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Motivation and Personality
Abraham Maslow's 1954 book on motivation and self-actualization, which a secondary reference describes as addressing human fulfillment and personal relationships.
- Author and origin
- Abraham H. Maslow (United States)Original language: English. First published in 1954; Open Library lists Harper and Brothers among the publishers. A Wellcome Collection copy is a Harper and Row printing with a bracketed 1954 date, and a second edition appeared in 1970, so later copies may differ from the first edition.
- Genre and form
- Academic (Scholarly monograph)Foundational scholarly monographs, experimental treatises, and theoretical volumes written for researchers and students.
- Pairing and evidence
- Primary scholarshipA foundational academic book or treatise. Each profile states what was inspected and whether a research paper is paired.
- Sources inspected
- 2 text/abstract inspected, 1 metadata checked (of 3)2 with the primary text or archive/edition record checked, 0 with an indexed abstract read, 1 with bibliographic metadata checked, 0 not verified.
The work and edition history
Maslow’s 1954 book concerns motivation and self-actualization. Catalogs also identify later printings and a 1970 second edition; the editions were not compared here.
Psychological reading
A secondary reference says the book addresses the nature of human fulfillment and the importance of personal relationships, and develops a concept of self-actualization in which a person whose more basic needs are met is freed to pursue their own path. Questions to bring: What is gained by studying fulfillment as well as deficiency and disorder? What would count as evidence that some needs have to be met before others? Which statements in the book describe how people are motivated, and which express a view of a good life?
Why it earns inclusion
A historical reading for humanistic approaches to motivation and personality. Ask how an account of human fulfillment differs from an account organized around deficiency or disorder.
Academic pairing and claim scope
No journal article is paired. Pairing a study would require checking the book's actual claims about needs, and only catalog records and a secondary summary were available.
Limits and controversies
The premise comes from catalog records and a secondary reference. No publisher description or text of the 1954 book was inspected, so this record does not describe its chapters or the scheme of needs it presents. Maslow's theory is a framework, and whether needs are satisfied in a fixed order is an empirical question this record does not answer.
Evidence behind the claims
A Wellcome Collection catalog record describes a Harper and Row copy dated [1954], New York and London, xiv and 411 pages, in Harper's psychological series, with a bibliography on pages 379-394 and the subjects Self-actualization (Psychology) and Motivation.
Open Library lists 1954 as the first publication year, names Harper and Brothers and Harper and Row among the publishers, and records a second edition dated 1970 from Harper and Row.
A secondary reference describes Motivation and Personality as a 1954 book addressing the nature of human fulfillment and the importance of personal relationships, and developing a concept of self-actualization in which a person with more basic needs met is freed to pursue their own path.
Authors and researchers
- Abraham H. Maslow. Psychologist; author of Motivation and Personality.
In the Psy101 course
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 10.1: MotivationChapter 10, Motivation and Emotion. Concept. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Connects to chapter coverage of motivation, where Maslow's work is a standard reference.
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 11.5: Humanistic ApproachesChapter 11, Personality. Concept. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Connects self-actualization to the humanistic approaches to personality covered in the chapter.
Educational reading guide only, not clinical diagnosis or treatment guidance. This course map indicates introductory curriculum relevance rather than clinical proof.See the full course map.
Sources and inspection
Of 3 cited sources, 2 had primary text or archive/edition records checked, 0 had an indexed abstract read, and 1 had bibliographic metadata checked (0 unverified). Literary works and memoirs are distinguished from empirical research studies.
- [2]Maslow, A. H. (1954a). Motivation and personality (open library work records). Open Library (Internet Archive). https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1807541WArchive or library record. Work, edition, or catalog record.Edition, title-page, or archive record checkedOpen Library search results and work record read on 2026-10-23. The work record's description is an unrelated magazine article about the book and was not used.
- [1]Maslow, A. H. (1954b). Motivation and personality (wellcome collection catalogue record). Wellcome Collection Library Catalogue. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/zbduugaaArchive or library record. Work, edition, or catalog record.Edition, title-page, or archive record checkedWellcome catalog record read on 2026-10-23. It has no description field. The Harper and Row imprint suggests a later printing than the bracketed 1954 date.
- [3]Motivation and Personality. (2024). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Motivation_and_Personality&oldid=1241159668Consulted sourceReference work. Historical or biographical context.Bibliographic metadata or reference record checkedWikipedia summary extract read on 2026-10-23. It does not name a publisher. Secondary reference.