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[Frenchfry]

Depends on your view of public assistance - as not all stay at home mom/dads are on assistance

If I were on it - I wouldn't as dignified as if I were able to provide for myself...

Maslows Hierarchy places work(safety) before dignity(Esteem) for a reason...

President Clinton even realized that it was a system that self perpetuated dependency.

Clinton was/is a conservative Democrat from the south...not what I'd consider a good Dem...closer to a rightie...except he was caught in an affair with a woman instead of another man.

As for Maslows Hierarchy:

In their extensive review of research based on Maslow's theory, Wahba and Brudwell found little evidence for the ranking of needs Maslow described, or even for the existence of a definite hierarchy at all. Chilean economist and philosopher Manfred Max-Neef has also argued fundamental human needs are non-hierarchical, and are ontologically universal and invariant in nature—part of the condition of being human; poverty, he argues, may result from any one of these needs being frustrated, denied or unfulfilled.[citation needed]

The order in which the hierarchy is arranged (with self-actualization as the highest order need) has been criticised as being ethnocentric by Geert Hofstede. Hofstede's criticism of Maslow's pyramid as ethnocentric may stem from the fact that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs neglects to illustrate and expand upon the difference between the social and intellectual needs of those raised in individualistic societies and those raised in collectivist societies. Maslow created his hierarchy of needs from an individualistic perspective, being that he was from the United States, a highly individualistic nation. The needs and drives of those in individualistic societies tend to be more self-centered than those in collectivist societies, focusing on improvement of the self, with self actualization being the apex of self improvement. Since the hierarchy was written from the perspective of an individualist, the order of needs in the hierarchy with self actualization at the top is not representative of the needs of those in collectivist cultures. In collectivist societies, the needs of acceptance and community will outweigh the needs for freedom and individuality.

Some of these criticisms may be really about Maslow's choice of terminology, especially with the term "self-actualization". "Self-actualization" might not effectively convey his observations that this higher level of motivation is really about focusing on becoming the best person one can possibly become, in the service of both the self and others: "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. He must be true to his own nature. This need we may call self-actualization." At these higher levels of motivation, what we do generally benefits everyone, but Maslow's term might not be as good at clarifying that as it could have been.

Maslow's hierarchy has also been criticized as being individualistic because of the position and value of sex on the pyramid. Maslow’s pyramid puts sex on the bottom rung of physiological needs, along with breathing and food. It views sex from an individualistic and not collectivist perspective: i.e., as an individualistic physiological need that must be satisfied before one moves on to higher pursuits. This view of sex neglects the emotional, familial and evolutionary implications of sex within the community.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

[Frenchfry]

"Hilary Rosen, a Democratic lobbyist and pundit for CNN, found herself caught up in 24-hour news cycle controversy after she made some inflammatory comments about Ann Romney's work as stay-at-home mom. Rosen has apologized for her off-the-cuff comments. But the entire story may set off a greater, more substantive inquiry about the nature of Rosen's consulting firm, SKDKnickerbocker, an unregistered lobbying firm that has become one of the biggest names in the influence business by using its ties to President Obama and leaders in Congress..."

The Real Hilary Rosen Scandal

[Professor H]

As for Maslows Hierarchy:

The order in which the hierarchy is arranged (with self-actualization as the highest order need) has been criticised as being ethnocentric by Geert Hofstede. Hofstede's criticism of Maslow's pyramid as ethnocentric may stem from the fact that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs neglects to illustrate and expand upon the difference between the social and intellectual needs of those raised in individualistic societies and those raised in collectivist societies.
Maslow created his hierarchy of needs from an individualistic perspective, being that he was from the United States, a highly individualistic nation. The needs and drives of those in individualistic societies tend to be more self-centered than those in collectivist societies, focusing on improvement of the self, with self actualization being the apex of self improvement. Since the hierarchy was written from the perspective of an individualist, the order of needs in the hierarchy with self actualization at the top is not representative of the needs of those in collectivist cultures. In collectivist societies, the needs of acceptance and community will outweigh the needs for freedom and individuality.

