When the psychologist Abraham Maslow died, like the great architect Gaudi, he left his masterpiece unfinished. In his case it was not the Sagrada Familia, but perhaps a more important structure: the Pyramid of Maslow represents the hierarchy of human needs.
The Maslow Pyramid
Maslow had presented his pyramid in an article, “A Theory of Human Motivation” published in Psychological Review. It was 1943 and at the time the hierarchy of human needs looked like this to him:
However, Maslow lived until 1970, and the 1943 pyramid lacked the endpoint that the evolution of his thought reached.
In fact, in his last years of life, his "architect" added an element to the top of this pyramid: self-transcendence.
The Maslow Pyramid with its new summit
Nicholas Bradford, CEO and founder of Willow Group, recently spent a period of study at Singularity University, whose mission is to be “a global community using exponential technologies to address the world's greatest challenges.”
Ultimately, she emerged convinced that the most serious problems facing humanity are not technical. While it is possible to engineer our way out of trouble, in fact, we will not succeed until we transcend ourselves, seeing beyond our individual well-being to the need of us all.
Maslow's Pyramid, as we know, was extended to include cognitive and aesthetic needs, and later needs for transcendence. The latter represent a person's motivation based on values that go beyond the personal self. Examples of transcendent needs include mystical experiences and certain experiences with nature, aesthetic experiences, sexual experiences, service to others, the pursuit of science, religious faith, etc. This extension of Maslow's pyramid leads us to reflect on the need to look beyond our individual needs and consider collective well-being.
The real summit, the best future
In summary, what the final stage of Maslow's pyramid is about is this. Having met our basic needs at the base of the pyramid, worked on our emotional needs in the middle, and worked to reach our potential, Maslow felt we needed to transcend the idea that we perceive ourselves as islands.
We should come to see ourselves as part of the larger universe to develop the common priorities that can enable humanity to survive as a species.
From the collective response to war or health emergencies to the colonization of space, the importance of coming together as a global community suggests that the very top of the pyramid is the only hope for our future.
Transcendence, as the top of Maslow's pyramid, invites us to overcome our perception of ourselves as isolated individuals and to see ourselves as part of a larger universe. This allows us to develop common priorities that can enable humanity to survive as a species. This concept of transcendence is particularly relevant when we consider the global challenges facing humanity, such as climate change, poverty and social inequalities. Only by looking beyond our individual needs and working together for the common good can we hope to address these challenges effectively.
