A Theory of Human Motivation is the cornerstone of psychiatrist Abraham Maslow's concept of the human hierarchy of needs. In this 1943 paper, Maslow describes humanity as a "wanting" species, and traces a chain of needs from the most basic (hunger), to the most self serving (personal safety, financial security), to the most social (esteem) and finally to the most transcendent (self-actualization). This conception of linking human growth to a final goal of living up to personal potential was a key development in later, more expansive psychological examinations of human happiness and self-fulfillment.
This paper was originally published in Psychological Review in 1943 and the copyright was not renewed.