Self-actualization

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Self-actualization is a term that has been used in various psychology theories, often in slightly different ways. The term was originally introduced by the organismic theorist Kurt Goldstein for the motive to realize one's full potential. In his view, it is the organism's master motive, the only real motive: "the tendency to actualize itself as fully as possible is the basic drive...the drive of self-actualization."[1] Carl Rogers similarly wrote of "the curative force in psychotherapy - man's tendency to actualize himself, to become his potentialities...to express and activate all the capacities of the organism."[2] However, the concept was brought most fully to prominence in Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory as the final level of psychological development that can be achieved when all basic and mental needs are fulfilled and the "actualization" of the full personal potential takes place.

Contents

1 In Goldstein's theory 2 Maslow's hierarchy of needs 3 Maslow's Characteristics of Self-Actualizers 4 In psychology 5 Criticism 6 Further reading 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References

[edit] In Goldstein's theory

Kurt Goldstein's book The Organism: A Holistic Approach to Biology Derived from Pathological Data in Man (1939), presented self-actualization as "the tendency to actualize, as much as possible, [the organism's] individual capacities" in the world. The tendency toward self-actualization is "the only drive by which the life of an organism is determined".[3] However, for Goldstein self-actualization cannot be understood as a kind of goal to be reached sometime in the future. At any moment the organism has the fundamental tendency to actualize all its capacities, its whole potential, as it is present in exactly that moment in exactly that situation in contact with the world under the given circumstances.[4]

[edit] Maslow's hierarchy of needs

See also: Maslow's hierarchy of needs The term was later used by Abraham Maslow in his article, A Theory of Human Motivation, Maslow explicitly defines self-actualization to be "the desire for self-fulfillment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualized in what he is potentially. This

tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming."[5] Maslow used the term self-actualization to describe a desire, not a driving force, that could lead to realizing one's capabilities. Maslow did not feel that self-actualization determined one's life; rather, he felt that it gave the individual a desire, or motivation to achieve budding ambitions.[6] Maslow's usage of the term is now popular in modern psychology when discussing personality from the humanistic approach. A basic definition from a typical college textbook defines self-actualization according to Maslow simply as "the full realization of one's potential".[6] A more explicit definition of self-actualization according to Maslow is "intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately of what is the organism itself...selfactualization is growth-motivated rather than deficiency-motivated."[7] This explanation emphasizes the fact that self-actualization cannot normally be reached until other lower order necessities of Maslow's hierarchy of needs are satisfied. While Goldstein defined selfactualization as a driving force, Maslow uses the term to describe personal growth that takes place once lower order needs have been met, one corollary being that, in his opinion, "selfactualisation...rarely happens...certainly in less than 1% of the adult population."[8] The fact that "most of us function most of the time on a level lower than that of self-actualization" he called the psychopathology of normality.[9] Maslow considered self-actualizing people to possess "an unusual ability to detect the spurious, the fake, and the dishonest in personality, and in general to judge the people correctly and efficiently."[10] Maslow based his theory partially on his own assumptions about human potential and partially on his case studies of historical figures whom he believed to be self-actualized, including Albert Einstein and Henry David Thoreau. Maslow examined the lives of each of these people in order to assess the common qualities that led each to be to become selfactualized. In general he found that these individuals were very accepting of themselves and of their life circumstances; were focused on finding solutions to cultural problems rather than to personal problems; were open to others' opinions and ideas; had strong senses of privacy, autonomy, human values and appreciation of life; and a few intimate friendships rather than many superficial ones.[11]

[edit] Maslow's Characteristics of Self-Actualizers

A self-actualizer is a person who is living creatively and fully using his or her potentials. In his studies, Maslow found that self-actualizers share similarities. Whether famous or unknown, educated or not, rich or poor, self-actualizers tend to fit the following profile.[12]

Efficient perceptions of reality. Self-actualizers are able to judge situations correctly and honestly. They are very sensitive to the fake and dishonest. Comfortable acceptance of self, others, nature. Self-actualizers accept their own human nature with all its flaws. The shortcomings of others and the contradictions of the human condition are accepted with humor and tolerance. Spontaneity. Maslow's subjects extended their creativity into everyday activities. Actualizers tend to be unusually alive, engaged, and spontaneous.

