Self Actualization

Part A: Introduction to self Actualization and its benefits to employee and employer both

Part B: Theory of Self Actualization

Part C: Characteristics of Self Actualized person

Part D: Finding oneself and How to achieve Self Actualization / Road to Self Actualization

Suggested training modules

http://www.neurosemantics.com/self-actualization-training-meta-reflections-2013-3/

What are the four modules?

 Module 1: Unleashing Personal Vitality – Energy to Live Fully

 Module 2: Unleashing Personal Potentials – Alive to your Uniqueness
 Module 3: Unleashing Creativity – Creative Problem-Solving
 Module 4: Unleashing Leadership – Bringing out the Best in Others

Module I: Unleashing Vitality

Your Highest & Best Energy for being Fully Alive / Fully Human
Energies for becoming Alive for the Higher Life: Discover your Real Self.

1. Developing Your Base – for Vitality in Self-Actualizing.

2. Seeking Your Peak – for a highly energized Meta-Life.
3. Living the Vitality – for the Eyes of the self-actualizing life.

Module II: Unleashing Potentials

Your Highest & Best Meaningful Performances: How to Actualize Your Highest and Best

1. The Construct: Meaning, Meaning-construction.

2. The Crucible: Transformation of old Meanings that diminish you.
3. The Zone: In the Zone of Peak Experiences.

Module III: Unleashing Creative Solutions

Creativity for well-formed Coaching Conversations for Creative Problem-Solving.

1. Well-formed Outcome – designing a compelling future.

2. Well-formed Problem – defining the interferences and challenges.
3. Well-formed Solution – creatively resolving the problems.
4. Well-formed Innovation -actualizing it in the real world.
 Module IV: Unleashing Leadership
Self-Actualizing Leaders and Companies for Peak Performance Organizations

1. The New Leadership: Self-Actualizing Leaders who bring out the best in others.
2. Your Self-Actualizing Leadership Matrix for being an authentic leader.
3. Leading a Seeking-the-Peak Self-Actualizing Company with 3 bottom-lines.
Part A: Introduction to self Actualization and its benefits to employee and employer both
Part B: Theory of Self Actualization
Part C: Characteristics of Self Actualized person
Part D: Finding oneself and How to achieve Self Actualization / Road to Self Actualization

!@#$%^&*

SA Process

https://www.wikihow.com/Achieve-Self-Actualization

How to Achieve Self Actualization

Connecting to Your Future Self Living Your Values Reaching Your Mental Potential Community
Q&A15 References

Self-actualization is a concept coined by American psychologist Abraham Maslow. It refers to

the process of achieving a hierarchy of needs – physiological, safety and security, love and
belonging, and esteem – in addition to reaching one’s full potential.[1]

Assuming you have met the lower level basic needs for food, water, oxygen, sleep, shelter and
social stability, you can reach self-actualization by identifying and striving towards ultimate
meaning in your life.

Part1

Connecting to Your Future Self

Decide who you want to be. The only way you can reach self-actualization is to envision what
your actualized self will look like. Connecting with your future self is an important step in
reaching personal goals. Two ways you can connect with your future self are:[2]

 Creating a vision board. Prepare a collage – either online or with photos and
paper – that sums up the future self you hope to become. Browse through
magazine or online galleries and search for pictures and phrases that represent
the person you envision yourself becoming. Paste all these images and words
together to create a larger image depicting your future self.

 Writing a letter. Another powerful way to forge a connection with your future
self is with a “Dear Future Me” letter. Write in detail about all the things you are
proud of or inspired by about your future self. Go on to tell exactly HOW and
WHY your future self reached these successes.
2

Identify your personal values. Once you have a general idea of where you want to end up you
need to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to get there. Pinpointing your
personal values can give insight on what drives your decisions, beliefs, and ideas. Think of your
values as a road map directing you to your future self. Identify your values by doing the
following:

 Think of two people you admire. What characteristics describe them?

 If you could change something about your local community or the world in
general, what would it be?