Some of these criticisms may be really about Maslow's choice of terminology, especially with the term "self-actualization".....

 but Maslow's term might not be as good at clarifying that as it could have been.

I shortened the wiki points about Maslow - and the part in bold being that we are discussing the US shows that it fits our society.
It isn't a perfect fit always, but as a model of our behavior and needs it has been around for a long time and while others study and pick at it - they haven't yet replaced it with another that has been recognized and taught for years in our schools...

Here's what a PBS documentary condensed his story down to:
It helps to see the background and where his research was coming from - as it was focused primarily in a non-socialist society here in the US.
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Abraham Maslow
1908 - 1970

"I was awfully curious to find out why I didn't go insane," remarked Abraham Maslow, one of the founders of humanistic psychology.

He was born and raised in Brooklyn, the eldest of seven children. He was smart but shy, and remembered his childhood as lonely and rather unhappy. Maslow attended City College in New York. His father hoped he would pursue law, but he went to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin to study psychology. While there, he married his cousin Bertha, and found as his chief mentor Professor Harry Harlow. At Wisconsin he pursued an original line of research, investigating primate dominance behavior and sexuality. He went on to further research at Columbia University, continuing similar studies. He found another mentor in Alfred Adler, one of Freud's early followers.

From 1937 to 1951, Maslow was on the faculty of Brooklyn College. In New York he found two more mentors, anthropologist Ruth Benedict and Gestalt psychologist Max Wertheimer, whom he admired both professionally and personally. These two were so accomplished in both realms, and such "wonderful human beings" as well, that Maslow began taking notes about them and their behavior. This would be the basis of his lifelong research and thinking about mental health and human potential. He wrote extensively on the subject, borrowing ideas from other psychologists but adding significantly to them, especially the concepts of a heirarchy of needs, metaneeds, self-actualizing persons, and peak experiences. Maslow became the leader of the humanistic school of psychology that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, which he referred to as the "third force" -- beyond Freudian theory and behaviorism.

Maslow saw human beings' needs arranged like a ladder. The most basic needs, at the bottom, were physical -- air, water, food, sex. Then came safety needs -- security, stability -- followed by psychological, or social needs -- for belonging, love, acceptance. At the top of it all were the self-actualizing needs -- the need to fulfill oneself, to become all that one is capable of becoming. Maslow felt that unfulfilled needs lower on the ladder would inhibit the person from climbing to the next step. Someone dying of thirst quickly forgets their thirst when they have no oxygen, as he pointed out. People who dealt in managing the higher needs were what he called self-actualizing people. Benedict and Wertheimer were Maslow's models of self-actualization, from which he generalized that, among other characteristics, self-actualizing people tend to focus on problems outside of themselves, have a clear sense of what is true and what is phony, are spontaneous and creative, and are not bound too strictly by social conventions.

Peak experiences are profound moments of love, understanding, happiness, or rapture, when a person feels more whole, alive, self-sufficient and yet a part of the world, more aware of truth, justice, harmony, goodness, and so on. Self-actualizing people have many such peak experiences.

Maslow's thinking was surprisingly original -- most psychology before him had been concerned with the abnormal and the ill. He wanted to know what constituted positive mental health. Humanistic psychology gave rise to several different therapies, all guided by the idea that people possess the inner resources for growth and healing and that the point of therapy is to help remove obstacles to individuals' achieving this. The most famous of these was client-centered therapy developed by Carl Rogers.

Maslow was a professor at Brandeis University from 1951 to 1969, and then became a resident fellow of the Laughlin Institute in California. He died of a heart attack in 1970.

"Human nature is not nearly as bad as it has been thought to be."
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhmasl.html

[Professor H]

"Hilary Rosen, a Democratic lobbyist and pundit for CNN, found herself caught up in 24-hour news cycle controversy after she made some inflammatory comments about Ann Romney's work as stay-at-home mom. Rosen has apologized for her off-the-cuff comments. But the entire story may set off a greater, more substantive inquiry about the nature of Rosen's consulting firm, SKDKnickerbocker, an unregistered lobbying firm that has become one of the biggest names in the influence business by using its ties to President Obama and leaders in Congress..."