Task centering. Most of Maslow's subjects had a mission to fulfill in life or some task or problem outside of themselves to pursue. Humanitarians such as Albert Schweitzer and Mother Teresa represent this quality. Autonomy. Self-actualizers are free from reliance on external authorities or other people. They tend to be resourceful and independent. Continued freshness of appreciation. The self-actualizer seems to constantly renew appreciation of life's basic goods. A sunset or a flower will be experienced as intensely time after time as it was at first. There is an "innocence of vision", like that of an artist or child. Fellowship with humanity. Maslow's subjects felt a deep identification with others and the human situation in general. Profound interpersonal relationships. The interpersonal relationships of selfactualizers are marked by deep loving bonds. Comfort with solitude. Despite their satisfying relationships with others, selfactualizing persons value solitude and are comfortable being alone.[13] Non-hostile sense of humor. This refers to the wonderful capacity to laugh at oneself. It also describes the kind of humor a man like Abraham Lincoln had. Lincoln probably never made a joke that hurt anybody. His wry comments were gentle proddings of human shortcomings. Peak experiences. All of Maslow's subjects reported the frequent occurrence of peak experiences (temporary moments of self-actualization). These occasions were marked by feelings of ecstasy, harmony, and deep meaning. Self-actualizers reported feeling at one with the universe, stronger and calmer than ever before, filled with light, beautiful and good, and so forth.

In summary, self-actualizers feel safe, not anxious, accepted, loved, loving, and alive. Additionally, Schott discussed in connection with transpersonal business studies.

[edit] In psychology
Self actualization is at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs - becoming '"fully human"...maturity or self-actualization'[14] - and is considered a part of the humanistic approach to personality. Humanistic psychology is one of several methods used in psychology for studying, understanding, and evaluating personality. The humanistic approach was developed because other approaches, such as the psychodynamic approach made famous by Sigmund Freud, focused on unhealthy individuals that exhibited disturbed behavior;[6] whereas the humanistic approach focuses on healthy, motivated people and tries to determine how they define the self while maximizing their potential.[6] Stemming from this branch of psychology is Maslow's hierarchy of needs. According to Maslow, people have lower order needs that in general must be fulfilled before high order needs can be satisfied: 'five sets of needs - physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization'.[15] As a person moves up Maslow's hierarchy of needs, eventually they may reach the summit self actualization.[6] Maslow's hierarchy of needs begins with the most basic necessities deemed "the physiological needs" in which the individual will seek out items like food and water, and must be able to perform basic functions such as breathing and sleeping.[16] Once these needs have been met, a person can move on to fulfilling "the safety needs", where they will attempt to obtain a sense of security, physical comforts and shelter, employment, and

property.[16] The next level is "the belongingness and love needs", where people will strive for social acceptance, affiliations, a sense of belongingness and being welcome, sexual intimacy, and perhaps a family.[16] Next are "the esteem needs", where the individual will desire a sense of competence, recognition of achievement by peers, and respect from others.[16] Some argue that once these needs are met, an individual is primed for self actualization. Others maintain that there are two more phases an individual must progress through before self actualization can take place. These include "the cognitive needs", where a person will desire knowledge and an understanding of the world around them, and "the aesthetic needs" which include a need for "symmetry, order, and beauty".[6] Once all these needs have been satisfied, the final stage of Maslow's hierarchyself actualizationcan take place.[16] Classical Adlerian psychotherapy promotes this level of psychological development, utilizing the foundation of a 12-stage therapeutic model to realistically satisfy the basic needs, leading to an advanced stage of "meta-therapy," creative living, and self/other/task-actualization[citation needed] . Gestalt therapy, acknowledging that 'Kurt Goldstein first introduced the concept of the organism as a whole ', built on the assumption that "every individual, every plant, every animal has only one inborn goal - to actualize itself as it is."[17] Maslow's writings are used as inspirational resources. The key to Maslow's writings is understanding that there are no keys. Self Actualization is predicated on the individual having their lower deficiency needs met. Once a person has moved through feeling and believing that they are deficient, they naturally seek to grow into who they are, that is self-actualize.

[edit] Criticism
Maslow early noted his impression that "impulsivity, the unrestrained expression of any whim, the direct seeking for "kicks" and for non-social and purely private pleasures...is often mislabelled self-actualization."[18] In this sense, "self-actualization" is little more than what Eric Berne described as the game of '"Self-Expression"...based on the dogma "Feelings are Good"'.[19] Broader criticism from within humanistic psychology of the concept of self-actualization includes the danger that 'emphasis on the actualizing tendency...can lead to a highly positive view of the human being but one which is strangely non-relational'.[20] According to Fritz Perls there is also the risk of confusing "self-actualizing and self-image actualizing...the curse of the ideal."[21] By conflating "the virtue of self-actualization and the reality of selfactualization,"[22] the latter becomes merely another measuring rod for the "topdog" - the nagging conscience: "You tell me to do things. You tell me to be - real. You tell me to be self-actualized...I don't have to be that good!"[23] Barry Stevens remarks: "Abe Maslow was unhappy with what happened with many people when they read what he wrote about 'selfactualizing people'. What they did with it was very strange. I have received a fair number of letters saying 'I am a self-actualized person'. Maslow said that he must have left something out. Fritz (Perls) put it in. He saw that most people actualized a self-concept. This is not selfactualizing."[24] According to Paul Vitz, this may be connected with the charge that "Rogers and Maslow both transform self-actualization from a descriptive notion into a moral norm."[25]