 If your house was on fire, what three things would you take with you?

 When was the last time you felt really accomplished? Describe the moment and
why you felt this way.

 Which topics do you stand up for or get really riled up about? Why do these
topics get you going?

 Once you have considered these questions/statements, look for themes in your
answers. Any recurring themes may shed light on your values.

Check for contradictions. After you have performed an analysis of your values, compare these
to your future self. Do your current values coincide with the life you hope to someday lead?
Now, reflect on your everyday behaviors, beliefs, and principles. Do these match your values
and the person you hope to be?

 If you are not currently living out the values that are important to you or that will
help you manifest into your future self, you will need to do some restructuring
and goal-setting.[3]

Part2
Living Your Values

1.

Set goals that align with your vision.[4] Having goals that don't fit with your overall values is like
riding in a buggy with two horse that are going in opposite directions - it's mayhem. You can
have the most inspiring goals, but if they are not supporting your personal values, your success
won't feel like success.[5]

 For example, Joe finds that his biggest values are community involvement,
integrity, and leadership. In his current job, he is a supervisor at a non-profit
organization that offers scholarships and training to under-served student
populations. He learns that all the funds are not being directed to students as he
once thought. Despite him meeting his values of community involvement and
leadership, Joe may feel dissatisfied with his job because the organization is not
one of integrity. Joe must develop new goals that align with his values to bring
him balance and happiness.

 Create SMART goals - those that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic,
and timely. Ensuring that your goals meet these requirements can help you
accomplish you goals faster and move closer to self-actualization.

Reassess your progress over time. Self-actualization is a careful balance of goal completion and
values. Whenever one becomes misaligned, you will need to revisit both your values and goals.
If your values shift, for example, because you have a family, you will need to create new goals
that coincide with these new values.

Learn constantly. Committing to becoming a lifelong learner is the ultimate step in achieving
self-actualization. A lifelong learner is one who uses information and experience to expand his
own horizons and his life accordingly. Become a lifelong learner by:[6]

 Questioning your assumptions - Think twice about unquestioned beliefs or

biases, asking yourself "What else could I assume?" or "What evidence do I have
for or against this assumption?"[7]

 Teaching learned skills to others - Whether it's information from your career or
study gleaned from a hobby, teach it. Teaching what you know to others helps
 you gain exposure, allows you to be seen as an expert to others, and enhances
your knowledge of the subject.[8]

 Reading books

 Cultivating relationships with intellectuals

 Journaling

 Meditating

 Engaging in problem-solving

 Joining organizations

 Attending workshops

 Getting involved with projects

Find passions. Passions are activities that you are willing to invest time and effort into because
they bring you great pleasure. Passions result in a decrease in negative emotions and increased
psychological well-being.[9] These can range from writing to running to collecting stamps. More
than likely, these passions will also align with your values in life.

 If you have trouble pinpointing any passions, think about the last event you
attended. You had to buy a ticket, coordinate your schedule with a buddies or
partners, and find something to wear. You put in a lot of effort to go to this
event. Now, think about other events you have attended over the past year. Do
you notice any recurring themes?[10]

Part3

Reaching Your Mental Potential

Think positively. Being able to look on the bright side of things is key to personal success and
well-being. People who think positively tend to have less health problems, stronger immune
systems,and greater resilience to difficult life problems.[11] One way to become a more positive
thinker is by eliminating negative self-talk.
  Spend a few minutes each day paying careful attention to your self-talk. What
are you saying to yourself as you go about your daily routine? Are these thoughts
uplifting or belittling?

 If your self-talk contains a lot of criticisms, aim to replace these negative

thoughts with more positive, helpful statements. For example, if you catch
yourself thinking "This is too hard. I don't know how to do it" reframe these
statements to "This is a difficult task. I may need extra help in getting it done."

Boost your self-esteem. Self-actualized people feel a sense of worthiness and respect for both
themselves, and others. Appreciating who you are and recognizing your worth are instrumental
in developing a healthy mindset. Two practical solutions for boosting self-esteem are
overcoming perfectionism and the tendency to compare.

