Module 33

Lauren Steinhardt

Ed Psych

GLE105 01

4/28/14

Question: Can children learn in school if they are hungry or feel unsafe in their neighborhood? Take Maslow’s hierarchy of needs into account when answering this question. What criticisms would you offer about this hierarchy?

            The hierarchy of needs is Maslow’s model of seven levels of human needs, from basic physiological requirements to the need for self-actualization. These levels range from lower-level needs for survival and safety to higher-level needs for intellectual achievement and finally self-actualization. Self-actualization is Maslow’s term for self-fulfillment, the realization of personal potential. Each of the lower needs must be met before the next higher need can be addressed. Therefore, children who are hungry or feel unsafe in their neighborhood will not be able to learn in school because the four lower-level needs of survival, safety, belonging, and self-esteem have not been met. As a result of feeling unsafe or hungry children will not pass these lower levels. A criticism that I might have about this theory is that children may not always follow what the theory says. Sometimes people have an underlying sense of ambition to be successful in school no matter what their home situation may be. Most of us move back and forth among different types of needs and may even be motivated by many needs at the same time. Some people even deny themselves safety or friendship in order to achieve knowledge, understanding, or greater self-esteem.