Dear Reader, Throughout the 20th century, most psychological research focused on
the dark and destructive side of human nature, the abnormal, the psychotic. Abraham Maslow changed that. Rather than focusing on phobias, neuroses, obsessions and other mental disorders, the pioneering
psychologist studied individuals who lived abundant lives, making the best use of their qualities and capacities and exhibiting
the highest levels of mental health. He
called these men and women self-actualizers. Maslow believed that human beings have a hierarchy of needs. Higher needs are only met when lower ones have been
fulfilled. At the bottom, for example,
we have physiological needs like oxygen, food, water, and sleep. Next we have safety and security needs. These include things like a safe neighborhood, a secure and comfortable
home, and a regular source of income. Beyond
these, we all require love and belonging. We seek friends, a romantic partner, an affectionate family, social groups and a
sense of community. Once these needs
are met, we look to fulfill our esteem. People everywhere crave freedom, attention, recognition, appreciation, and status. At this point, however, many individuals stop. Things
are pretty comfortable. Life is good. Yet real satisfaction is often lacking for a very specific reason. "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must
write, if he is to be ultimately happy," said Maslow. "What a man can be, he must be. This need we call self-actualization." What is it exactly? Using a qualitative method called "biographical analysis,"
Maslow chose an elite group of highly functioning people, interviewed them and the people around them, or studied their words,
acts, and letters. His group included
such luminaries as Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Walt Whitman, William James, Albert Schweitzer, Benedict Spinoza, and
Thomas Jefferson. From his research, Maslow distilled 16 characteristics that define the self-actualizing individual: - Openness to experience. Self-actualizers are
eager to undergo new experiences and rethink old ideas.
- An efficient perception of reality. Self-actualizers see things as they really are, not as they imagine or wish them
to be.
- Acceptance of self, nature and others.
Self-actualizers rarely feel anxious, guilty or ashamed. They are confident in themselves and their ability to solve problems.
- Spontaneity and naturalness. Self-actualizers are
genuine in their relationships. They do not wear masks or play roles.
- Focus on outside problems. Self-actualizers are not self-obsessed. Their focus is on a general "mission"
to which they devote their lives.
- Detachment
and privacy. Self-actualizers crave solitude and time for quiet reflection.
- Continued freshness or appreciation. The self-actualizing man or woman experiences joy in
simple, everyday things: sunsets, starry nights, children laughing, autumn leaves.
- Peak experiences.
Self-actualizers experience strong, positive emotions akin to ecstasy. This may include a deep sense of peacefulness or tranquility.
- Empathy. Self-actualizers are more willing to listen
to and learn from people of any class, race, religion or ideology.
- Interpersonal relations. Self-actualizing people tend to have relatively fewer friends, but those relationships
are likely to be deep and meaningful.
- Democratic
character. The self-actualizer recognizes we all have strengths and weaknesses, but that we share a common humanity and equality.
- Discrimination between ends and means. Self-actualizers
work to achieve desirable ends, but avoid wrong or hurtful means to achieve them.
- Philosophical sense of humor. Self-actualizers enjoy humor but not at the expense of
others. (As Goethe said, "Men show their character in nothing more clearly than what they think laughable.")
- Creativity. Self-actualizers enjoy using their
creative abilities, whether it's writing, drawing, music or woodworking. (Maslow once remarked that a first-rate soup is better
than a second-rate painting.
- Resistance
to inculturation. Self-actualizers are not dependent on the opinions of others or the conventions imposed by society. They
have a keen sense of who and what they are.
- Awareness
of imperfections. Self-actualizers are not saints. They have weaknesses and shortcomings like everyone else. But they are
aware of them.
Self-actualization
is not a goal. It is a philosophy of life, a continual striving, a process of development.
"One's only rival is one's potentialities," said Maslow. "One's
only failure is failing to live up to one's own possibilities. In this sense, every man can be a king." This is achieved by shunning the safe, the comfortable,
the routine - and instead seeking opportunities for growth. "One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth," wrote Maslow. "Growth
must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again." Essentially, self-actualization means seeing life as a series of choices - and choosing
the growth choice each time. According
to Maslow, this uniquely human need is at the core of our nature. It creates meaning in our lives. Throughout his lifetime, Maslow received numerous honors for his original
thinking and his breakthroughs in human psychology. Toward the end of his career, however, he had an epiphany - and reversed
himself. Self-actualization is essential. Yet there is another plateau: self-transcendence. Self-transcendence, Maslow argued, is a meta-need, a higher state of
consciousness where we transcend our ego and embrace a fundamental connection with the rest of the world. This transcendence
is generally accompanied by intense happiness and well-being, the feeling that one is aware of "ultimate truth"
and the unity of all things. Maslow
called self-transcendence the next step in human evolution. Despite his reputation as a brilliant researcher - Maslow actually received the second-highest IQ score
ever recorded - many of his colleagues were outraged. Critics argued that it is logically impossible for the self to transcend
itself. Some referred to self-transcendence as "numinous nonsense," claiming Maslow had abandoned the practical
for the mystical. But perhaps he only
fused the two. In the second century
B.C, the great Indian sage Pantanjali wrote, "When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project,
all your thoughts break their bonds; Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and
you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover
yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be." Maslow believed self-transcendence takes us beyond rational self-interest, beyond individual
self-actualization - and allows us to do something more meaningful: help others reach their potential. Until his death in 1970, Maslow encouraged individuals to develop their
innate talents and abilities to their fullest extent. (The field of transpersonal psychology sprang up from his studies.)
But he also believed he had discovered a higher wisdom, something greater than self-actualization. "The true value of a human being," said Albert Einstein, "is
determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self." Sounds transcendent to me. Carpe Diem, Alex |
