The central project of Maslow in Motivation and Personality is to study the psychology of healthy minded people. Thus far, psychology has been restricted to the study of mental illnesses but this exclusive focus does not inspire hope or optimism in either the layman or the scientist.
The hierarchy of needs has become a common every day term that many people understand. Once we have satisfied our lower needs (hunger, shelter) then we can move on to satisfying our higher needs: self actualization.
What is self-actualization? It is a mode of behavior that can be described as ideal. It is a philosophical ideal more so than a scientific ideal. In fact, Maslow argues that the scientist himself is biased. There are human reasons for why he does his job, for why he is a scientist in the first place. A philosophical ideal is necessary to ground the motivations of a scientist, and ultimately, this ideal is itself biased, subjective, and unscientific. In other words, Maslow affirms Hume’s observation: you cannot derive an “ought” from an “is.”
Science as an endeavor is informed by a prejudiced philosophical ideal, and the question of the healthy individual should not be so much a scientific question as much as a philosophical one. But Maslow does not just limit himself to conjecture, he draws on social science, biology, as well as philosophy, to construct a convincing ideal for human beings to aspire to. This is not to say that the person who does not embody these characteristics should be considered sick.
But none of this is to say that Maslow was not empirical. On the contrary, he has based “self actualization” on the lives of people he has interviewed, as well as historical figures such as Huxley, Spinoza, Einstein, and William James.
Some of the characteristics that he found in common were:
- More efficient perception of reality. Secure in their own ignorance. Unthreatened by the unknown.
- Accept their contradictory nature. At peace with their vices, bad habits, and animal nature.
- Behave spontaneity, simplicity, and naturally. Unconventional thinking, not necessarily actions.
- Not self-centered or narcissistic. Outward focused.
- Independence from culture and environment. Think for themselves. Enjoy solitude. Reserved, calm, self-disciplined.
- Act according to own judgements, not others. Priority is self-development and inner growth.
- Rich subjective experience. Enjoy reality, grateful for what they have.
- Have peak and transcendental/ religious experiences.
- Treat people according to their character not race, class, or education.
- Creative and humorous.
- Distrust of enculturation and ethnocentrism.
After basic needs such as health, safety, belongingness love, and esteem are satisfied, self-actualization becomes possible. But to choose not to self-actualize, means to betray one’s identity in an important way. The consequence of this betrayal will likely be a life of perpetual dissatisfactions.
The desire to become what one is, and what one is capable of becoming is the end of self-actualization.