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Abraham Maslow Biography

Psychologist

Abraham Maslow developed the theory of human motivation now known as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. A psychologist, Maslow noted that some human needs were more powerful than others. He divided those needs into five general categories, from most urgent to most advanced: physiological, safety, belonging/love, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow first published his theory in the 1940s, and it became a widely accepted notion in the fields of psychology and anthropology. Maslow was a professor at Brandeis University from 1951 until 1969; his major texts included Motivation and Personality (1954) and Toward a Psychology of Being (1962).

Related figures: behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner, psychedelic psychologist Timothy Leary, and psychiatric heavyweights Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud.

Four Good Links

Abraham Maslow

A short history of his life, then a long chatty description of his theories

The Maslow Nidus

A nifty collection of Maslow concepts, papers and biographies

People and Discoveries: Maslow

From PBS, a brief analysis of his place in psychology

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A basic explanation of Maslow's namesake concept

Vital Stats

Birth

1 April 1908

Birthplace

Brooklyn, New York

Death

8 June 1970
(heart attack, age 62)

Best Known As

Creator of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs