preview

Compare And Contrast Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs

Decent Essays

In this section of my paper, I will be looking at the journey of foster care through two different developmental theories, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Erikson's Eight Psychosocial Stages in life. Abraham Maslow created a pyramid with five levels, 1. Basic needs 2. Safety needs 3. Belongingness/Love needs 4. Esteem needs and 5. Self-actualization needs. These five levels are placed into three categories, 1. The Basic needs of life, 2. The Psychological needs of life and 3. The Self-fulfillment needs of life. Maslow’s theory is used to help explain what a person needs psychologically and physically in life, to be able to live it to the fullest. Erik H. Erikson also has his theory about what is needed psychologically from birth to old …show more content…

In the first stage, an infant will develop a sense of trust vs mistrust within himself or herself depending on how fast their needs are met. In the second stage, a kid will development a feeling of autonomy vs shame and doubt depending on the amount of self-control the child is able to gain. In the third stage, a sense of initiative vs guilt will form from the amount of power/control they may have during their interactions with other kids while playing and in other social settings. In the fourth stage, a sense of industry vs inferiority will form depending on how well they passed the previous stages and their interactions with their parents and teachers while completing different tasks. The fifth stage is where a kid will face an identity vs identity confusion crisis depending on how well they passed through the previous stages and their social interactions in the world. The sixth stage is where a person will …show more content…

Their basic needs have not been met due to a parent/caregiver that is not capable of giving the child what he/she needs. Some of the children in foster care never slept in a bed before entering foster care; they never had a full course meal or is able to bathe on a regular basis. In an article on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs it states, “When an individual does not have enough of something, he or she has a deficit, ultimately creating what Maslow has termed deficit needs” (Poston, 2009). These “deficit needs” will follow the child into adulthood especially if they are not met. They are also the underlying cause of the emotional problems the children develop while in foster care. In an article on Erikson’s Schedule of Human Strengths and the Childhood Origins of the Resourceful Self, it states, “the human strengths that develop in childhood are critically important to the formation of a resourceful self” (Capps, 2012). We must take a deeper look at the quality of care being given to the children who are in foster care to ensure they have a chance to grow up and become mentally and physically healthy adults. The requirements for education/trainings on the development of a child must be changed to ensure these foster parents/facilities have the knowledge and skills required to handle children being taken from their homes and placed in

Get Access