
What is an example of a need-based theory?
For example, an employee who is always walking around the office talking to people may have a need for companionship and his behavior may be a way of satisfying this need. There are four major theories in the need-based category: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, ERG theory, Herzberg’s dual factor theory, and McClelland’s acquired needs theory.
How do you apply the need theory in nursing?
Application of the Need Theory. Henderson’s Needs Theory can be applied to nursing practice as a way for nurses to set goals based on Henderson’s 14 components. Meeting the goal of achieving the 14 needs of the client can be a great basis to improve one’s performance towards nursing care further.
What is the structure of the human needs theory?
Structure of the human needs theory. Maslow’s theory of human needs is a hierarchical structure. The theory states that when our basic needs are met, humans begin to develop loftier desires. Maslow categorized these needs into five levels: Physiological needs.
What is acquired needs theory of motivation?
Finally, acquired-needs theory argues that individuals possess stable and dominant motives to achieve, acquire power, or affiliate with others. Each of these theories explains characteristics of a work environment that motivate employees.

When was the nursing Need Theory developed?
In 1955, Virginia Henderson developed the nursing need theory, which outlines the nurse's role in helping patients meet 14 fundamental needs. In 1971, Imogene King created the theory of goal attainment, stating that the purpose of the nurse-patient relationship is to meet goals for good health.
What is Henderson's nursing Need Theory?
Henderson's Nursing Theory Henderson defined nursing as “the unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge.
What is the purpose of Need Theory?
Need-based theories describe motivated behavior as individual efforts to meet needs. According to this perspective, the manager's job is to identify what people need and then to make sure that the work environment becomes a means of satisfying these needs.
What is the historical context of Henderson's theory?
Origins of the Nursing Theory According to George (2002), the development of Henderson's definition began before the 1920's when she was a nursing student at the Army School of Nursing. Her nursing education and clinical practice helped influence and form the historical evolution of her definition.
When was Virginia Henderson's theory developed?
1966Works of Virginia Henderson Her “Basic Principles of Nursing,” published in 1966 and revised in 1972, has been published in 27 languages by the International Council of Nurses.
Who developed the first theory of nursing?
Florence NightingaleNURSING THEORY DEVELOPMENT The first nursing theorist, Florence Nightingale, created detailed reports of both medical and nursing matters as chief nurse for the British in the Crimean War in the mid-1850s.
Who introduced the theory of need achievement?
McClelland Theory of Need also known as three needs theory or the Learned Needs Theory.. The theory proposed that an individual's specific needs are acquired over time and are shaped by one's life experiences.
Who proposed the theory of need?
Abraham MaslowIn the early 1940s, Abraham Maslow created his theory of needs . This identified the basic needs that human beings have, in order of their importance: physiological needs, safety needs, and the needs for belonging, self-esteem and "self-actualization".
When was Maslow's hierarchy of needs?
1943Maslow's pyramid of human needs, proposed in 1943, has been one of the most cognitively contagious ideas in the behavioral sciences. Anticipating later evolutionary views of human motivation and cognition, Maslow viewed human motives as based in innate and universal predispositions.
Is Henderson's Need Theory a grand theory?
According to Nicely and DeLario (2010) Virginia Henderson's theory, Need Based, which is derived from the Principles and Practice of Nursing is a grand theory that focuses on nursing care and activities of daily living.
What type of theory is Henderson's Need Theory?
Henderson's goal was not to develop a theory of nursing, but rather to define the unique focus of nursing practice. The theory emphasizes the importance of increasing the patient's independence so that progress after hospitalization would not be delayed.
How did Virginia Henderson contribute to nursing?
Her major contribution was to define nursing as 'assisting individuals to gain independence in relation to the performance of activities contributing to health or its recovery'.
What is the need theory?
Need theory, also known as Three needs theory, proposed by psychologist David McClelland, is a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs for achievement, affiliation, power affect the actions of people from a managerial context.
What is the need for achievement?
People who have a need for achievement prefer to work on tasks of moderate difficulty in which results are based on their efforts rather than on anything else to receive feedback on their work. Achievement based individuals tend to avoid both high-risk and low-risk situations. Low-risk situations are seen as too easy ...
What is the need theory?
The Need Theory emphasizes the importance of increasing the patient’s independence and focus on the basic human needs so that progress after hospitalization would not be delayed. The Need Theory is discussed further below.
What is the nursing need theory?
Henderson’s theory emphasizes the basic human needs and how nurses can assist in meeting those needs.
How long did Virginia Henderson work at Henry Street?
In 1921 after receiving her Diploma, Virginia Henderson worked at the Henry Street Visiting Nurse Service for two years after graduation. She initially planned to switched professions after two years, but her strong desire to help the profession averted her plan. Throughout the years, she helped remedy nurses’ views in part through exhaustive research that helped establish her professions’ scholarly underpinnings.
