Self Actualization And Self-Actualization

According to Abraham Maslow, the needs of man begin with the primal – food, water, air, shelter, and move upwards, up and all the way to the elusive quality of self-actualization. To self-actualize is to become all or most of that which one imagines, or perhaps desires, himself to be. It is to realize the ego ideal which rests within, that abstract and fabled construct of an ideal you.

While searching the internet, I came across the word self-actualization, (self-actualiˈzation) which means, “the realization or fulfillment of one’s talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone (“Library Login”).” I found this definition very interesting and believe that this word can apply to my own life. Self- actualization is a theory in psychology, by Abraham Marlow, that states once you meet your psychological (breathing, food, water, sleep), safety (security of body, employment, resources, morality, health, and property), love/belonging (friendship and family), and esteem needs (self-esteem, achievement, respect of/by others) you can reach self-actualization. This word really stood out to me because, as a college student, I am trying to reach self-actualization. Every day, I go to class I am striving to do my best so that I can graduate and become the best version of myself by reaching the fullness of my potential.

He analyzed biographies and writings of 18 people he identified as being self-actualized to develop a list of qualities that seemed characteristic of this specific group of people. Some argue that Maslow’s method of research is questionable because of its very limited no diverse sample. It is extremely difficult to empirically test Maslow's concept of self-actualization in a way that causal relationships can be established. Biographer, Eric Hoffman said that it is important to note that self-actualization is a continual process of becoming rather than a perfect state one reaches of a 'happy ever after' (Hoffman,

If one were to reach the self-actualization level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it would mean they are fulfilling their full creative potential and achieving the desire for knowledge. Maslow himself states that, “Acquiring knowledge and systematizing the universe have been considered as, in part, techniques for the achievement of basic safety in the world, or, for the intelligent man, expressions of self-actualization”(Maslow 385). In the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, denizens of a dystopia are unknowingly manipulated by their totalitarian government where the creative potential and desire are suppressed. The country they reside in is known as Oceania and the government is often referred to as “The Party” by the protagonist.

In America, our self-image is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of our daily lives. In an ever-changing world, we are constantly working in the lens of which we believe the world sees us. But is this true of all people? Disparities in self-perception between different groups of people can easily be detected through cultural psychology (Heine, Takemoto, Moskalenko, Lasaleta & Henrich, 2008). Perception, especially self-perception, can vary vastly from one culture to another. One perspective that drove home this idea was the thinking that East Asian’s attempt to place their concern with self-concept in the hands of the people around them, as opposed to some other cultures that can be found to focus more prominently on

Abraham Maslow was an American theorist that was one of the advocates of humanistic psychology. He believed that self-actualization is “a situation that exists when a person is acting in accordance with his or her full potential” (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011). I will illustrate the key concepts of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs of humans, research the methodologies of his concept, and address how self-actualization has conceptualized on this type of personality development. His contribution

Everyone has certain needs that must be met in order to live a happy and fulfilling life. These needs are divided into three specific types which are physical, psychological, and social needs. Abraham Maslow, an expert in human behavior, along with Carl Rogers used these three general types to develop a larger hierarchy of human needs for self-actualization. Even though there is discontentment or unending needs of a person, one 's needs must be satisfied in order for him or her to be happy. People whose needs were met are particularly in good mental health but if a need fails to be met then pathological effects may ensue.

According to Psychologist Abraham Maslow in “Self-actualization and Beyond,” self-actualization is a process in which one identifies his inner ability to do something productive. Once this inner talent comes out, that’s when a person actualizes himself. He believes that every individual self-actualizes, and while doing so one might make many wrong choices. Sonny and his older brother are faced with several obstacles while being on a journey to self-actualization in “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin. However, these obstacles not only come from their surroundings, but within themselves as well. The narrator himself and his younger brother, Sonny struggle with, and gradually develop their own

Needs for Self-Actualization-When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do." "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, and a poet must write." These needs make themselves felt in signs of restlessness. The person feels on edge, tense, lacking something, in short, restless. If a person is hungry, unsafe, not loved or accepted, or lacking

Our positive feelings of ourselves may decrease because we realize we have fallen short of the standards that we try to live by and we immediately take action to work within those standards. However, action when in a state of self-awareness may vary across cultures. Since self-awareness can deviate among cultures, it may alter our perception of the way we believe the world sees us.

Abraham Maslow stated that humans are driven by biologically established needs, which he identifies as deficiency needs (basic) and growth needs (meta) (The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, 2017). As most theories, the theory of self-actualization theory is based on stages to pass from one to another. The Maslow 's theory is often displayed as a pyramid where the lowest level that has to be fulfilled before any other upper level are the basic needs and the complex needs are at the top of the pyramid. In addition, Maslow contends that these self-actualizing individuals are highly creative and demonstrate a capacity to resolve dichotomies inherent in ultimate contraries, such as life versus death and freedom versus determinism, as examples (Olson, 2013).

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

Self actualization, is the sense that one is fulfilling one’s potential and is doing what one is suited for and capable of (Zastrow &

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

However, there are cases people can refuse self-awareness. According to Maslow (1962), people avoid acquiring new knowledge about themselves because of the uncertain and uncomfortable feelings they can receive (as cited in Whetten & Cameron, 2011). Whetten and Cameron (2011) believe dis-closure is the key for people to overcome that panic. By discussing one’s own aspects with others, people can reduce the ambiguity of problems. For instance, through exchanging results of self-analysis toolkits in Developing Self seminars, people can be more aware of their own strengths and weaknesses as well as receive feedbacks from others. Their Johari Window of what I know and what others know can be more extended.