Little known fact: Maslow never actually created a pyramid to represent his hierarchy of human needs. 🤯

@sbkaufman studied Maslow's original work and reimagined the human needs in a more useful metaphor: A sailboat.

⬇️ See thread 🧵⬇️

#ship30for30 #maslow #selfactualization

@sbkaufman Yep. The Maslow pyramid most know today was created by a management consultant in the sixties.

To this day it perpetuates the idea that we achieve our human needs level by level, like a video game.

That’s not what Maslow intended.
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@sbkaufman His ideas were far more nuanced, but he died before he could finish his work.

This is explained in the excellent book “Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization” by psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman.

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@sbkaufman Dr Kaufman studied Maslow’s work in detail, and picks up where he left off. With their combined wisdom, he offers his reimagined model for human needs:

A SAILBOAT.

It has two parts ⬇️

@sbkaufman THE HULL...

⛵ provides security from the waves - inevitable as we sail the open seas of life.

⛵ is made of planks. Each plank provides security. Bigger hull = More security.

⛵ Planks = Safety, strong connections and feeling worthy. They allow you to stay afloat.

@sbkaufman THE SAIL...

⛵💨 The sail allows you to move. It represents growth. Without it, you’re well protected from the water but you stay still.

⛵ Unfurling it means you drop your defenses, and see what happens. Closing it up when you feel threatened.

@sbkaufman ⛵ Each level of the sail allows you to capture more wind, helping you explore and adapt. They are exploration, love and purpose.

The more you unfurl your sail, the further you will go. And one day, you may just enter peak experience, where you’ve taken off with the wind.

@sbkaufman I posted yesterday wondering if self-worth was the key to psychological safety at work.

Self-esteem is part of building a strong hull, and allows for the courageous unfurling of a larger sail.

@sbkaufman End of thread! 🧵🔚

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