Case Study on "Life History"

Case Study 11 pages (3043 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Developmental Psychology

Abraham Maslow

Maslow was a 20th century thinker based in New York. He developed his famous hierarchy of needs in order to try and encapsulate the underlying processes that drive human development.

It is appropriate to envision Maslow's hierarchy as a pyramid with several progressive levels of human desires, with the base level the most prevalent and superficially essential, and the tip of self-actualization hardest to balance.

Step one in the hierarchy is physiological needs. These are needs we share with animals and are biological imperatives, pursued without thought. Included on this level is the need for oxygen, water, and other vitamins and minerals. Further, there's the need to sleep, avoid pain, get rid of wastes, and have sex. It is only once these base physiological needs are secured that an individual can progress to deeper concerns. In this sense, Maslow's hierarchy is very intuitive; it is hard to imagine sitting down for a philosophical discussion or attempting to effect radical social change with a rumbling belly.

Next up in the pyramid are safety and security needs. Though unstructured, situation-based forays to fulfill physiological needs accomplish the ultimate task, humans crave stability. It is inevitable, once physiological needs are temporarily abated, that an individual will then turn his or her mind to considering the need to fulfill physiological needs in the future. Seeking to avoid last minute scrambling that might not necessarily result in success, an individual will try and find secure circumstances. This individual will seek the solace and protection of structure, order, and organization. A move from rural work with its unpredictable weather patterns to an urban lifestyle with a corner supermarket might be an example of such a step up in Maslow's hierarchy.

At this point, the individual has not only taken care of the needs of the moment, but is confident that future needs, as they arise, will be resolved satisfactorily. According to Maslow, the individual will now turn his or her attention to the need for love. The individual will seek to develop lasting and meaningful friendships and relationships, and seek to belong to a community. This first three steps of the pyramid might manifest in an individual seeking to have an established career and a sense that they can provide for themselves before looking to marry and expand their sphere of concern or responsibility.

Maslow believed that step four in an individual's progression was the quest for self-esteem. Self-esteem was believed to come in two versions: a desire for the respect of others and a need for fame or glory, and the development of self-respect, the burgeoning of confidence, independence, and freedom.

Following the fulfillment of deficit needs, Maslow believed an individual will climb to the top of the pyramid and reach for self-actualization. There is no end game in self-actualization. Self-actualized individuals continuously identify goals and objectives and reach to achieve them. The earlier steps in the hierarchy are either met or not met; at the topmost point in the hierarchy, however, you must have met and surpassed all the previous steps.

Maslow believed that only a small percentage of the world's population was self-actualized. Maslow attempted to identify the unique characteristics of people he considered self-actualized. Among the characteristics that Maslow identified were the need to differentiate truth from dishonesty, the desire to solve life's problems instead of surrendering to them, and an enthusiasm for the journey itself, regardless of the ultimate outcome. Moreover, Maslow believed self-actualized figures forged deeper personal relationships, enjoyed autonomy, and were nonconformists without being hostile. Lastly, Maslow characterized these people as having respect for others, compassion, strong ethics, and creative impulses.

Maslow did not believe that these self-actualized figures were perfect, though; he identified their imperfections as anxiety/guilt, absentmindedness, and potential ruthlessness. Ultimately, what Maslow most revered in these figures was their ability to transcend certain perceived dichotomies, such as the distinction between the physical and spiritual, and enjoy a greater number of "peak experiences" than the average person.

These peak experiences are characterized by a transcendence of self and feelings of ecstasy and awe. These profound moments of love and rapture indelibly mark those who have experienced them, making them feel more powerful than ever before and, at the same time, incredibly fragile.

Maslow believed that a person could temporarily regress while still continuing on an overall arc of successful self-actualization. He felt that the climb towards self-actualization needed to be augmented by refreshing moments of aesthetically pleasing imagery, such as the beauty of the nature. When mired in the depths of alienation or cynicism, a self-actualized person could refresh their perspective through one of these interludes.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He was born in Kentucky in 1809, and grew up in Indiana. His biological mother died when he was nine.

This first key event in the development of this great historical figure can be analyzed through the lens of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The first step is the conquering of physiological needs. When he was still too young to fend for himself, Lincoln lost his mother. Without progression into the second level of the pyramid, Lincoln might have been bereft of his base needs. Even in the 1800s, living to maturity was not a certainty, as evidenced by the fact that only one of Lincoln's siblings in fact did so. Clearly, a primitive level one approach to physiological needs was insufficient to secure the likelihood of survival.

