American psychologist Abraham H. Maslow (1908-1970) first proposed his “hierarchy of needs” theory in 1943. This theory outlines a classification system of universal human needs that individuals feel driven to fulfill in a prioritized manner, culminating in self-actualization.
Maslow structured the hierarchy to indicate that, before the next stage could be reached, the prior stage must be satisfied. While his hierarchy of needs is often presented graphically as a pyramid, Maslow himself did not use this symbol to represent his theory.
