This is a concept that shows the power of sociocultural context. When the original fear of success research was done on women in the 1950s and 60s, women had access to different opportunities than they do now. The psychosocial environment for women was much more inhibiting so it stands to reason that they demonstrated fear of success as a social reality for that time. Fear of success is no longer regarded as viable concept in contemporary life and not currently found as a consistent difference between genders.

Like so many other human behaviors, there isn’t one simple cause. Some scientists believe that homosexuality is genetically determined and point to differential development of brain structures as the cause. Others suggest homosexuality might be related to uterine conditions during prenatal development. Still others suggest trauma can induce a nontraditional choice. Finally, many homosexuals suggest sexual practice is choice, not genetic destiny. It is a simple question with complex possibilities and perhaps multiple causes.

You’ve zeroed in on a problem. Maslow’s ideas are intuitively appealing because they simplify some complex ideas in human functioning, but their empirical validation is pretty scanty. In addition, the hierarchy he proposed appears to have serious cultural constraints. The hierarchy only really works for western cultures. However, it is doubtful that Maslow’s popularity will diminish because his appeal is so strong.

Apparently not. Anthropologists have identified many cultures in which aggression of any kind is not part of the fabric of the culture. Unfortunately, we appear to live in one of the most violent cultures on the planet so it is understandable why we think aggression is a “given.”