In general during the early twenty-first-century, "the usefulness of the concepts of self and self-actualization continue to attract discussion and debate."[26]

[edit] Further reading

Harrington, Anne: Reenchanted Science: Holism in German Culture from Wilhelm II to Hitler, Princeton University Press, 1999. (Includes a comprehensive chapter on Kurt Goldstein and his work.) Heylighen, Francis. (1992). A cognitive-systemic reconstruction of Maslows theory of self-actualization. Behavioral Science, 37(1), 3958. doi:10.1002/bs.3830370105

[edit] See also

Psychology portal

Individuation Maslow's hierarchy of needs Outline of self Humanism Perfectionism (philosophy) Power process Self-esteem Nirvana

[edit] Notes
1. 2. 3. 4. ^ Goldstein, quoted in Arnold H. Modell, The Private Self (Harvard 1993) p. 44 ^ Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person (1961) p. 350-1 ^ Goldstein 1995 ^ Goldstein, M.: (1971): Selected Papers/Ausgewhlte Schriften, The Hague (Nijhoff), p. 471 5. ^ Maslow, 2006 Theories of Human Motivation 6. ^ a b c d e f Gleitman and Reisberg 7. ^ Maslow 1987 8. ^ Abraham Maslow, Towards a Psychology of Being (New York 1968) p. 204 9. ^ Jane Loevinger, Ego Development (California 1976) p. 140 10. ^ Maslow, Motivation (1954) p. 203 11. ^ Reber 12. ^ Coon, Mitterer;"An Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior" 2007 p. 479 13. ^ Sumerlin & Bundrick, 1996 14. ^ Frank G. Goble, The Third Force: The Psychology of Abraham Maslow (New York 1970) p. 25 15. ^ Maslow, Motivation (1967) p. 27 16. ^ a b c d e Gleitman and Reisberg 2004 and Maslow 1969 17. ^ Frederick S. Perls, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim (Bantam 1974) p. 6 and p. 33 18. ^ Maslow, in Michael Daniels, Shadow, Self, Spirit (2005) p. 122 19. ^ Eric Berne, Games People Play (Penguin) p. 137

20. ^ Brian Thorne, Carl Rogers (London 1992) p. 88 21. ^ Perls, Verbatim p. 20 22. ^ Frederick S. Perls, In and Out the Garbage Pail (London 1981) p. 7 23. ^ "Jane" in Perls, Verbatim p. 292-3 24. ^ Stevens, B. (1975): Body Work, in: Stevens, J.O., (ed.): gestalt is. Moab, Utah, 1975 (Real People Press), p. 183/184. 25. ^ Paul C. Vitz, Psychology as Religion (1994) p. 54 26. ^ Barbara Engler, Personality Theories (2008) p. 369

[edit] References
1. Gleitman, Henry; Fridlund, Alan J. and Reisberg Daniel. Psychology. 6th ed. New York: Norton & Company, 2004. 2. Goldstein, Kurt. The Organism: A Holistic Approach to Biology Derived from Pathological Data in Man. 1934. New York: Zone Books, 1995. 3. Maslow, Abraham H. Motivation and Personality. 1954. Ed. Cynthia McReynolds. 3rd ed. New York: Harper and Row, Inc., 1987. 4. Maslow, Abraham H. The Psychology of Science. Gateway Edition 1.95 ed. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, 1969. 5. Maslow, Abraham H. "A Theory of Human Motivation." Psychological Review 50 (1943): 370-396. 6. Reber, Arthur S. The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology. 2nd ed. London: Penguin, 1995. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Selfactualization&oldid=510972441" Categories:

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What is Self Actualisation?

Home Anger Assertiveness Clear Thinking Fear Guilt Happiness Loneliness Meaning of Life Money Motivation Relationships Self-Actualisation Self-Esteem Stress Values Weight Control Self-actualisation is a term coined by psychologist Abraham Maslow to describe the ongoing process of fully developing your personal potential. The first thing to note about selfactualisation is that it is a process not a goal. In other words, self-actualisation is not something that you aim for: it is something that you do. The second thing to note is that selfactualisation is not restricted to high-profile, high-achieving individuals; you don't have to be famous to self-actualise. Self-actualisers feel safe, calm, accepted, loved, loving and alive. They share a number of characteristics: 1. Peak experiences. Self-actualisers frequently experience moments of high excitement, ecstasy, harmony and deep meaning. 2. Higher purpose. Self-actualisers have a mission in life. They attempt to solve problems and pursue goals that are outside of themselves.