Interesting, I hadn't heard this.

Info on the 1995 act and the current penalties for not following:

===============================
Original law:

Lobbying Disclosure Act
PUBLIC LAW 104-65-DEC. 19,1995 109 STAT. 691

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Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance

Section 1 - Introduction

Section 6 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), 2 U.S.C. § 1605, provides that:  The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives shall (1) provide guidance and assistance on the registration and reporting requirements of this Act and develop common standards, rules and procedures for compliance with this Act; [and] (2) review, and, where necessary, verify and inquire to ensure the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of registrations and reports.

The LDA does not provide the Secretary or the Clerk with the authority to write substantive regulations or issue definitive opinions on the interpretation of the law.  The Secretary and Clerk have, from time to time, jointly issued written guidance on the registration and reporting requirements.  This document is both a compilation of previously issued guidance documents and our interpretation of the changes that were made to the LDA as a result of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA).

Section 12 - Penalties

Whoever knowingly fails: (1) to correct a defective filing within 60 days after notice of such a defect by the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House; or (2) to comply with any other provision of the Act, may be subject to a civil fine of not more than $200,000, and whoever knowingly and corruptly fails to comply with any provision of this Act may be imprisoned for not more than 5 years or fined under title 18, United States Code, or both.
http://lobbyingdisclosure.house.gov/amended_lda_guide.html

[Frenchfry]

I shortened the wiki points about Maslow - and the part in bold being that we are discussing the US shows that it fits our society.

VIEWPOINT: What if Maslow Was Wrong?

Abstract

When theory and practice clash.

Felicia Walters, age 85, was admitted to a nursing home for rehabilitation after falling at home. (Identifying details have been changed.) Ms. Walters had been lying on the floor for a day and a half when her neighbor found her. Shortly after admission, our interdisciplinary team recognized that dementia was preventing her from reaping the benefits of physical and occupational therapy. The team held a family conference to discuss discharge plans. Ms. Walters's daughter and two neighbors agreed that nursing home placement was a foregone conclusion. She was no longer safe living alone.

During the family conference, Ms. Walters's nurse turned to her and asked whether she wanted to say anything. She lifted her head and said, loudly and clearly, "I'd rather spend three days on the floor in my own home than three years in any nursing home!!" She bowed her head again as we sat in stunned silence.

Her daughter asked whether it was possible to send her home. Her neighbors said that they could check on her once or twice a day. The social worker suggested a home health care aide to help with meals and bathing. We put together a plan for Ms. Walters that included an emergency call button and home modifications. Then the physical therapist voiced our collective concern: What would be the repercussions for both the patient and the care team?

Nurses learn early on about Maslow's hierarchy of needs. At the base of the pyramid are physiological needs. Next are safety, love and belonging, and esteem, with self-actualization at the apex. Maslow developed the hierarchy as a way to conceptualize the motivations behind human behavior. Nurses have used this hierarchy to guide the prioritization of patient care needs. As a gerontologic clinical nurse specialist, I have had problems with this. In the care of older adults, patients' need for autonomy (considered part of self-actualization on the pyramid) can collide with their need for safety. For example, as Sharp and Bryant reported in Seminars in Speech and Language in 2003, older patients with dysphagia sometimes choose textured foods, despite the risk of aspiration, because food plays such a central role in their lives. Similarly, Yardley and colleagues in Health Education Research in 2006 found that older adults at risk for falling resist home modifications (such as removing throw rugs) because they fear that such precautions will breed dependence. When the needs for safety and autonomy clash, older adults often choose autonomy over safety.

Ms. Walters stated her choice succinctly, despite cognitive impairment. In the end, we honored her request and sent her home with as much support as possible. We documented our decision, concluding that although we weren't ignoring her risk for injury from falling, we saw that the threat to the quality of her life was of greater concern.