 When we hold ourselves to unrealistically high standards (perfectionism), we will

always fall short. Having realistic expectations about what you can accomplish
motivates you to work harder and makes you feel good about yourself. When
you move past perfectionism, mistakes aren't permanent failures, and even tiny
successes are worthy of celebration.

 Assuming that everyone else has a better time than you is a recipe for disaster.
All humans have shortcomings and comparing yourself to someone else based
on what you see from the outside is unfair to you. The only comparisons you
should be making is with yourself today versus yesterday.

Be open-minded. A self-actualized person is capable of considering alternative opinions,

perspectives, and methods that differ from his own. Being open-minded does not mean you are
wishy-washy. Instead it means you can adequately assess multiple variables of a situation
before coming to a conclusion. You welcome new experiences and are accessible to positive
reactions. You can learn to be more open-minded by completing these two exercises:[12]

 Think of a highly charged topic (e.g. abortion, war, artificial intelligence, etc.) and
take the opposite side of the argument from your own. List five valid statements
that support this position.

 Recall a time when you were betrayed or hurt by another. List three potential
reasons this person may have hurt you, either by accident or on purpose.
4

Stand behind your choices. While self-actualized individuals may be open to various opinions
and perspectives, they are also self-reliant. Being emotionally self-reliant translates to having
the confidence to make your own decisions without relying on the influences of others and
standing behind these decisions. If you are interested in becoming more emotionally self-
reliant, try these three strategies:[13]

 Quit waiting for an "okay". When you have a big decision to make, it can be easy
to delay or put off making a choice because you are waiting for some other key
player in your life to grant you permission. Self-reliance means trusting your
intuition and making the choice that suits without relying on others to tell you its
okay.

 Jump off the see-saw. Going back and forth on a decision after making it builds
self-doubt. Once you have chosen, move on. Stop weighing the pros and cons
and doubting the value of your decision.

 Stay the course. Even if a decision you made leads to subpar results, it doesn't
mean you're on the wrong path. If you truly want something, you don't roll over
and surrender after being faced with opposition. keep pushing towards the life
you want.

Cultivate relationships with positive influencers. A sense of belonging and love are important
needs in realizing self-actualization. However, ensuring that the relationships you build are
positive gives you an extra lift. When we surround ourselves with positive people we have
greater self-confidence, make healthier decisions, and cope with stress better.[14][15]

 Conduct an inspection of your close relationships. Do the people you spend the
most time with reflect your personal values? Do these people make you feel
good about yourself? Do they motivate you to be your best self? If the answers
to any of these are "no", you may need to distance yourself from these negative
influencers
 https://mind-development.eu/maslow.html

Abraham Maslow

THE ROAD TO SELF-ACTUALIZATION

By Gregory Mitchell

One of the foundations of transformational psychology is American psychologist and

philosopher Abraham H. Maslow's theory of human needs. Maslow (1908-1970)
believed that people are not merely controlled by mechanical forces (the stimuli and
reinforcement of behaviorism) or the unconscious instinctual impulses that
psychoanalysis emphasizes. Following the lead of Adler, who recognized that
individuals possess a unifying directional tendency toward self-mastery, Maslow
preferred to focus on human potential, believing that humans strive to express their
capabilities fully, and that this is the basis for happiness.

People who seek the frontiers of creativity and strive to reach higher levels of
consciousness and wisdom, were described by Maslow as 'self-actualizing' individuals.
Transformational psychology is not therapy, it is information and techniques to enable
healthy persons to make their lives even better, to fulfill their potential - it is for you.

Maslow set up a hierarchical theory of needs in which the basic survival needs are the
first priority, and the needs concerned with man's highest potential follow on when other
needs have been met.

