Relationship between Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Shona Folktales

This article discusses the connection between Abraham Maslow’s psychological theory of human motivation and Shona folktales. The objective is to outline how folktales facilitate Maslow’s hierarchy. The theory provides the five-tier hierarchy of needs without indicating how to achieve the levels. The researchers deploy a textual analysis of folktales to indicate how these levels are achieved. Five stories, “Zindere” (The lonely man), “Ushamwari hwaTsuro naKamba” (The hare and tortoise’s friendship), and “Rungano rwaTsuro nedzimwe mhuka” (The story of hare and other animals) from George Fortune’s Ngano Volume 1 (1973) and “Mwanasikana nevabereki vake” (The girl and her parents) and “Vasikana nevakomana Shumba” (The girls and the boys who turned into lions) by Aaron Hodza (1983) are analysed. These folktales are fundamental in providing motivation for survival. The study is essential in quizzing the validity of adopting Western physiological theories in Shona communities.