en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs
1 correction found
Partner acquisition
“Partner acquisition” is not one of Maslow’s self-actualization needs. It comes from a later evolutionary revision of the pyramid, not from Maslow’s own hierarchy.
Full reasoning
Maslow’s self-actualization need refers to realizing one’s potential and pursuing personal growth, not to finding a mate. A standard summary of Maslow’s model defines self-actualization as “the personal drive to reach your full potential, grow your talents, and find true self-fulfillment.”
By contrast, the well-known 2010 evolutionary revision of Maslow’s pyramid explicitly removed self-actualization from the top of the model and replaced the upper part with reproductive motives. That paper states that it “removed self-actualization from its privileged place atop the pyramid” and that the top of the revised pyramid includes “mate acquisition, mate retention, and parenting.” In other words, mate/partner acquisition belongs to a later revised framework, not to Maslow’s original self-actualization category.
So the article is conflating Maslow’s own hierarchy with a later reinterpretation: “Partner acquisition” is not a Maslow self-actualization need.
2 sources
- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
“Self-Actualization: The personal drive to reach your full potential, grow your talents, and find true self-fulfillment.”
- Renovating the Pyramid of Needs: Contemporary Extensions Built Upon Ancient Foundations
The authors write that they “removed self-actualization from its privileged place atop the pyramid” and that the top of the revised pyramid includes “mate acquisition, mate retention, and parenting.”