Importance Of Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs In A Student’s Life

What is Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs?

Every human being has certain needs and if those needs are not fulfilled, he or she may feel some sort of anxiety and psychological pressure. From ancient times, philosophers and thinkers have been trying to classify human needs into various categories. Today, we are going to learn how Maslow’s classifies them into a hierarchy. The article may prove to be your online psychology class help. If you need more assistance, you can order online without any hesitation.

In his book ‘A Theory Of Human Motivation’ Maslow introduces his concept of hierarchy needs. The hierarchy is a notion that people first fulfil their primary need before going towards needs that are not necessary. According to Maslow’s, humans need to fulfill these needs in order to be just what they are. He has divided the needs into a hierarchical pyramid with the most important at the bottom moving to the top with lesser important needs.

The first need is termed Physiological. In this tier people want to fulfill their physical needs such as their need for shelter, food, water and so on. Once these needs are fulfilled people then move on to safety then love and belonging. Once they achieve these needs they move on to esteem and then finally self-actualization. When you move up the pyramid you can observe a trend. The further you go up your needs become more and more psychological and social.

Application Of Maslow’s Theory In Education

Maslow’s theory has been a great contribution to the educational sector. With the help of Maslow’s theory, the education sector does not see student’s behavior as a response to stimulus but it looks at the response as a much deeper affair. It helps teachers and other educators to look at a student’s behavior holistically rather than individually. It is vital for us to understand the psychology of students and Maslow’s theory helps us do that. However, there are still some shortcomings which we cannot overcome due to limited funds and resources but we can bring about changes that will help students achieve their primary needs and then move on towards the top of the pyramid. For example, hunger is one of the most basic needs every child has.

Hunger:

By providing them lunch in school can help them achieve that need. On the other hand, it is quite impossible for schools to monitor other physical needs of these students. For example, they cannot review how much sleep a student is getting on a daily basis or if they have proper clothes to wear at home. These physical needs go beyond the jurisdiction of the school. It is observed that students who are not able to fulfill their physiological needs won’t be able to perform well in their academics. If you are such a student, then feel free to get online psychology class help so that your academics don’t suffer.

Safety:

Moving towards the second tier, safety. Safety is very important for students and teachers can make efforts to provide a sense of safety to students. For students, it is important to work with a routine that will help them predict what’s to come so that they can safely go through the routine without letting their anxiety levels rise. Teachers can also make proper rules for the class and push students to follow the set rules. This will help students feel secure under the rules as they will expect that nothing out of the ordinary will happen in the class because of the rules. These routines should be followed religiously as that can be helpful for students to achieve the second tier and feel safe within the classroom.

In addition to physical safety, it is also very important to provide students a safe place for their emotions. Teachers can nurture an environment where students can openly discuss whatever it is that they want to discuss. This will help them gain confidence and feel safe in a classroom environment. Teachers can push students to participate in different activities so that they can easily open up and have a healthy discussion of their emotions and feelings. Once they develop a trusting relationship with their teachers and other mates they will be able to feel confident and achieve safety.

Self-Esteem:

Once they achieve the safety tier, they come to the next one which is self-esteem. Self-esteem is very important for every individual. For students this need is tenfold. Students are thirsty for some love and care. They are the stage of their lives where it is immensely important for them to have someone to care for them. They need validation from their teachers to know that they are doing a good job and that the teacher is happy with them. For this building of self-esteem it is important for teachers to make their students feel loved and nurtured.

They can do this by enforcing positive behavior in class. start by appreciating them for their efforts. Even if the end result is not what you wanted as a teacher, it is a good idea to show appreciation towards the efforts that they put in. This will help them build confidence and self-esteem. After showing appreciation, talk about their efforts in front of the whole class so that they feel a sense of motivation, and are proud of themselves. This will surely bring a surge in their self-worth and they will see themselves as worthy human beings.

When schools and other educational institutes adopt this system there are many changes that are brought into the educational attainment of students.

Teacher-Student Relationship:

If teachers adopt the humanistic approach towards their students, they will be able to understand the psyche of the student and understand that they must be motivated to learn a particular subject. They wouldn’t force the subject on to the students but will actually work towards motivating them. Teachers will be able to harness the interests of students and incorporate them in their lessons to achieve the best outcomes. They wouldn’t value grades as much as other teachers do and focus solely on education. They wouldn’t test students on their abilities to memorize but on their ability to understand. These teachers will not come off as hostile to students and will be approachable. Students will feel safer with them and they will be able to achieve the safety tier easily.