3. Spontaneous. Self-actualisers are willing to take risks and experiment with their lives. They are unrestrained and uninhibited. 4. Fresh and renewed appreciation. Every day provides an opportunity to enjoy the good things that life has to offer. Self-actualisers never tire of seeing (for example) a golden sunset. Their enjoyment and appreciation are as intense the twentieth time as they were the first. 5. Social interest. Self-actualisers take an interest in others. They care about the well being of others and the community in which they live. Additionally, their relationships with loved ones are deep and committed. 6. Comfortable with being alone. As well as enjoying close relationships with others, self-actualisers enjoy their own company. They regularly enjoy being alone. 7. Sense of humor. Self-actualisers are able to laugh at themselves. Because their sense of humor is non-hostile, they are able to make jokes about others that are not hurtful or spiteful. 8. Critical thinking. Self-actualisers are not easily fooled. They are both open-minded and skeptical, willing to consider all ideas, but equally willing to dismiss them if they don't stand up to critical analysis. 9. Accepting of imperfection. Self-actualisers are comfortable with their own flaws as well as the flaws in others. Similarly, they calmly accept that life is full of uncertainty and frustration. 10. Self-directed. Self-actualisers are autonomous; they choose the direction of their own lives. They are independent and resourceful. How to self-actualise Unfortunately there is no pill you can take that will turn you into a self-actualiser overnight, but there are some steps that you can take starting now that will head you in the right direction: 1. Assess your life. Are you living a life that you find deeply rewarding and meaningful? This is not a "once-only" step. It's a question you'll need to ask yourself regularly. 2. Assess your motives. Are you holding yourself back because of fear? Base your life choices on a desire to grow, rather than as a reaction to fear. 3. Be willing to change. If your life isn't rewarding you'll need to be willing to change, willing to get off your backside and take a new direction. 4. Take responsibility. Don't expect others to make changes for you. It's your life and its up to you to make the necessary changes that will lead to greater fulfillment. 5. Cherish your uniqueness. Be prepared to break away from the herd and be different. Don't be afraid to follow your impulses. 6. Realise your dreams. Instead of wallowing in wishful thinking, write down your goals and take the appropriate action to achieve them. 7. Accept your fallibility. Be willing to say, "I was wrong." Be honest with yourself and with others. 8. Learn from the good times. Try to repeat experiences that you find deeply meaningful or awe-inspiring or that lead to feelings of excitement, ecstasy, humility or personal fulfillment. 9. Join in. Get involved in life. Become an active member of your community. 10. Look for the good in others. Every one of us has good points and bad. All too often we overlook the good and focus on the bad. Get into the habit of looking for the good in others.

11. Assess your progress. Take the time to reflect on all that you've accomplished as well as to honestly assess how you can do more to improve your life and the lives of those around you. Hierarchy of human needs No discussion of self-actualisation would be complete without a mention of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Some needs are more basic and therefore more powerful than others. Our basic needs are physiological: food, water, sleep, sex etc. Once these needs have been satisfied, we seek safety and security. Once we feel safe, we are free to pursue love and a sense of belonging. Our next goal is for esteem and self-esteem. It is when you meet these goals that you can more fully focus on growth needs that lead to self-actualisation. Printer Friendly Version here

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Photo Gallery: Muse Photo: Dean Chalkley/NME Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has spoken about his ambitious plans for the band's outdoor live shows next summer. The band release their new album 'The 2nd Law' on October 1 and will undertake a short UK arena tour in the same month. The band have also stated that they will be performing much-larger outdoor shows in the summer of 2013. Speaking to Q about the band's plans for their outdoor live shows, Bellamy said that he wanted to realise long-standing dream of getting a UFO to land during the band's set. He said of this:
One day I'm going to get a huge Zeppelin shaped like a UFO to land. I've been trying for years but no one will let us.

Bellamy also spoke about his confidence as a frontman and admitted he had real difficulty overcoming his shyness in the band's early years, but has now discovered "a strange level of confidence." He added: "'I'd been quite an introverted person in the early years of the band. I was actually having a lot of trouble coming out of myself. Over the course of the first three albums I gradually opened up, and something came out of me, a strange level of confidence that I didn't know was there. In live performance there was just a desire to smash this shy person."

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