Perhaps nursing's reliance on Maslow's theory in prioritizing older patients' needs is not prudent. And perhaps the theory has even been misinterpreted. Patient autonomy is so important that patients can voice their need for it, even through the darkening cloud of dementia. Rather than assuming that patients' needs come in a preordained order, nurses should instead plan care according to what's important to each individual patient.
http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/JournalArticle.asp?Article_ID=781817

[Frenchfry]

Ann Romney, wife of 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, made some comments regarding working mothers at a fundraiser in Connecticut

Ann Romney On Working Mothers

[Professor H]

VIEWPOINT: What if Maslow Was Wrong?

Abstract

When theory and practice clash.

Shortly after admission, our interdisciplinary team recognized that dementia was preventing her from reaping the benefits of physical and occupational therapy.

Nurses learn early on about Maslow's hierarchy of needs. At the base of the pyramid are physiological needs. Next are safety, love and belonging, and esteem, with self-actualization at the apex. Maslow developed the hierarchy as a way to conceptualize the motivations behind human behavior. Nurses have used this hierarchy to guide the prioritization of patient care needs.
As a gerontologic clinical nurse specialist, I have had problems with this. In the care of older adults, patients' need for autonomy (considered part of self-actualization on the pyramid) can collide with their need for safety. For example, as Sharp and Bryant reported in Seminars in Speech and Language in 2003, older patients with dysphagia sometimes choose textured foods, despite the risk of aspiration, because food plays such a central role in their lives. Similarly, Yardley and colleagues in Health Education Research in 2006 found that older adults at risk for falling resist home modifications (such as removing throw rugs) because they fear that such precautions will breed dependence. When the needs for safety and autonomy clash, older adults often choose autonomy over safety.

Interesting viewpoint regarding the hierarchy's application to elder or in this case a patient with dementia.   
It did show a few things,
The patient still realized what they wanted - however mental issues compromised their ability -
so yes mental changes will affect the results of a psychological study or theory.

Gerontologist and nurses in that field should already realize this.

An alcoholic will also exhibit disregard for their own wellness or safety, as I've had them fight care until they actually died...

Outliers, or individual examples with things not included in Maslows life long study don't disprove it,
but show how different it is to study the Well vs. the Sick. 

Application of the hierarchy isn't meant to be a fit all - as not all societies allow individual thinking, nor are all people fit and healthy.   Most sciences like this are not an exact, but the majority or norm will fit within it.

[Frenchfry]

Interesting viewpoint regarding the hierarchy's application to elder or in this case a patient with dementia.   
It did show a few things,
The patient still realized what they wanted - however mental issues compromised their ability -
so yes mental changes will affect the results of a psychological study or theory.

Gerontologist and nurses in that field should already realize this.

An alcoholic will also exhibit disregard for their own wellness or safety, as I've had them fight care until they actually died...

Outliers, or individual examples with things not included in Maslows life long study don't disprove it,
but show how different it is to study the Well vs. the Sick. 

Application of the hierarchy isn't meant to be a fit all - as not all societies allow individual thinking, nor are all people fit and healthy.   Most sciences like this are not an exact, but the majority or norm will fit within it.

Criticisms of Maslow's Theory
Maslow can be criticized from many angles. He was not very scientific in his investigations, as he readily admitted. He liked lists. Read Maslow and you find lists of B-values, lists of characteristics of self-actualizers, lists of objectives for future humanistic psychologists, even lists of possible research projects...but never actual research.

Maslow said he "studied" and "discovered" characteristics of self-actualizers, and he objected to complaints that he had merely invented the self-actualizer syndrome. But the complaint seems valid. Maslow never presented data to prove that his lists of characteristics of self-actualizers were accurate. He just said it was obvious, or that every healthy person he knew acted this way, or that "my research showed me" how self-actualizers acted. This does not mean Maslow was wrong, but it does mean that his opinions were not validated in the normal scientific way, by finding independent sources of evidence.
http://www.intropsych.com/ch09_motivation/criticisms_of_maslows_theory.html