A Comparison of Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs with the Pancha Kosha Theory of Upanishads

Abstract

There is a growing recognition that reductionist and mechanistic worldview that we hold of human motivation needs to be revised and transformed. Many attempts have been made in this direction including a more humanistic approach. In the Western world, Maslow‟s needs hierarchy was a first such attempt.However, not many attempts have been made to expand further the concept of self-actualization proposed by Maslow. On the other hand, there was a criticism of his approach as not being rooted in research and the real world. In this article, the authors attempt to explore the similarities between the needs hierarchy as proposed by Maslow (1943, 1954) and the model of „Pancha Kosha‟ or„five sheaths‟ theory as presented in the Taittriya Upanishad