Aranoff (1967)

• Aim


  tested whether the higher levels of Maslow's hierarchy are only satisfied once the lower levels have been satisfied
• Method

  • Aranoff compared people in two jobs in the British West Indies - fishermen and cane cutters
  • cane cutters were paid according to how much cane was cut by the whole group, even if they were off sick -> had high job security, although wages were low
  • fishermen worked alone, doing more challenging work -> less job security but earned more overall
  • both groups were assessed to see what level they were at in Maslow's hierarchy
• Results


  • more cane cutters were at the lower levels of the hierarchy, still trying to achieve safety and security than fishermen, many of whom had satisfied the lower levels
• Conclusion

  • only those men who had satisfied the lower levels would choose to become fishermen, allowing them to develop high self esteem
  • this supports Maslow's theory suggesting that you cannot achieve high levels without having satisfied lower levels
• Evaluation


  • has ecological validity - studied people in their own environment
  • culture biased - cannot be generalised to wider society