Freud and Maslow's Hierarchy of NeedsAbraham Maslow, an American psychologist and pioneer of the humanist movement in psychology, proposed a theory regarding fundamental human motivations based on a hierarchy of needs. . (Boeree 1998, 2006) Often described or represented as a pyramid, basic physiological drives like thirst, hunger and sleep, along with the need for security, shelter and some sense of security are the motivational needs that occupy the lower levels of the pyramid. .. They provide the basis for higher levels of needs to become present and available that the individual is awakened or driven to achieve. Once these physiological and safety needs are met, the individual seeks to love and be loved, to belong and be accepted by peers, and to become a member of groups with which they identify and a viable part of society. in its entirety. Once accepted and the need to belong satisfied, one seeks to improve one's self-esteem and gain the respect and esteem of one's peers and the groups to which one belongs. Finally, an individual is awakened by the need to realize himself, to realize all that he has the potential to become. (Boeree 1998, 2006) Each higher-order motivational need is built on, or made available by, the satisfaction of the more basic needs beneath it. One is not driven to meet the needs of higher levels, and in fact, one may not even be aware of it if the needs of lower levels of the hierarchy are not met. The needs of lower levels will almost always take priority. If a lower level need, particularly the physiological need, became the driving motivation, then the person would quickly regress, abandoning the attempt to satisfy a higher level need in order to... middle of paper ... It can be argued that Freud was an actualized individual. In conclusion, we hope that a better understanding of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the motivations it presents to the individual has been gained. And although it is woefully lacking in detail and barely scratches the surface of the person that Sigmund Freud is, perhaps some knowledge of the man has been gained. Sigmund Freud Lionel Trilling and Steven Marcus (eds.) New York, NY, Basic Books, Inc. Storr, Anthony (1989) Freud New York, NY, Oxford University Press Boeree, Dr. C. George (1998, 2006) Abraham Maslow 1908 -1970 Retrieved from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/maslow.html