Classroom Atmosphere:

Classroom atmospheres are a lot different when the teachers are humanists. They understand the importance of an enriching environment where they can learn and grow without any hurdles. Plus, They try to make the atmosphere as friendly as possible so that students can freely address their issues and come to the teacher for solutions. They will also manage the classrooms in such a way that they are a place of order rather than chaos. Your surroundings are very important for you and your educational attainment. If the environment is chaotic, students will not find stability and this will not only disrupt their education but also their lives and personalities.

Positivity:

The humanistic approach is a big advocate of positivity. Teachers practicing the humanistic approach understand and respect the feeling of students to the best of their abilities. They help bring positive feelings into the lives of students. They won’t disregard the feelings that need to be addressed in due time and will make sure that students can give into their feelings and fix things rather than pushing them under the rug. Furthermore, the teachers provide a comfortable atmosphere where students can discuss their academics in a fruitful way. Students won’t hesitate and can have a positive relationship with their teachers. 

All in all, using this theory in practice brings about positive changes in the educational lives. Let’s look at all the different ways you can incorporate different things to ensure that your students achieve Maslow’s need for hierarchy.

Physiological Needs

For physiological needs of your students you must ensure that they have all the basic comforts within the classroom.

1. Hydration is important for students and good hydration levels can help students function well. Allow your students to bring their own water bottles to class and allow them to drink water whenever they want. If these children cannot bring their own water bottles, allow them to go out and drink from the dispenser. You can also keep a water cooler in the classroom and allow students to drink from it.
2. Food helps you work better. If your students are hungry they won’t be able to perform well in their classes. To combat this situation, you can keep a bowl of candy on your desk and allow students to take a sweet every time they feel peckish. This will help them feed their needs and focus on their classes.
3. Many students don’t get enough sleep which can affect their education greatly. As a teacher you can allow students to take short naps in between classes so that they can function well in class.

Safety Needs

Safety is one of the sincerest concerns for teachers as students, specifically children must have safe environments to grow up in and become functioning adults. To safeguard students, teachers can do the following things: 

1. Be understanding. Sometimes students lash out because there are several things going on in the background. As a teacher it is your responsibility to understand where your students are coming from and help them get better.
2. Create an environment of mutual trust so that students feel safe in your presence. Be as vocal as you possibly can.
3. Talk to your students and counsel them. This helps students find a safe place and talk about their issues.
4. Try not to promote bullying in your class and help students create a friendly environment. If the classroom is a safe place, students will nourish greatly.

Love & Belonging Needs

Everyone likes to belong to society and not be an outcast. They want to be accepted in the world and get recognition from peers. As a teacher it is your responsibility to create an environment where there is acceptance.

1. Being a teacher you have a lot of authority. Using that authority, you can strategize and arrange to seat for students in such a way that promotes friendship in students. See which student is lacking in friends and can use a good company. Pair students together that can complement each other and develop a good friendship.
2. Use the strengths and weaknesses of your students to their benefit. Be smart and use your position to help peer learning and help students jell in the class.

Esteem Needs

Esteem needs to be fed and as a teacher you can feed the esteem of students by giving them affirmations. You can also do the following things:

1. Compliment your students on their achievements. Students look up to their teachers and your compliments would mean the world to them. Your compliments will boost their morale and help them amplify their esteem.
2. Develop a culture of complimenting in your class. Promote compliments in between peers so that they understand and appreciate each other.
3. Do not highlight their weaknesses and help them understand why they failed so that they can work on it rather than feeling bad about it.

As you help your students go higher up the hierarchy they will finally reach the stage of Self Actualization. This where they will be able to completely understand who they are and work towards their strengths. This is how they begin reaching their full potential and come through. These students will be able to realize their strengths and gain success. This is when you have done your job and are successful.

The Final Word:

Psychology students have to study such theories in greater depth and how they can be used in different aspects. It is not an easy task to study all of this while you already have a lot on your plate. Many students nowadays have many commitments including part-time jobs, assignments, and a whole lot of work. In such cases, it can be very difficult to perform well in your online classes and can get all the expert help you need. If you think that you can really flourish with the help of experts, by all means, go for online classes help. Your degree is all that matters so make sure you give your 100% and getting an expert will only help you achieve your goals.