|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the 1950s Abraham Maslow published a book entitled " Motivation and Personality" in which he outlided his now famous Hierarchy of Needs. Over the years since its publication Maslow's work has gained wide acceptance as a tool in understanding human motivation. It has been used in areas as diverse as Consumer Marketing and Christian Evangelism,as well, of course, psychology. Maslow rightly holds a place of high regard in many circles.
I do, however, believe Maslow got it wrong....at least in the order in which he places the various needs within his Hierarchy.
According to Maslow, the order ran from basic physiological needs (things we need to maintain life) through safety and security needs, relational needs, self esteem needs through to self-actualisation. I want to suggest a change.
I would rather place the need for self esteem at the very base of the hierarchy, even before the basic survival needs of food, water and procreation. Why? Because I firmly believe that unless the self esteem needs of people are met, there's a strong chance they will even come to the poiont where they ignore those basic needs.
Take for example a person suffering from one of the eating disorders which affect some young people in the teens. I put it to you that much of the problem stems from the fact that they do not esteem themselves very well at all.
What about depression? People suffering this condition often cut back on their interactions with other people. As a result their relationship needs tood to go unfulfilled. They might also become oblivious to the dangers of the situations into which they might put themselves, like walking across a busy roadway without bothering to look either left or right. As a result their safety needs don't get taken into consideration.
Again, I suggest that some,not necessarily all, of the underlying causes of depression relate to self esteem issues.
In fact, I would go so far as to so self esteem issues that go unfulfilled form the basis of the majority of problems people in our modern western world face in life today.
So if your life has not turned out quite the way you had hoped; if the worldly success coming your way leaves you unfulfilled; if you look to the future in dread because you can only look back at the past in horror; if life means endurance rather than enjoyment... there is every likelihood the underlying issue relates to self esteem.
Now if you think I have overstepped the mark in this revision of Maslow's ground breaking work, I admit that I work from a different understanding of self esteem than he did.
Maslow understood esteem as "strength, achievement, competence, and mastery; confidence in the face of the world, the desire for reputation and prestige...status, fame and glory, dominance, recognition."
I came to my own understanding of self esteem by reading the writings of people whose work has continued over the half a century since Maslow's time. In that period, as you might expect, constant work led to a certain amount of refinement and development of Maslow's original work.
For me, self esteem relates to your belief that you have the capacity to achieve whatever you consider worthwhile and the sense of being worthy to benefit from the results produced by those efforts.
That's what I believe, and that's the way I live.
As for you, the choice, as always is yours...
Graham Hunt is the founder of Prentis Carpenter Center, an organisation developed to resource an environment where people who so desire can discover and achieve their potential. As part of that vision Graham has developed a website at http://www.higher-self-esteem-site.com Drop by anytime.
Wind Chimes and more... This morning I watched a news article about a young... Read More As winter descends we begin to feel the chill of... Read More Every human feels anxiety on occasion; it is a part... Read More You got busy at work, got busy in your marriage,... Read More How would you like to get along even better with... Read More Remember that Coke contest from the 80s? If you collected... Read More There are 2 key skills that coaches need to be... Read More Executive coaching is an investment for you and your business... Read More Personal or business coaching has helped thousands change their lives... Read More Many years ago my grandfather, had a small farm and... Read More Playing Our Part:Sir Michael Costa was conducting a rehearsal, in... Read More Have you considered hiring a personal coach? Jack Canfield, in... Read More Are holiday bills surprising you? Are you hoping that if... Read More The fall harvest comes upon us once a year. The... Read More Have you ever known anyone who asked themselves "Why me?"... Read More Ever since the Internet bubble and the 9/11 terrorist attacks,... Read More As an ADD Coach, I usually begin my conversations with... Read More Recently my friend Michelle was concerned about a professional conference... Read More From the time Jennifer was a little child, she was... Read More Having worked with individuals, couples, families and business partners for... Read More Who do you consider as your worst enemy? The criminals... Read More The scenario?The company has decided it needs to eliminate costs.... Read More There's a famous song lyric that asks: "Is that all... Read More "Happiness is not a matter of good fortune or worldly... Read More In the 1950s Abraham Maslow published a book entitled "... Read More
Windchimes
for great gifts!
Are YOU a Dreamer?
Magic Potions We All Need This Time of Year
How to Deal Effectively with Anxiety
Why Don?t You Just Stuff It ALL?
Build Your People Skills
THE Step to Working Smarter (Japanese Style)
Key Questions for a Coaching Conversation
Executive Coaching -The Business Benefits
Is Coaching Everything That It Is Cracked Up To Be?
The Story ?From the Chicken Coop??
Empowering Vision
Top Ten Reasons to Hire a Personal Coach
Tame The Financial Beast
The Harvest: Shared Power
Coaching is Asking the Right Questions
Is Your Life In Motion?
A Simple Strategy for Managing ADD
Do You Want to Impress Others? Then Don?t Talk ?Listen
The Need to Feel Special
The Difference Between Approval and Appreciation
Our Worst Enemy
Managing Performance Every Day
Five Steps to Vocational Passion: A Disciplined Plan for Major Mid-life Changes
What Do You Have To Give?
Sorry Dr Maslow, I Think You Got It Wrong
Many people have asked me why I wrote my book,... Read More
Are you using the Life Potential you have been given?... Read More
When you feel self-conscious it means you are putting too... Read More
There are times when we truly look forward to something... Read More
You Are What You Listen ToCan music really help you... Read More
Many years ago my grandfather, had a small farm and... Read More
Like so many in corporate America today, Susan needed more... Read More
One of the most effective ways to help your staff... Read More
Dogs distrust hot air balloons. I gathered this tidbit as... Read More
Who do you consider as your worst enemy? The criminals... Read More
A career coach or mentor is a person who can... Read More
Often our clients refer someone to us for Executive Coaching... Read More
From the time Jennifer was a little child, she was... Read More
It takes less effort to keep an existing customer than... Read More
Many people who come to my office say they have... Read More
If you do any significant amount of driving, a simple... Read More
In the Charles Dickens classic, "The Christmas Story", Scrooge is... Read More
Not long ago, a friend who works in television complained... Read More
Yes, that pillar of society that has been with us... Read More
Emotional dependency means getting one's good feelings from outside oneself.... Read More
Updating my will has been on my mind for quite... Read More
Obviously, there are many wonderful things about having a personal... Read More
Recently, I saw an exhibition of paintings by a very... Read More
Athletes Versus EmployeesMost athletes are young, open to improvement, eager... Read More
Language is a challenging way to communicate. It allows us... Read More
Coaching |