“Musicians must make music, artists must paint, and poets must write if they are to ultimately be at peace with themselves. What human beings can be, they must be. They must be true to their nature. We can call this need self-realization” Abraham Maslow. http://toolstolife.com/articles/Abraham-Maslow-s-Self-Actualizer-380Self-Actualization sits at the pinnacle of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Before reaching that pinnacle, the human being overcomes various levels of motivation starting from the basic needs to survive. But does everyone reach that pinnacle? We will find that only a few who have rowed through the layers will ultimately be able to negotiate the entire hierarchy of needs. Some people, such as those ravaged by famine in a poor country, without the means to go beyond the next meal may never achieve Maslow's self-realization or transcendence. However, no theory will fully explain human motivation, there are limitations associated with each theory. Accordingly, in this essay, for comparative and critical analysis, I will explore Maslow's theory of motivation and Gordon Allport's theory. Allport was considered the founding father of personality psychology, his works focused on the human being who is identified by a series of traits, cardinal, central and secondary traits. Accordingly, for the purposes of this essay I will focus on two schools of personality psychology, the humanistic school of thought on motivation, and trait psychology. I will compare and contrast the two theories to determine how they relate and find that there are subtle differences between them. Before I begin my analysis, it will be necessary to explore the definition of human motivation t...... middle of the paper ......population of poor populations and the fact that Gordon Allport's studies were limited and constantly examined as has never developed an empirically testable platform, it can be postulated that both theories provide a framework for understanding motivation in humans, but neither provides a complete analysis or prototype. All psychological theories are based on the opinions and research of previous psychologists. Moving forward, we recommend taking the positive aspects of all motivation theories and adopting what works. In terms of expanding motivation studies one must consider other theorists such as Carl Rogers in a humanistic approach and, as mentioned above, trait theorists such as Raymond Cattel and Hans Eysenk to establish more scientific and accurate results in motivation measurement and testing personality differences..