An Experimental Study of Maslow's Deprivation-Domination Proposition

Students wrote essays designed to enhance recall of past attainment or past deprivation of belongingness-level needs. Essays affected subsequent goal-attainment ratings of esteem-level rather than belongingness-level goals and tended to affect rated intentions to pursue goals at all levels of Maslow's hierarchy. These data appear to support a somewhat modified version of Maslow's motivation theory.