Lincoln's father, however, had developed community ties in a forward-thinking effort to plan for future physiological needs. It is through this community that Lincoln's father met and re-married Lincoln's stepmother. Not only were Lincoln's parents able to attend to his physiological needs together, but Lincoln's stepmother was instrumental in fomenting Lincoln's love of reading and new knowledge. Maslow stated that self-actualized individuals must crave learning and acquiring new knowledge, and Lincoln's stepmother, a product of step two of the Maslowian pyramid, was crucial in inculcating Lincoln's desire in this regard.

Lincoln's stepmother is also evocative of step three of the pyramid. Lincoln was able to forge a tremendously deep personal relationship with his stepmother, rather than resenting her for replacing his biological mother. Lincoln's stepmother fulfilled Lincoln's step three need for love, in a way that his wife presumably did not, as her brothers fought for the South and she was mentally unbalanced.

When he was old enough, Lincoln enlisted in the military. He was successful at this venture, and was quickly elected to a captainship. Lincoln's stint in the military is evocative of steps two and three in Maslow's hierarchy. Step two is the preservation of community. Community is often strengthened and preserved through warfare. The unity that is forged when fending off another united people is crucial in ensuring the bonds of loyalty. Moreover, many of the resources needed for both step one and two of Maslow's hierarchy are often forcibly retrieved at another community's expense.

Lincoln's achievement of step four can be seen in his quick rise during his time in the military. He was elected to a post of honor almost immediately, an event that presumably flooded Lincoln for the first time with the pleasure of the lower form of esteem. By receiving the admiration and respect of his colleagues and achieving a post in recognition of that, Lincoln was well on his way to climbing to the very top of Maslow's hierarchy.

The military was not Lincoln's first foray into attempting to fulfill external esteem needs. Lincoln ran for state legislature and lost in 1832. He did, however, receive other honors: the title of Postmaster of New Salem in 1833, his election as a Whig to the Illinois Legislature in 1834, his admittance to the bar in 1836, his term as a United States Representative in 1847, and his appointment to the state legislature in 1854. While these relatively minor honors might have sufficed for another, Lincoln resigned from the state legislature in 1854 in order to run for the Senate. Lincoln's esteem needs matched his ambition.

Moreover, Maslow believed that people capable of self-actualization were immensely concerned with the troubles of others and yearned to solve them. This could be accomplished on an individual level or, as in Lincoln's case, on a grander scale, like effecting progressive reforms in the United States Senate.

It is important to note that Lincoln might not have had the confidence to perform public service if not for his achievement of self-esteem. It is easy to suspect that Lincoln might have lacked self-confidence if his mother had never been replaced by his stepmother. However, being close to his stepmother and her encouragement of his pursuits surely helped Lincoln develop a base level of belief in his own abilities. This was cemented and expanded when he received external accolades and popular admiration, such as following his famous "house divided" speech upon receiving the nomination to run for the Senate.

Lincoln lost his bid for the Senate, but it… READ MORE

How to Reference "Life History" Case Study in a Bibliography

Related Papers:

Coca-Cola India Case Study

Coca-Cola India Case Study

One of the most popular and recognized brands across the planet is Coca-Cola; with it's products available virtually anywhere in the world. Beginning in the 1970's… read more

Case Study 2 pages (627 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Asian History / Asia

---

Chest Pain the Presenting Patient Case Study

Chest Pain Case Study

The presenting patient in the present case scenario is Mr. Hay, an 82-year-old male with an existing diagnosis of Cardiac Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This existing… read more

Case Study 4 pages (1112 words) Sources: 1 Style: Harvard Topic: Medicine / Pharmacy

---

Quiksilver Case Study

Quiksilver, Inc. Case Study

Brief Company Description

Founded in 1976, Quiksilver, Inc. (hereinafter alternatively "the company") is headquartered Huntington Beach, California and competes in the global surf- and sports-apparel and… read more

Case Study 10 pages (2910 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

Microbiology Case Study

Microbiology Case Study E. Coli

The increase in cases could be because of a mix up between artificial or real increases. It is important to characterize the reasons for the… read more

Case Study 4 pages (1887 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Disease / Virus / Disorder / Injury

---

Jacob: A Jacob Was Born Case Study

Jacob: A case study

Jacob was born on January 16, 2005. Jacob is eight years old, is currently in the second grade, and has never been retained. He has never… read more

Case Study 5 pages (1575 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>