1. Physiological Needs
The needs for oxygen, food, water and a relatively constant body temperature.
These needs are the strongest because if deprived, the person would die.
2. Safety Needs
Children often display signs of insecurity and their need to be safe. Adults, too,
need the security of a home and means of income, and often have an underlying
fear that these may be lost, e.g. in war or times of social unrest, or due to
misfortune. Fear is the opposite flow to need. Accompanying any need for
something is an equivalent fear of losing or not obtaining it.
3. Social Needs
This includes the need for mastery to be able to get one's own way, to establish
some control over one's situation and environment, to express some degree of
personal power, to be able to communicate and obtain objectives. And the need
for love, affection and belonging. People need to escape feelings of loneliness
 and alienation and to give (and receive) love and affection, and to have a sense
of belonging with high quality communication (with understanding and empathy).
4. Esteem Needs
People need to feel good about themselves, to feel that they have earned the
respect of others, in order to feel satisfied, self confident and valuable. If these
needs are not met, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless.
5. Self-Actualization Needs
Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that for
which the person has a vocation. It is his 'calling', a full expression of his or her
creative potential. It is to be autonomous and fully-functioning. If these needs are
not met, the person feels restless and frustrated, even if successful in other
respects.

Characteristics of Self-Actualizing Persons

Central to the lives of self-actualized people is a set of values that Maslow called the
Being-Values, or B-Values. These characteristics apply equally to both men and
women, of course.

 They are realistically oriented and not threatened by the unknown. They have a
superior ability to reason and to see the truth.
 They perceive and understand human nature. They accept themselves, other
people, circumstances and the natural world for what they are. They able to learn
from anyone and are friendly with anyone, with no regard to stereotypes.
 They are emotionally intelligent and feel no need for crippling guilt or shame.
They tend to be serene, characterized by a lack of worry. They are self starters,
are responsible for themselves, and own their behavior. Work becomes play and
desires are in excellent accord with reason.
 They are unflappable and retain dignity amid confusion and personal misfortune,
all the while remaining objective.
 They have a great deal of spontaneity and have no unnecessary inhibitions.
 The self-actualized person can be alone and not be lonely.
 They are honest and seek justice for all.
 They are autonomous and independent. Thoughts and impulses are unhampered
by convention. Their ethics are autonomous and they determine their own inner
moral standards.
 They have a fresh rather than stereotyped appreciation of people and appreciate
the best aspects in all things. However they resist conformity to the culture. They
determine their own behavior and have their own views on people and events.
 Moment to moment living for them is exciting and often exhilarating as they live
their life to the full. Vibrant moments are frequent and peak experiences not
unusual. Peak experiences are moments when one sees clearly what before was
hidden or obscured.
  They seek wholeness; they are able to merge opposing views into a third, higher
synthesis, as though the two have united; therefore, opposite forces are no
longer felt as conflict. Self-actualizing people retain their childlike qualities and
yet have a far-seeing wisdom.
 Their intimate relationships with specially loved people tend to be profound,
sincere and long-lasting, rather than superficial.
 Their sense of humor is philosophical rather than hostile. They can laugh at
themselves but never make jokes that hurt others.
 Self-actualizing people enjoy an inborn uniqueness that carries over into
everything they do. Their creativity is original, inventive, uninhibited and - since
they see the real and true more easily - valuable.
 Self-actualizing individuals are motivated to continual growth. They are also
aware of their primary goals in life and are devoted to fulfilling them, both for their
own benefit and as service to others.

Maslow's writings tell us much about the nature of wisdom. The self-actualizing people
that Maslow describes focus on concerns outside of themselves; they like solitude and
privacy more than the average person, and they tend to be more detached than usual
from the dictates and expectations of their culture. They are inner-directed people.
They appreciate the world around them with a sense of awe and wonder. In love
relationships they respect the other's individuality and feel joy at the another's success.
They give more love than most people, and need less. Because they take an
independent view, they can see situations and problems more objectively and
consequently they tend to be creative and make valuable contributions to society.

