Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs represents a theory of human motivation proposed by Abraham Maslow in the 1960s which states that humans possess different levels of needs with corresponding motivations, starting with most immediate needs: physiological (oxygen, water, food, etc.) to safety (security, freedom from fear, etc.), social (belongingness, love, etc.), esteem (achievement, confidence, etc.), and self-actualization (reaching one's potential).
Apply: The Hierarchy of Needs is useful in thinking about community development because it can provide an introductory understanding to where the developer needs to start. For example, if a developer enters a neighborhood trying to organize residents around creating colorful neighborhood signs (which may, indeed, create a greater sense of belongingness), residents may be focused on the fact that it is unsafe for their children to walk back and forth to school and not really care about the signs. The safety concern, which is higher on Maslow's hierarchy than is belongingness, trumps resident concern for neighborhood signs, even if they might be interested in it because they have more important motivations at the moment.
Adapt: This theory can also be applied to teachers in educational settings. If they have a student who is coming to school regularly having not completed homework or not attempting to earn A's and B's in school (esteem), they may want to look at other, more immediately important levels of the hierarchy. For example, does the student have food and a roof over their head (physiological/safety)? If not, they may not be 'motivated' to be successful in school if they do not have food to eat in the morning.
Source: Schuck, A. & D. Rosenbaum (2006). Promoting Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods: What Research Tells Us about Intervention. In K. Fulbright-Anderson and P. Auspos (Eds.), Community Change: Theories, Practice, and Evidence. The Aspen Institute.
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