Final answer:
The false statement regarding Maslow's theory of motivation is that it has been criticized for focusing too much on psychosocial needs and not enough on biological needs.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Maslow's theory of motivation, the statement that is FALSE among those given is: Maslow's theory has been criticized for focusing too much on psychosocial needs and not enough on biological needs. This is false since Maslow's hierarchy actually starts with the foundational biological and physiological needs like food, water, and shelter. The hierarchy then progresses to higher-level psychosocial needs once these basic survival requirements are met. Maslow suggested that once physiological needs and safety needs are taken care of, people then become motivated by the need for belonging and love, esteem, and eventually self-actualization, a process where individuals strive to realize their fullest potential.
The existing criticisms of Maslow's hierarchy highlight its subjective nature and inability to account for all real-world behaviors, like Gandhi's hunger strikes, which exemplify higher-level motives beyond personal needs. Additionally, critics argue that not all individuals follow the same fixed progression through the hierarchical levels as posited by Maslow. Later in his life, Maslow introduced the concept of self-transcendence at the pinnacle of the hierarchy, which refers to the motivation to achieve purposes beyond the self.