ABSTRACT
This well-known quotation is generally attributed to Abraham Maslow, the eminent humanistic psychologist. Allegedly, he coined this popular maxim in the 1960s as part of a comment about the limitations of behaviourism in psychological research, but it has since been adopted widely by initiators of change in just about every professional field. What the saying suggests is that there is a universal tendency for individuals to rely upon a familiar ‘tool’ for solving a range of problems even though this tool may be ineffective at times or even unfit for purpose. A ‘tool’ in this context is any kind of response used to tackle a problem and is usually driven by a particular belief or perception about the problem itself.