What are Virginia Henderson's assumptions?
Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory assumptions are: (1) Nurses care for patients until they can care for themselves once again. Although not precisely explained, (2) patients desire to return to health. (3) Nurses are willing to serve, and that “nurses will devote themselves to the patient day and night.”.
What does Henderson's Need Theory support?
Henderson’s theory supports the private and public health sector’s tasks or agencies in keeping the people healthy.
What does "health" mean in Henderson's theory?
Although not explicitly defined in Henderson’s theory, health was taken to mean balance in all realms of human life. It is equated with the independence or ability to perform activities without any aid in the 14 components or basic human needs.
Who wrote the definition of nursing?
Virginia Henderson wrote her definition of nursing before the development of theoretical nursing. She defined nursing as “the unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible.” The nurse’s goal is to make the patient complete, whole, or independent. In turn, the nurse collaborates with the physician’s therapeutic plan.
What are physiological needs?
The basic physiological needs are probably fairly apparent—these include the things that are vital to our survival. Some examples of physiological needs include: In addition to the basic requirements of nutrition, air and temperature regulation, the physiological needs also include such things as shelter and clothing.
What is Maslow's hierarchy of needs?
This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs.
What did Maslow believe?
As a humanist, Maslow believed that people have an inborn desire to be self-actualized, that is, to be all they can be. In order to achieve these ultimate goals, however, a number of more basic needs must be met such as the need for food, safety, love, and self-esteem. 1 . There are five different levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Why is it important to satisfy a lower level need?
Satisfying these lower-level needs is important in order to avoid unpleasant feelings or consequences.
What is self actualization?
According to Maslow’s definition of self-actualization, "It may be loosely described as the full use and exploitation of talents, capabilities, potentialities, etc. Such people seem to be fulfilling themselves and to be doing the best that they are capable of doing.
What are the needs at the bottom of the pyramid?
Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once these lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety and security.
Which psychologist believed that our actions are motivated in order to achieve certain needs?
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one of the best-known theories of motivation. According to humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow, our actions are motivated in order to achieve certain needs.

Overview
Need theory, also known as Three needs theory, proposed by psychologist David McClelland, is a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs for achievement, affiliation, & power affect the actions of people from a managerial context. This model was developed in the 1960s, two decades after Maslow's hierarchy of needs was first proposed in the early 1940s. McClelland stated that we all have these three types of motivation regardless of age, sex, race, or culture. T…
Need for achievement
People who have a need for achievement prefer to work on tasks of moderate difficulty in which results are based on their efforts rather than on anything else to receive feedback on their work. Achievement based individuals tend to avoid both high-risk and low-risk situations. Low-risk situations are seen as too easy to be valid and the high-risk situations are seen as based more on the luck of the situation rather than the achievements that individual made. This personality typ…
Need for affiliation
People who have a need for affiliation prefer to spend time creating and maintaining social relationships, enjoy being a part of groups, and have a desire to feel loved and accepted. People in this group tend to adhere to the norms of the culture in that workplace and typically do not change the norms of the workplace for fear of rejection. This person favors collaboration over competition and does not like situations with high risk or high uncertainty. People who have a ne…
Need for power
People who have a need for power prefer to work and place a high value on discipline. The downside to this motivational type is that group goals can become zero-sum in nature, that is, for one person to win, another must lose. However, this can be positively applied to help accomplish group goals and to help others in the group feel competent about their work. A person motivated by this need enjoys status recognition, winning arguments, competition, and influencing others. …
Effect
McClelland's research showed that 86% of the population are dominant in one, two, or all three of these three types of motivation. His subsequent research, published in the 1977 Harvard Business Review article "Power is the Great Motivator", found that those in top management positions had a high need for power and a low need for affiliation. His research also found that people with a high need for achievement will do best when given projects where they can succeed through their ow…
Biography of Virginia Henderson
Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory
- Virginia Henderson developed the Nursing Need Theory to define the unique focus of nursing practice. The theory focuses on the importance of increasing the patient’s independence to hasten their progress in the hospital. Henderson’s theory emphasizes the basic human needs and how nurses can meet those needs. “I believe that the function the nurse p...
See Also
- You may also like the following nursing theories study guides: 1. Nursing Theories and Theorists– The Ultimate Nursing Theories and Theorists Guide for Nurses.
References
- References and sources for this study guide about Virginia Henderson and her Need Theory: 1. Christiane Reimann Prize. (n.d.). Christiane Reimann Prize. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from https://www.icn.ch/about-icn/christiane-reimann-prize/ 2. Home. (n.d.). AAHN Gravesites of Prominent Nurses. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from https://www.aahn.org/gravesites/henderson.ht…
Further Reading
- Smith, James (1989). Virginia Henderson: the first ninety years. Ishiyaku Euroamerica
- The Nurse Theorists – Virginia Henderson Promo– a short interview video with Virginia Henderson.