<P> Stemming from this branch of psychology is Maslow's hierarchy of needs . According to Maslow, people have lower order needs that in general must be fulfilled before high order needs can be satisfied:' five sets of needs--physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, and self - actualization' . </P> <P> As a person moves up Maslow's hierarchy of needs, eventually they may find themselves reaching the summit--self - actualization . Maslow's hierarchy of needs begins with the most basic necessities deemed "the physiological needs" in which the individual will seek out items like food and water, and must be able to perform basic functions such as breathing and sleeping . Once these needs have been met, a person can move on to fulfilling "the safety needs", where they will attempt to obtain a sense of security, physical comforts and shelter, employment, and property . The next level is "the belongingness and love needs", where people will strive for social acceptance, affiliations, a sense of belongingness and being welcome, sexual intimacy, and perhaps a family . Next are "the esteem needs", where the individual will desire a sense of competence, recognition of achievement by peers, and respect from others . </P> <P> Some argue that once these needs are met, an individual is primed for self - actualization . Others maintain that there are two more phases an individual must progress through before self - actualization can take place . These include "the cognitive needs", where a person will desire knowledge and an understanding of the world around them, and "the aesthetic needs" which include a need for "symmetry, order, and beauty". Once all these needs have been satisfied, the final stage of Maslow's hierarchy--self actualization--can take place . </P> <P> Classical Adlerian psychotherapy promotes this level of psychological development, utilizing the foundation of a 12 - stage therapeutic model to realistically satisfy the basic needs, leading to an advanced stage of "meta - therapy," creative living, and self / other / task - actualization . Gestalt therapy, acknowledging that' Kurt Goldstein first introduced the concept of the organism as a whole', built on the assumption that "every individual, every plant, every animal has only one inborn goal--to actualize itself as it is ." </P>

According to maslow the motive of self actualization