchies, Maslow first referred to the need for self‐esteem—the penultimate rung on the hierarchy of needs—as the “dominance‐feeling.” The recognition of one's superiority over others, then, was one of the preconditions for self‐actualization (Cullen, ).…”

“…Maslow's understanding of motivation was shaped by his 1930s doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin‐Madison with psychologist Harry Harlow on the relationship between sexual behavior and dominance hierarchies in primates (Cullen, ; Vicedo, ). Shaped by this study into primate hierarchies, Maslow first referred to the need for self‐esteem—the penultimate rung on the hierarchy of needs—as the “dominance‐feeling.” The recognition of one's superiority over others, then, was one of the preconditions for self‐actualization (Cullen, ). As translated into management, the hierarchical nature of the hierarchy of needs resonated with the corporate executives atop their corporate ladders (Bridgman et al, ).…”

“…These experiments also confirmed for Maslow the biological differences between the sexes, present in primate hierarchies, which had implications for how women could self‐actualize. Maslow maintained that men and women had distinct need structures, leading them to find different routes to self‐actualization (Cullen, ; Weidman, ). “True self‐actualization for the female,” Maslow wrote in his journals, “accepts the primacy of the female” (Nicholson, , p. 88).…”

Motivation and identity: A psychoanalytic perspective on the turn to identity in motivation research

“…Most recently, therefore, motivation has been explored as a linguistic, subjective and socially-constructed phenomenon that can account for more complex understandings of subjectivity (Carlisle and Manning, 1994;Cullen, 1997;Johnson, Chang and Yang, 2010;Kanfer and Ackerman, 2004;Leonard, et al, 1999). In particular, there has been a focus on "self-based theories" (Leonard et al, 1999: 973) and the idea that individuals are motivated to the extent they feel work allows them to construct a desired identity (Shamir, 1991).…”

Psychological models in autonomic computing systems

“…[6]), for instance a person may place their need for belonging over their need for safety by choosing to work in highly dangerous professions or hostile environments.…”