{"id":1690,"date":"2019-06-30T07:14:07","date_gmt":"2019-06-30T07:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grantnews.com\/blog\/?p=570"},"modified":"2023-04-23T08:20:14","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T12:20:14","slug":"understanding-what-motivates-us-how-does-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-factor-into-career-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/understanding-what-motivates-us-how-does-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-factor-into-career-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding What Motivates Us: How Does Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Factor Into Career Choice?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How did you decide what you wanted to be when you grew up?\u00a0What’s the internal process involved in people’s career choices? Do we understand\u00a0the motivating factors behind these choices?\u00a0How do students choose what they wish to study?\u00a0In the olden days, people would often become apprentices and learn by doing. People often chose to follow in their parent’s footsteps or to join the family business, which still happens today, but to a lesser degree.<\/p>\n

Today, people are more concerned with following their own dreams and aspirations, but what personal needs or characteristics factor into those choices?\u00a0To understand what motivates us, we can take a look at a theory by a highly regarded psychologist, Abraham Maslow, who postulated his psychological theory known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs back in 1943.<\/p>\n

Maslow theorized\u00a0that people’s needs develop in a particular order and that they must first satisfy their basic physiological\u00a0survival<\/strong> needs, like\u00a0food, water, shelter, sleep, sex, etc. Only after these needs are met do they move on to their safety<\/strong> needs – the need for protection, physical security, resources, job security, income, etc. Once those needs are met, people can move on to focus on their social needs such as relationships, family, intimacy, belonging<\/strong>, etc. Next, after\u00a0these needs are met a desire for\u00a0esteem<\/strong> often arises within people. Esteem\u00a0needs include achievement, respect, status, etc. Finally, a desire for self-actualization<\/strong> leads people\u00a0to want to fulfill their potential and pursue their desire for personal growth, authenticity, and finding meaning in life.<\/p>\n

Where on the pyramid\u00a0does your job fall?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Survival\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Material\u00a0needs\u00a0seem to be high on the list of priorities for many students, going into business or the field that will earn the highest income to ensure their basic survival <\/strong>needs are met. These students study finance, economics, accounting, business, banking… and often go on to get MBAs. They look for jobs in the financial sector as investment bankers, research analysts or go into business.<\/p>\n

Safety\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their career choice also allows them to meet their safety <\/strong>needs, and depending on their place of employment, might also be involved in filling their belongingness <\/strong>need, and depending on their position, their esteem needs<\/strong> as well.<\/p>\n

Others have different primary motivations, choosing professions that have something to do with making a difference in the world, helping others, pursuing their artistic muse and inspiration. This doesn’t mean they’re not interested in meeting their own more basic needs, but these are not their primary motivation.<\/p>\n

For those\u00a0who most value safety and security, careers in the military, law enforcement, or as some type of first- responder might be chosen.<\/p>\n

Belongingness<\/strong><\/p>\n

For those who are motivated by belongingness needs<\/strong>, social and societal concerns will come into play. These are often our social workers, ministers and nonprofit professionals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Esteem\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once people in any of these careers, or working in any of these fields reach a high level of proficiency,\u00a0esteem needs<\/strong> will lead them to take on leadership roles – possibly in their own business or nonprofit, and\/or in the community and society.<\/p>\n

A lawyer might choose to become a judge or a politician. A teacher might choose to advance to become a department head or the school’s\u00a0principal.<\/p>\n

Focusing on\u00a0Self-Actualization\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those who choose careers in the nonprofit sector have a different set of priorities, but which “level” of the hierarchy of needs are they drawn to dedicate their careers and devote their passions to?<\/p>\n

All are interested in “making a difference in the world,” but what’s the driving force that motives them?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For those working with nonprofits, how do they choose the type of nonprofit they wish to be part of?
\n<\/strong>And what are the needs from the hierarchy that grant funders choose to support and why?
\n<\/strong>Both groups are interested in “making a difference in the world,” but what’s their passion? What motivates them?<\/p>\n

Nonprofits can address needs on any of the levels of the hierarchy’s pyramid.\u00a0Think of survival needs as those working for\u00a0the homeless<\/a>, or to feed the poor and hungry<\/a>; safety as those working to end domestic violence<\/a> or sex trafficking, those working for disaster relief could fall under both categories.<\/p>\n

Those working with faith-based<\/a> and community service organizations are working on that third level of belongingness, but also possibly the fifth level – including self-actualization<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Later formulations of the hierarchy of needs added three more basic needs, increasing the pyramid of needs\u00a0to eight.\u00a0These needs include the first four, plus cognitive need<\/strong>s:<\/p>\n