Motivation is crucial for us humans, affecting our comfort, creativity, and productivity. For scientists, maintaining motivation is essential to not only survive but enjoy the demanding research landscape with all its positive and more challenging aspects. In this post, we’ll explore how understanding motivation (and diagnosing de-motivation) can help you thrive in your scientific career, guided by the well-known Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs.
The Foundation of Motivation: Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs
American psychiatrist Abraham Maslow developed a significant theory about motivation, published in 1943. Some of you might have heard of the Maslow Pyramid of Needs. It’s a theory that provides a framework for understanding how humans prioritise different needs at various life stages. The pyramid consists of five levels, each representing different needs. According to Maslow, you need to fulfil the lower levels before being able to pursue higher-level needs.
Let’s break down each level of the pyramid and see how it applies to scientists:
- Physiological Needs: These are essential for survival, including sleep, food, air, water, and warmth. As scientists, if our basic physiological needs are not met, our motivation to work, think creatively, and solve problems diminishes. Ensuring you have a healthy diet, adequate sleep, and a comfortable work environment is foundational.
- Safety Needs: Safety can mean having a stable job, a secure home, and a safe working environment. When you first arrive at a new institute, finding your way around—locating the cafeteria and bathrooms, securing housing, and signing a contract—addresses these needs. Feeling secure in your position allows you to focus more on your research.
- Love and Belonging: This might sound cheesy, but it’s about having a sense of community and friendship. In a research setting, this translates to being part of a team, having supportive colleagues, and feeling included in the scientific community. It also involves self-love and acceptance, which can sometimes be challenging in a highly competitive environment.
4. Esteem Needs: These are about self-worth and respect, both self-esteem and respect from others. As scientists, this includes receiving recognition for your work, building a reputation in your field, and appreciating your own contributions. However, the imposter syndrome can make achieving this quite difficult, so finding strategies to build confidence is key.
5. Self-Actualization: This is the realisation of one’s full potential, including creative, intellectual, and social capacities. For scientists, this could mean making groundbreaking discoveries, contributing novel insights to your field, and achieving personal growth. This need is driven by an intrinsic desire to grow and reach your full potential.
Applying Maslow’s Pyramid to Your Scientific Career
Understanding Maslow’s Pyramid can help explain why you might be motivated by different needs at different times. If your lower needs aren’t met, it’s challenging to strive for higher goals. For example, if you’re struggling with job security or feeling isolated in your team, it can be hard to focus on innovative research or career advancement.
Conversely, deprivation of basic needs can sometimes clarify your self-actualization goals. For instance, losing a job or ending a long-term relationship might prompt you to reassess what truly fulfills you and drive you towards new aspirations.
In our workshops, we put an extra emphasis on the “Self-Actualization” part, breaking it down into different factors that contribute to your motivation in the scientific workplace. This tool gives you a diagnostic lens to understand the reason for your demotivation, and how to overcome it. Learn more about this in our “Core Skills for your PhD” Workshop, targeted at PhDs in their first year, or as well our leadership workshops for Postdocs and Group Leaders.