Abraham Maslow is a humanist psychologist who focused his research on the positive qualities that people possess, rather than seeing them as a bag of issues that needs to be fixed. The humanist movement in psychology helped shape the current world of psychology and focuses on how people are innately good and capable of changing their own worlds. The hierarchy of needs is based around the idea of self actualization, which is the top of the pyramind. Only 1 in 100 people achieve self-actualization by the end of their lifetime. Each level must be fulfilled before proceeding on to the next. The bottom of the pyramid is physiological needs like water, shelter, and rest. The next level is safety needs, then belongingness, esteem, and finally self-actualization. The pyramid progresses in a way that each section of a person's life fits in to one of the categories. When you're born you mostly just need rest and to be fed. Then as you get older your needs become more complex. Image source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-mariotti/how-to-get-from-here-to-t_b...