raiders of the lost maslow by Laurence Simon (isfullofcrap) Flickr.com

Abraham Maslow must be turning in his grave. In a recent paper, a group of evolutionary psychologists has set out to replace his famous humanistic theory of motivation with something a lot less human.

You have probably heard of the Hierarchy of Needs. It looks like a pyramid, and its one of the most popular images to come out of modern psychology.

But recently, a group of evolutionary psychologists has sought to overhaul the model. Or as they put it, to renovate the pyramid.

The result is a perfect illustration of the fundamental division within psychology itself.

The Hierarchy of Needs was the brainchild of American psychologistAbraham Maslow (1908-1970).[If you're not familiar with it, check out my summary article: The Hierarchy of Human Needs: Maslows Model ofMotivation.]

Its basically a pyramid-shaped model showing thathuman beings are propelled into action by different motivating factors at different times.

There are sixdifferent levels of motivation (needs), with physical survival and safety needs at the bottom, then rising up through layers of social needs (affiliation, personal esteem), then on to the higher needs known as self-actualization and self-transcendence. Unfulfilled lower needs take precedence over higher needs. The lowest levels predominate in our earlier years, the higher levels only come into focus in our mature years.

Most people seem to find the model intuitively satisfying. It makes a kind of sense.

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Pyramid scam? - Evolutionary psychologists take on the ...