One reason that a person does not move through the needs to self-actualization is
because of the hindrances placed in their way by society. For example, education can
act to inhibit a person's potential (though also of course it can promote personal
growth). So can other aspects of the family and culture act to condition and funnel an
individual into a role that is not fulfilling. To escape this conditioning, a person has to
awaken to their situation, to realize that their life could be different, that there are
changes that can be made in the direction of self-actualization.

To promote our personal growth, we can learn to be authentic, to be aware of our inner
selves and to hear our inner feelings and needs. We can begin to transcend our own
cultural conditioning and become world citizens. We can help our children discover their
talents and creative skills, to find the appropriate career and complementary partner.
We can demonstrate that life is precious, that there is joy to be experienced in life, and
that if one is open to seeing the good - and humorous - in all kinds of situations, this
makes life worth living.

There is one further need that stands at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This
is...
  Transpersonal Needs
This is the need for a higher truth; to make contact with the creative force that is
beyond the human personality; to make sense of all the suffering and injustices
of the survival struggle on earth. This need has been evident in all cultures,
expressed by all religions, and is the spiritual path towards enlightenment,
towards discovering the truth of All That Is.

It is only by having at least a glimmer of this spirituality that we each are part of, that we
can aspire to the highest potential of being human. To be able to genuinely love and to
forgive unconditionally, we need to see in all others - even our enemies - the same
essential quality that we ourselves are part of. Spirituality is a transpersonal quality, it is
beyond the Ego and obsession with the self. It is the maturity of intuition.

Peak Experiences
Abraham Maslow defines a peak experience as having some (but usually not all) of the
following characteristics: "an almost overwhelming sense of pleasure, euphoria or joy, a
deep sense of wonder or awe, feeling in harmony or at one with the universe, altered
percepts of time and/or space, a deep feeling of love, greater awareness of beauty or
appreciation, and a sense that it would be difficult or impossible to describe adequately
in words."

Maslow coined this term to describe quasi-mystical experiences, not necessarily of a

religious nature. Peak experiences are sudden feelings of intense happiness and well-
being, and possibly the awareness of new insights that were previously obscured.
Accompanying these experiences is a heightened sense of control over the body and
emotions, and a wider sense of awareness, as though one was standing upon a
mountaintop. The experience fills the individual with wonder and awe. He feels at one
with the world and is pleased with it; he or she has seen something of the essence of all
things.

Maslow described peak experiences as powerful moments with their own intrinsic value
and accompanied by a loss of fear, anxiety, doubts, and inhibitions. Peak experiences
follow a period of struggle and resistance to self-actualization as a process, due to the
effort of learning, achievement of goals or finding the answers to creative problems.
Following the insight and integration of accomplishment, peak experiences are
characterized as a relief; an inner peace of mind that one has rarely experienced
before.

Maslow said that all individuals are capable of peak experiences. Those who do not
have them somehow depress or deny them. Individuals most likely to have peak
experiences are self-actualized, mature, healthy, and self-fulfilled.

Peak experiences render therapeutic value as they foster a sense of being lucky or
graced; release creative energies; reaffirm the worthiness of life; and change an
individual's view of himself or herself. Not long before his death in 1970, Maslow defined
the term "plateau experience" as a sort of continuing peak experience that is more
voluntary, noetic, and cognitive. He described it as a witnessing or cognitive
blissfulness. Its achievement requires a considerable period of determined effort, he
stated.

Transformation occurs when existing solutions, assumed truths and past decisions are
exposed as unrealistic, and this new insight allows one to view from a more appropriate
and empowering perspective.

The path of personal transformation is primarily a process of becoming aware of, facing
up to and taking responsibility for one's thoughts, feelings and actions, and then
expanding this self-realization by communicating with others, retaining integrity
whatever the response, and further enhancing the quality of communication with ever-
increasing empathy and understanding. Through understanding others better, we can
recognize their essential goodwill, however misguided it might have become, and begin
to recognize the spirituality of humankind.

