What are needs theories?
Among motivation theories, content theories that ask what drives people are often called needs theories. They assume that a deficit creates tension and that behavior aims to reduce it.
Murray's need-press theory
Henry Murray's Explorations in Personality (1938) listed about 20 psychogenic needs, including achievement, affiliation, dominance and autonomy, and environmental "press" that arouses or blocks them. He developed the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to assess them.
Maslow's hierarchy
Maslow ordered needs as physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization; the first four are deficiency needs and self-actualization is a growth need.
Alderfer's ERG theory
Alderfer (1969) condensed needs into existence, relatedness and growth, allowed them to operate simultaneously and added frustration-regression: if a higher need is blocked, lower needs intensify.
McClelland's needs theory
McClelland identified learned needs for achievement (nAch), power (nPow) and affiliation (nAff). The Achieving Society (1961) linked achievement motivation to economic development; high-nAch people prefer moderately difficult goals and quick feedback.
Basic psychological needs theory
Part of self-determination theory, it proposes three universal needs, autonomy, competence and relatedness, required for well-being.
Comparison
| Theory | Number of needs | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Murray | About 20 | Parallel, interacting with press |
| Maslow | 5 | Hierarchical, prepotency |
| Alderfer | 3 | Simultaneous, frustration-regression |
| McClelland | 3 | Learned, individual differences |
| Basic needs (SDT) | 3 | Universal, satisfied together |
Evaluation
Wahba and Bridwell's (1976) review found little support for Maslow's hierarchy, and a cross-cultural study (Tay & Diener, 2011) found need fulfillment predicts well-being without requiring a strict order.
References
- Murray, H. A. (1938). Explorations in Personality. Oxford University Press.
- Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396.
- Alderfer, C. P. (1969). An empirical test of a new theory of human needs. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 4(2), 142-175.
- McClelland, D. C. (1961). The Achieving Society. Van Nostrand.
- Wahba, M. A., & Bridwell, L. G. (1976). Maslow reconsidered: A review of research on the need hierarchy theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 15(2), 212-240.
- Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2011). Needs and subjective well-being around the world. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(2), 354-365.
- Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.