Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the pyramid he did not draw

What happened

Abraham Maslow published A Theory of Human Motivation in Psychological Review in 1943. The paper names five sets of basic needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem and self-actualization. It sets out the hierarchy in prose, with no pyramid diagram. Researchers Todd Bridgman, Stephen Cummings and John Ballard traced the familiar pyramid to a 1960 Business Horizons article by the consulting psychologist Charles McDermid.

The psychological idea

Maslow wrote that most normal people are partially satisfied in all their basic needs and that a new need emerges gradually, by slow degrees. He added that the hierarchy is not nearly as rigid as he may have implied, and listed exceptions such as people for whom self-esteem seems more important than love. He said the theory derives most directly from clinical experience and acknowledged a very serious lack of sound data.

In practice

Bridgman, Cummings and Ballard say Keith Davis's 1957 management textbook showed the hierarchy as steps leading to a peak, and they think it inspired McDermid, whose image became the popular one. McDermid argued that a pyramid could generate maximum motivation at the lowest cost. They say Douglas McGregor popularized Maslow among business people without drawing a pyramid, and that they found no trace of one in Maslow's books, articles, diaries or archive papers.

Why it mattered

The record shows how a simplified diagram can replace a qualified theory. The pyramid makes the needs look fixed and strictly sequential, which Maslow's own text says is not so rigid. It also shows how management teaching can shape what students believe a psychologist said.

Evidence behind the claims

• Maslow's 1943 paper, A Theory of Human Motivation, appeared in Psychological Review, volume 50, pages 370 to 396, and names five sets of basic needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem and self-actualization.

  DocumentedSource: [1]Where: Page header and main text

• The 1943 text presents the hierarchy in prose and the page contains no pyramid or other figure.

  Claim not supportedSource: [1]Where: Whole page, no figure

• Maslow wrote that most normal people are partially satisfied in all their basic needs, that a new need emerges gradually, that the hierarchy is not nearly as rigid as implied, that some people rank self-esteem above love, and that the theory derives most directly from clinical experience with a very serious lack of sound data.

  DocumentedSource: [1]Where: Sections on partial satisfaction, exceptions and basis of the theory

• Bridgman, Cummings and Ballard, interviewed in 2019, say Keith Davis's 1957 textbook showed the hierarchy as steps to a peak, that Charles McDermid presented the pyramid in a 1960 Business Horizons article, How money motivates men, that they think Davis inspired McDermid, and that McDermid argued a pyramid could generate maximum motivation at the lowest cost.

  InterpretationSource: [2]Where: Interview textChecked at page level

• The authors report finding no trace of the pyramid in Maslow's published books and articles, published diaries and archive papers at the University of Akron, and say Douglas McGregor popularized Maslow without a pyramid; they add that if an earlier pyramid exists they did not find it.

  InterpretationSource: [2]Where: Interview textChecked at page level

• Tay and Diener analyzed Gallup World Poll data from 123 countries (60,865 individuals) and report that need fulfillment was consistently associated with subjective well-being across world regions.

  Experimental findingSource: [3]Where: Abstract and Method, Sample section (pages 354 to 356)

• Tay and Diener report that the associations of specific needs with well-being were largely independent of whether other needs were fulfilled.

  Experimental findingSource: [3]Where: AbstractChecked at abstract level

People involved

• Abraham Maslow. Psychologist, author of the 1943 paper
• Charles McDermid. Consulting psychologist, author of the 1960 article
• Louis Tay. Co-author of the 2011 cross-cultural study of needs and well-being
• Ed Diener. Co-author of the 2011 cross-cultural study of needs and well-being

In the Psy101 course

• OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 10.1: MotivationChapter 10, Emotion and Motivation. Concept. The section discusses this topic.Says Maslow's needs are often depicted as a pyramid and notes criticism of the theory, which is the popular form this record questions.

This is course relevance only. It is not evidence for the historical or corporate claims on this page.See the full course map.

Sources and inspection

3 of 3 sources were opened and read at the level shown. A source marked as not verified supports no claim on this page by itself.

1. [1]
   A Theory of Human MotivationMaslow, A. Psychological Review, 50, 370-396 (Classics in the History of Psychology, York University), 1943. Journal article. Primary source.Relevant text checkedRead the Classics page through the fetch tool: header, the need sets, partial satisfaction, exceptions to the order and the statement of the theory's basis. The page contains no figure.
2. [2]
   Who created Maslow's iconic pyramid?Scientific American Beautiful Minds blog (interview with Todd Bridgman, Stephen Cummings and John Ballard). Scientific American, 2019. News report. Secondary account.Reference article readRead the Scientific American interview with the authors of the pyramid history (dated 23 April 2019). It is a secondary report of their findings, not the paper.
3. [3]
   Needs and Subjective Well-Being Around the WorldTay, L; Diener, E. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(2), 354-365, 2011. Journal article. Critique or replication.Relevant text checkedOpened the PDF and read pages 354 to 356: abstract, introduction and Method. Results and Discussion were not read, so no claim here rests on them.

Access note: The 2019 history of the pyramid itself returned 403 from its repository page; its findings are taken from an interview with the authors.

Independent source review: Claude review agent, independent of the research agent, 2026-10-21. Verdict: pass-with-edits.

Related records and elsewhere on Psy101

• Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking
• Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi launch positive psychology
• The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator moves into wide use

• Psy101 Timeline: Maslow publishes A Theory of Human Motivation
• Psy101 People: Abraham Maslow