What it means
A model by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow, often drawn as a pyramid. From the bottom up, the levels are physiologic needs (air, water, food, sleep), safety and security, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization (reaching one's potential). Lower needs generally must be met before higher ones. Nurses use it to help set priorities, along with the ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation).
For the nurse
When choosing which need to meet first, physiologic needs, starting with airway and breathing, usually come before safety, and safety before emotional needs.
At a glance
| Also written | Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow's hierarchy, Maslow’s hierarchy |
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Related terms
airway
The passages that carry air into and out of the lungs, from the nose and mouth to the smallest air tubes.
physiologic
Relating to the normal working of the body.