A theory of motivation is an indispensable component of any modern dynamic psychology. Maslow attempts to formulate a general theory of human motivation 'in the functionalist tradition of James and Dewey … fused with the holism of Wertheimer, Goldstein, and gestalt psychology, and with the dynamicism of Freud and Adler'.

The thesis is advanced that there is a hierarchy of basic needs which emerge in a rather regular sequence, once the 'lower' or more fundamental requirements of the organism are gratified. Lowest in this series are physiological needs, followed in turn by the need for safety, love, esteem, 'self-actualization', cognitive and æsthetic gratification The concept of the self-actualizing personality, designated as SA, is one of the major contributions of the book. The