A theory of human needs should be human-centered, not animal-centered: A commentary on Kenrick et al.
Journal
Perspectives in Psychological Science
Subject
Organisational Behaviour
Publishing details
Authors / Editors
Kesebir S;Graham J;Oishi S
Biographies
Publication Year
2010
Abstract
Kenrick et al. (2010, this issue) make an important contribution by presenting a theory of human needs within an evolutionary framework. In our opinion, however, this framework bypasses the human uniqueness that Maslow intended to capture in his theory. We comment on the unique power of culture in shaping human motivation at the phylogenetic, ontogenetic, and proximate levels. We note that culture–gene coevolution may be a more promising lead to a theory of human motivation than a mammalcentric evolutionary perspective.
Keywords
Human needs; Hierarchy of needs; Motivation; Human evolution; Culture-gene Coevolution
Available on ECCH
No