ABSTRACT
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who founded what later became known as the humanistic school of psychology. His principal subject of study was human motivation. He is most famous today for developing his ‘hierarchy of needs’, which explains people’s motivation and behaviour as the results of different sets of needs which drive them. Although Maslow’s ideas were not immediately accepted by his fellow psychologists, they were picked up and adapted by a number of prominent organisation theorists, notably Rensis Likert, Frederick Herzberg and Douglas McGregor, who used the hierarchy of needs to explain many aspects of organisation behaviour. The hierarchy of needs concept also has important implications for marketing in explaining consumer behaviour. It remains a highly important concept in both fields.
