Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) was an American psychologist who developed humanistic psychology, a perspective that fundamentally shifted modern psychology away from focusing on the abnormal and the ill to fostering a person’s innate ability to improve their mental health. He is most famous for creating what is now known as “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,” which lays out a framework for achieving self-actualization, or the full expression of a person’s psychological health and abilities.