Application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in a Historical Context: Case Studies of Four Prominent Figures

Abstract

Needs are all-pervasive. For Maslow, these were also innate. Being the basic drivers of behaviour, these have existed in an individual since time immemorial. This paper explores the application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs at the individual level through case studies of four prominent historical figures. Through this analysis, it was found that the personalities could be arranged along a continuum of human functioning. The individual personalities displayed varying needs ranging from self-actualization to signs of metapathology. This dynamicity of human behaviour towards different and varying ends can be a potential source of newer insights furthering the cause of human development and evolution.