Abraham Maslow
             Abraham Maslow, who is widely known for developing a view that people are successfully motivated by the claims of an hierarchy of needs, was born on April 1, 1908 in Brooklyn, New York, to a poor, immigrant, Russian, Jewish family. Maslow was the first of seven children. His parents, Samuel and Rose, wanted the best for their eldest son and pushed him hard for success. Maslow remembers his childhood as being unpleasant with constant discipline. His mother was superstitious and would quickly punish him for the slightest wrongdoing. She openly favored the younger siblings and was unaffectionate and rejecting of Maslow. He eventually developed hatred towards his mother and it continued until her death. Maslow became isolated and unhappy for he grew up without close friends or loving parents. His father was aloof and periodically abandoned his unhappy marriage.
             Maslow grew up in a neighborhood in which he was the only Jewish boy. He encountered hostility and prejudice in regards to his religious beliefs. At the age of nine he joined a Jewish gang for self-defense. However, he could not conceal his love for reading and complete the obstacles the gang assigned him. As a result, he became a very lonely boy and was curious why people would feel this way about one another.
             Embarrassed about his scrawny physique and large nose, Maslow remembered his teenage years marked by huge inferiority complex. He quotes, "I tired to compensate for what I felt was a great physical lack by forcing my development in the direction of athletic achievements." He eventually turned to books in which where the library became the playground of his childhood and adolescence.
             In line with his parents wishes Maslow began to study Law but later, following a transfer in his Law studies from New York to Wisconsin, became fascinated by Psychology becoming involved in researches upon Rhesus monkeys under t...