Introduction
The theory under focus in Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – is a well-known theory that provides insight into why people behave and motivate themselves the way they do. Two important concepts of this system are psychosocial development and stages of needs. The proposition between the concepts is that adequate psychosocial development can only be achieved by meeting human needs in a specific order. Overall, Maslow’s theory establishes that psychosocial development progresses through five stages of needs.
Main Body
In order to understand why the relationship between psychosocial development and stages of needs is linear, it is essential to comprehend what these concepts mean. Psychosocial development describes the progression of changes and transitions that people go through in terms of their psychological and social development over the course of their lifetime. Meanwhile, stages of needs refer to a sequence of needs that individuals must satisfy to achieve the highest human need – self-actualization.
Both terms can be used in different fields and contexts, which may obfuscate their real meaning. Psychosocial development often encompasses a broader range of psychological and social factors that interact to shape individuals’ development (Compton, 2018). This interpretation may cause confusion because it creates the impression that personal development is mainly influenced by outside factors instead. At the same time, the exact nature of stages of needs varies across the different theories of psychology, causing a popular misconception that these stages are age-based.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the relationship between psychosocial development and stages of needs in Maslow’s theory is straightforward: each person has to satisfy their needs in linear stages. As the ideas of human needs and personal development are a recurring theme in psychological research, there are many interpretations of how such transitions transpire. Nevertheless, Maslow’s explanation is concise because it uses a strict hierarchy of needs, which have to be met in a specific sequence.
Reference
Compton, W. C. (2018). Self-actualization myths: What did Maslow really say? Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 5, 388-397. Web.