Rollo May - Love and Will on the Path of Self-Actualization

Rollo May, the American existential psychologist, authored the influential book Love
and Will in 1969. The central thesis of the book is that Eros, the life force, is the
fundamental energy behind Will; that Love directs our Will toward our highest potential.
Eros is the force that drives men to seek God. Eros is the spirit of life and is not to be
confused with the sex drive. Rollo May points out that the sex drive seeks satisfaction
and release of tension whereas Eros drives us outward toward self-realization.

May was influenced by American humanism, and was interested in reconciling

existential psychology with other approaches, especially Freud's. He recognized certain
characteristics of individuals as they balance their drive for self-actualization with the
anxieties of life:

 Innocence - the pre-egoic, pre-self-conscious stage of the infant. The innocent is

only doing what he or she must do. However, an innocent does have a degree of
will in the sense of a drive to fulfill needs.
 Rebellion - the rebellious person wants freedom, but has yet no full
understanding of the responsibility that goes with it.
 Decision - the person in a transition stage in their life where they need to break
away from their parents or from conformity in order to take responsibility; or to
retreat into the ordinary to avoid the anxiety of takining responsibility.
 Ordinary - the normal adult Ego learns the need for responsibility, but finds it too
demanding, and so seeks refuge in conformity and traditional values.
 Creative - this is the authentic, self-actualized person who, accepting destiny,
faces anxiety with courage.
May was a critic of the narcissism rampant in modern society. For example, he
perceived the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as commercialization of
sex and pornography, as having planted the idea in the minds of adults that love and
sex are no longer directly associated. In this way, emotion has become separated from
reason, making it socially acceptable to seek sexual relationships and avoid the natural
drive to relate to another person with feeling and create new life together. May suggests
that the only way to turn around the cynical ideas that characterize our generation is to
rediscover the importance of caring for another, of loving service, which May describes
as the opposite of apathy. The choice to love, then, is one of will and intentionality,
unlike the instinctive drive for sexual pleasure. Therefore real human existence
demands thought and consideration.

May describes the anxiety caused by a threat to some value which the individual holds
essential to his existence as the self that he knows. He also quotes Kierkegaard:
"Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom." May's approach is existential: he conceives the
self as a dynamic entity, alive with potentiality. His approach is also holistic, seeking to
understand the whole reality and essence of a person's being. Man is thought of as
being and becoming, as a dynamic process, as a complex organism in relation to the
universe. However, if an insight or perception is too hard at the moment, if it causes too
much anxiety and threatens established beliefs - of self and/or of others - then it may be
repressed and afterwards be hidden by defenses.

Jung's path to Individuation, the Ego development required to overcome the

Freudian Superego, Adlerian theory and the Stages of Development of intellectual
ability, all support May's concept that the family environment and subsequent
socialization are primary factors in enabling the self to face the anxiety inherent in
existence, where one's highest values may often be under threat. Families in Western
society today tend to be an open system. Teachers, clergy, relatives and friends play
important roles in a child's life and along side the primary caregivers are often a
significant source of support - or alternatively sometimes a threat - to the development
of the individual. In addition, societal beliefs and expectations regarding gender roles,
child-rearing practice, judgments about 'appropriate and inappropriate' behavior, and
numerous other beliefs and values all impact human development.

Personal Development for Self-Actualization

The courses of personal development offered by Trans4mind follow the natural
developmental progression described by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Basic needs of physical and mental health, plus adequate security and safety, are
assumed starting points for students on the courses. Our courses provide skills that
help the student better meet his or her social needs for belonging and acceptance.
Learning to perceive acutely, concentrate, read, and study very well aid the individual's
integration with society and the work place.

The courses teach skills that give a dramatic increase in performance. The certainty of
being able to excel gives a corresponding rise in self-esteem.

