Maslow's role in Humanistic Perspective and Personality
Development
Maslow's hierarchy of needs fits into the humanistic perspective because the humanistic perspective focuses on the personalities and development of healthy people who strive to achieve potential. Because Maslow's hierarchy of needs focuses on the focuses of all people and the order they focus on specific needs, it fits into humanistic psychologies study of healthy, normal people. Also, the end goal in his hierarchy is self-actualization in which one obtains their potential which is the goal that humanistic perspective says healthy people strive for. It is a self-realization of what oneself is capable of. This links into personality development because the achievement of self-actualization occurs over a long period of time in life. Someone does not become self-actualized overnight. It takes learning and maturation throughout life such as a development of compassion, an opening up of thoughts, and the finding of a calling or profession.
Citations
Myers, D. (2010). Psychology in modules: Personality. New York: Worth Publishers.
Myers, D. (2010). Psychology in modules: Personality. New York: Worth Publishers.