Maslow's Self-Actualization in the Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow was a humanistic psychologist when the branch of psychology had just begun gaining movement. He proposed a theory called the hierarchy of needs that stated that people would attempt to gain certain life conditions near the base of his 'pyramid' before attempting to move to goals higher up in the pyramids. Basic goals at the pyramid base had priority over more complex goals. The base was physiological needs such as food and water. Next highest up was safety such as shelter and clothing. After that came love needs, from yourself and others. The next to be realized was self-esteem. After self-esteem is realized, self-actualization is the next step. Self-actualization was a motivation or drive to achieve one's potential and achieve what one was capable of. Maslow saw several traits in people that he saw as self-actualized. He said that they were problem-centered instead of self-centered and would focus on a problem until they could solve it. Also, they were self-aware, caring, and had deep relationships. One key trait of those with the potential to be self-actualized is that privately they were uneasy about the darker parts of society and its cruelty.
Citations
Myers, D. (2010). Psychology in modules: Personality. New York: Worth Publishers.
Myers, D. (2010). Psychology in modules: Personality. New York: Worth Publishers.