Maslow's hierarchy

Meaning: Abraham Maslow proposed that motivation is organized as a hierarchy of needs, drawn as a pyramid. From base to top: physiological needs (food, water, sleep), safety (security, stable shelter, health), love and belonging (friendship, family, intimacy), esteem (achievement, respect, status), and self-actualization (realizing one's full potential). The theory holds that lower needs generally must be reasonably satisfied before higher ones become the main driver of behavior. It belongs to the humanistic perspective, which stresses personal growth.

On the MCAT: A passage describes a person or group, such as a displaced family, a newly unemployed worker, or a volunteer, and asks which level of need is motivating them or which need would have to be met first. You may also be asked to place an example on the pyramid or to judge whether a finding fits the ordering.

Common confusion: Students treat the order as rigid. Maslow described it as a general tendency, and people sometimes pursue belonging, esteem, or meaning while hungry or unsafe. Also keep esteem and self-actualization apart: esteem is respect and achievement, including recognition from others, while self-actualization is the internal drive to fulfill one's own potential.