The Concept Of Self Actualization

Simms, J. A., Irvin, D. B., & Drinnien, B. A. (1987). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

In the 1940s/50s psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a model that explained human motivation. This was the hierarchy of needs, which can be shown as a pyramid that has different levels of the needs of a human. At the bottom are basic needs for survival, and the higher levels are psychological needs. The highest level is self-actualization; the ability to reach one’s full potential and become the best person they can be (Adler, 8). All humans are capable and motivated to fulfill all of these needs, and one level of needs must be met before the next can be (Hockenbury, 341). To reach self-actualization, one must first meet all of the needs below it on the hierarchy of needs.

A self-actualized individual has met all the lower level needs in the hierarchy—physiological needs, safety, belongingness and love, and self-esteem—and feels they are realizing their potential and fulfilling their purpose (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2013). These needs are met in order, and according to Maslow, one cannot skip ahead to a higher-level need if they have not fulfilled a basic need (Hagerty, 1999). Indeed Ed has physiological and safety needs met, as his pension and Laura’s retirement fund provide the means for food and housing in a safe neighborhood where he is not in any immediate danger. Ed has a strong social network of his wife, children, and friends from his various organizations and clubs. He displays a sense of respect for himself and people in his neighborhood, and can identify achievements he made in life, particularly graduating high school, getting promoted young in the Navy, and getting high-level promotions in the fire

Self-actualization refers to the desire to achieve one’s greatest potential or as Maslow writes “what a man can be, he must be” (Maslow). Abraham Maslow, a researcher and a pioneer in the field of psychology, strongly believed that people can control their own behavior and have the abilities to reach their full potential. Maslow is perhaps best known for his “Hierarchy of Needs” that culminates in self-actualization. This hierarchy begins with so-called “basic needs” - psychological, safety, social, and esteem - and concludes with the “growth need”. Among other characteristics, Maslow describes self-actualized people as highly creative, independent, genuine individuals who are resistant to enculturation and accept themselves for who

In their essay, Bauer, Schwab, and McAdams set out to determine whether higher levels of psychological maturity correlate with well-being, despite emphasizing how previous research done on the topic indicates that there is no evidence supporting the idea that higher maturity has a strong connection with well-being. In fact, the only reason they mention for even attempting to discover this connection in spite of the data to the contrary is that theorists speculate that this “highest stage of maturity” corresponds directly to Maslow’s stage of Self-Actualization (Bauer et al., 2011). To describe Maslow’s self-actualizing person briefly; they focus on truths, rather than needs, have an acceptance of self

The Abraham Maslow handout is about the self – Actualizing person and the psychologically healthy individual; that is very helpful for everyone. Abraham Maslow created self-actualization theory that represents a concept derived from Humanistic psychological. Self-actualization definition is, to become what you were intended to be; to fulfill to the utmost your potential. According to Abraham Maslow, it represents growth of an individual toward fulfillment of the highest needs; those for meaning in life, in particular. Maslow’s hierarchy reflects a linear pattern of growth depicted in a direct pyramidal order of ascension. Moreover, he states that self-actualizing individuals are able to resolve dichotomies such as that reflected in the ultimate

The self-determination theory uses goal-directed behaviors but it makes distinctions between the content of the goals and the regulatory processes through which the outcomes are reached. It also uses the notion of innate psychological needs as the basis for this differentiation. The theory is based off of people’s instinctive motivation towards competence, autonomy, and relatedness.1 Individuals have these basic tendencies and once these needs are fulfilled, the theory suggests that they can reach their full potential for growth and development. Ongoing satisfaction of basic tendencies and support from the social environment are both required to function effectively.2

An American psychologist, Abraham Maslow, became widely known for developing a theory of psychological health. With this in mind, his research discovered people tend to motivate around the ability to achieve certain needs for reaching a level of fulfillment in their lives. Maslow’s concept, known as the hierarchy of needs, brought into prominence the notion of self-actualization introduced some years earlier by Kurt Goldstein. Self-actualization evolves from the achievement of an individual’s full potential accomplished by passing through all the levels of the hierarchy to its zenith. And while many psychological theories tend to take on aberrational qualities, this one appears quite rational and stands the test of time. In fact, its

"Self Actualization is the intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately, of what the organism is."

Abraham Maslow 's concept of self-actualization is the highest achievement in his hierarchy of needs, this concept is that people needs to fulfill the maximum of their life potential, like for example, exercising their all their talents and abilities. According to

Bob Dick (2001) Maslow revis(it)ed: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs examined and reformulated. A discussion paper originally written in the 1980s, revised 1990, 1993. This version 2001.

Ellis et. al (2009) states, “Self-actualized people have the ability to put themselves and their egos aside and focus entirely on the problem at hand.” In other words, these individuals usually have a specific plan or goal they are reaching to achieve. They will pursue these dreams often times without really worrying about how this decision is going to affect them personally, but rather what they can do to accomplish the task in front of them.

In order to reach a level of full functioning, according to the self-determination theory, there are three basic psychological needs that must be fulfilled in order to perform the behaviors that are related to full functioning. These needs are universal and are essential for psychological well-being. They include competence, relatedness, and autonomy (Deci, Ryan, & Guay, 2013, p. 111). Competence refers to the desire to interact effectively in one’s environment, and it is a person’s perceived competence that leads to satisfaction and

It was many years ago, when I first read about a man named Abraham Maslow. Maslow was an American psychologist who developed a pyramidal hierarchy of needs. At the base of his pyramid, Abraham Maslow placed the basic “physiological needs” such as: food, water, and sleep. The next layer of his pyramid was “safety”, which was followed by “love/belonging”, and then “esteem”. Although, my interest truly began when I reached the very top of the pyramid which was labeled “self-actualization”. Self-actualization was the term Maslow used to describe individuals who had fulfilled their full potential. My eyes twinkled with curiosity as I read. Could I really do it? I wondered. Could I reach a state of self-actualization? It was in that very moment that self-actualization became my ultimate goal. I would reach my full potential. I would become the best possible version of myself.

However, inherent in this theory is the assumption that the “highest order” need is self-actualization. Maslow created his hierarchy of needs from a highly individualistic perspective – as the United States is a highly individualistic nation. The needs and drives of those in individualistic societies tend to be more self-centered than those in collectivist societies, focusing on improvement of the self, epitomized as self actualization.