Motivation is the reason why a person behaves or acts in a certain way. This behavior can be found from animals to humans. It is the basis on which we choose to act and the course of action we intend to take. Our actions are goal-oriented, but motivation gives us persistence of effort toward that goal. The underlying driving forces that create such motivation may be, but not limited to, biological, social, emotional, or cognitive. In most cases, three key elements are linked to motivation. We need a direction in which to direct our efforts and the intensity and perseverance necessary to overcome obstacles to reach our goal. Psychologists and researchers have expanded the topic to develop several theoretical explanations underlying motivation. Most theories fall into five categories: Instinct, Incentive, Impulse, Arousal, and Humanistic Theory. In the text Essentials of Organizational Behavior, authors Robbins and Judge focus on four of the early theories. They are the hierarchy of needs theory, theory X and theory Y, two-factor theory and McClelland's theory of needs. The hierarchy of needs theory, written in 1943 by Abraham Maslow, is one of the most popular and enduring influences on modern psychology. Maslow's belief is that human beings have "instinctive" requirements. The word instinctoid describes an innate instinct found in many other animals. How we react to this instinct is what led Maslow to develop the hierarchy of needs theory. Abraham Harold Maslow was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 1, 1908 to Samuel and Rose Maslow. He was the first of seven children. Maslow's parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. Maslow was the only Jew in his neighborhood and spent much of his childhood alone and alienated. “I was... halfway through the paper... d Self-realization. Although this hierarchy is most commonly visualized as a pyramid, Maslow himself never used a pyramid to describe this hierarchy in any of his writings. In the pyramid diagram the lower and broader levels include the most basic needs and represent those things necessary to complete the balance and well-being of a human being such as food, water and heat. The most advanced needs are found at the top, at the narrowest tip of the pyramid. When lower needs are met, people can move to the next level. Once the secondary levels have been reached, the individual can move on to the next one, continuing this pattern until the highest needs are achieved. Finally, there are those who go beyond the scope of their basic needs and work towards constant elevation. Maslow used the word “Metamotivation” for those who fit that final criterion. (Maslow)