2.2 Understanding Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in Personal Training
Abraham Maslow was a founding figure of humanistic psychology, a school of thought that emphasized the positive aspects of human experience, the potential for personal growth, and the inherent value of human beings. His theories, including the hierarchy of needs, self-actualization, and peak experiences, contrasted the prevailing theories of Freud (psychoanalytic theory) and Skinner (behavioral theory), whose perspectives often focused on the negative or pathological aspects of human existence.
Maslow, born April 1, 1908, in Brooklyn, New York, was the eldest of seven children in a Russian Jewish immigrant family. Despite being working-class, Maslow's parents prioritized education to ensure their children's success in their new country.
He initially pursued law at the City College of New York but quickly became dissatisfied with his chosen field. He then transferred to Cornell University, where he briefly studied psychology before obtaining his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Wisconsin. Here he studied under renowned psychologist Harry Harlow, who became his mentor. Harlow’s work on maternal deprivation and primate behavior significantly influenced Maslow’s thinking and the development of his humanistic psychology.
He is best known for his work in humanistic psychology and for creating the Hierarchy of Needs, also known as Maslow’s Pyramid. The Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory that outlines five tiers of human needs, starting with the most basic physiological needs and moving up to the highest need for self-actualization.
Maslow’s ideas stood in contrast to other psychological theories that were mentioned before. Maslow felt that these theories were too focused on the negative or pathological aspects of existence and neglected the potential and creativity that human beings possess. In response, Maslow’s theories emphasized maximizing well-being and achieving one’s full potential.
Some key differences between Maslow’s humanistic psychology and other prevailing theories of the time include:
- Focus on Positive Aspects of Human Experience: While Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and Skinner’s behavioral theory often concentrated on human dysfunction and pathology, Maslow’s humanistic approach prioritized studying positive aspects of human experiences, such as personal growth, creativity, and self-fulfillment.
- Emphasis on Human Potential: Maslow believed that all individuals have an innate drive to reach their full potential, a concept he called self-actualization. This idea contrasted with the deterministic views of Freud and Skinner, who tended to focus on the influence of unconscious drives or environmental factors in shaping human behavior.
- Holistic Approach to Human Experience: Maslow’s humanistic psychology considered the whole person, integrating physical, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of human life. This holistic view opposed the reductionist perspectives of Freudian psychoanalysis and Skinner’s behaviorism, which often examined human behavior through isolated variables.
- Inherent Value of Human Beings: While Freud and Skinner’s theories often portrayed human beings as driven by irrational or mechanistic forces, Maslow asserted that individuals possess intrinsic value and the capacity for growth, self-awareness, and choice. This optimistic view of human nature formed the foundation of humanistic psychology and differentiated it from other contemporary theories.
The development of the Hierarchy of Needs was influenced by Maslow’s observations and experiences, as well as his encounters with prominent thinkers, such as anthropologist Ruth Benedict and psychologist Max Wertheimer. The hierarchy was also inspired by Maslow’s fascination with the concept of self-actualization , which he believed was the ultimate goal of human life. To say it plainly: it means to achieve an individual’s ultimate potential, reaching the peak of functioning, existence, and life experience.
The Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory that presents a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as a pyramid. Maslow believed these needs must be satisfied in a specific order, from the most fundamental (physiological) to the higher-level self-actualization needs.
The Maslow Hierarchy of Needs is a five-tier model of human needs which must be fulfilled in a specific order, from the basic physiological needs to the higher-level self-actualization needs
As a personal trainer, it is essential to understand this theory to help clients reach their full potential in physical Fitness and overall well-being. It helps you understand that the demand for a personal trainer becomes irrelevant for your clients without fulfilling their fundamental human necessities.
2.2.1 Applying Maslow's Hierarchy to Personal Training
The Five Tiers of Maslow’s Hierarchy:
- Physiological Needs: These are the most basic human needs, such as food, water, sleep, and shelter. In personal training, we won’t directly ensure clients meet these needs. What we can emphasize with our clients to encourage them to satisfy those basic needs is to maintain a balanced diet, stay hydrated, get enough sleep, and maintain a safe and healthy living environment.
- Safety Needs: People seek safety and security once physiological needs are met. Safety needs will include the basic need for protection against violence, and theft, health security, financial security, well-being, and emotional stability. As personal trainers, we often see ourselves at the forefront of our client’s emotional stability (maintaining consistent and balanced emotions, even in challenging situations) as the client-trainer relationship develops. This is a novel approach to personal training, where we encourage deeper bonding between trainers and clients.
- Social Needs (often refrained to as Love and belonging needs): The third tier of Maslow’s hierarchy encompasses social needs, which pertain to human connections and represent the final category of the so-called lower needs. These needs include forming relationships with friends and family members, both those related by blood (such as parents, siblings, and children) and those we choose to consider family (such as spouses and partners). Experiencing both physical and emotional closeness, which can range from sexual relationships to deep emotional connections, is essential in achieving a sense of enriched kinship. Furthermore, being a part of social groups also fulfills this need, whether it involves collaborating with colleagues in the workplace or establishing an identity within a union, club, or group of like-minded individuals. We see people fulfilling this tier in many ways in the Fitness Industry. The best example would be group training and communities arising from the fitness field (the large CrossFit community as one example).
- Esteem Needs: The upper-level needs, starting with esteem, are driven by the ego. Esteem comprises two components: self-respect (the conviction that you are valuable and worthy of dignity) and self-esteem (confidence in your capacity for personal development and achievements). Maslow explicitly points out that self-esteem can be divided into two categories: one based on the respect and recognition received from others and the other rooted in one’s self-evaluation. The latter type of self-esteem gives rise to self-confidence and autonomy.
- Self-Actualization: Self-actualization refers to realizing one’s complete potential as an individual. Often referred to as self-fulfillment needs, these requirements hold the topmost position in Maslow’s hierarchy. Pursuing self-actualization encompasses various aspects, such as education, skill enhancement—including honing abilities in music, sports, design, culinary arts, and gardening—caring for others, and pursuing wider objectives like mastering a new language, exploring new destinations, and achieving accolades.
Self-actualization is a journey, not a destination