Furthermore, our courses provoke an independence of thought, so that the student

becomes free to think and live outside of the box of their cultural upbringing - to be truly
themselves and in a much better position to fulfill their needs for Self Actualization.
Through the preparation obtained by well-done personal development, the student is in
an ideal position to proceed in the natural direction of Transpersonal discovery, to find
their own spiritual truth, independent from existing religions and philosophies.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-and-psychopathology/201308/the-theory-
self-actualization

The Theory of Self-Actualization

Mental illness, creativity and art

“Self-actualization” represents a concept derived from Humanistic psychological theory

and, specifically, from the theory created by Abraham Maslow. Self-actualization,
according to Maslow, represents growth of an individual toward fulfillment of the highest
needs; those for meaning in life, in particular. Carl Rogers also created a theory
implicating a “growth potential” whose aim was to integrate congruently the “real self”
and the “ideal self” thereby cultivating the emergence of the “fully functioning person”. It
was Maslow, however, who created a psychological hierarchy of needs, the fulfillment of
which theoretically leads to a culmination of fulfillment of “being values”, or the needs
that are on the highest level of this hierarchy, representing meaning.

Maslow’s hierarchy reflects a linear pattern of growth depicted in a direct pyramidal

order of ascension. Moreover, he states that self-actualizing individuals are able to
resolve dichotomies such as that reflected in the ultimate contrary of free-will and
determinism. He also contends that self-actualizers are highly creative, psychologically
robust individuals. It is argued herein that a dialectical transcendence of ascension
toward self-actualization better describes this type of self-actualization, and even the
mentally ill, whose psychopathology correlates with creativity, have the capacity to self-
actualize.

Maslow’s hierarchy is described as follows:

1. Physiological needs, such as needs for food, sleep and air.

2. Safety, or the needs for security and protection, especially those that emerge from
social or political instability.

3. Belonging and love including, the needs of deficiency and selfish taking instead of
giving, and unselfish love that is based upon growth rather than deficiency.

4. Needs for self-esteem, self-respect, and healthy, positive feelings derived from
admiration.

5. And “being” needs concerning creative self-growth, engendered from fulfillment of

potential and meaning in life.
Erikson created a theory of psychosocial dichotomies represented as “trust versus
mistrust” and “autonomy versus shame and doubt”, as examples. In terms of Erikson’s
final stage of development, that of “ego integrity versus despair”, the successful
resolution of this stage corresponds with a sense of life’s meaning. It is clear that the
self-actualized person might be in danger of dying, but nevertheless may find meaning
in life. This means that lower level needs might be unfulfilled even in situations
represented by “being values”, such as a sense of meaning in life. Note, however, that
Maslow asserted that one’s needs may be only partially fulfilled at any given moment.

Mahatma Gandhi, Viktor Frankl, and Nelson Mandela may serve as examples of people
who each personify a reality self-actualization. At risk of his life, Mahatma Gandhi
utilized civil disobedience for purposes of freedom, Viktor Frankl was a holocaust
survivor who never relinquished his grasp of life’s meaning, and Nelson Mandela
maintained an attitude of meaning in life even while he was imprisoned. The safety
needs of these individuals may have been threatened in these particular life
circumstances, but it may be understood that many people whose safety needs are
compromised may be cognizant of being values. They may find life to be meaningful
explicitly because of situations of danger to their lives, situations represented by the
dichotomy of life and death, in particular.

As indicated, Maslow identified self-actualizing people as individuals who are highly

creative, who have peak experiences, and who are able to resolve the dichotomies
inherent in opposite contraries such as those constituted by “freedom and determinism”,
“the conscious and the unconscious”, as well as “intentionality and a lack of
intentionality.” Creativity, a hallmark of a self-actualizing person, may be perceived to
reside within a dialectical relationship. While most dichotomies cannot be explicitly
understood as resolvable, the above dichotomies can be seen to be resolved through
creative activity. Using the one aspect of each of these dichotomies as a “thesis”, and
another as an “antithesis”, art may represent the “synthesis” of the dichotomous
relationship.

The dichotomy of freewill and determinism, because it relies on both freely willed and
causal activity, is resolved by art in terms of both the artist’s self-expression and the
receiver of artistic expression, in that both of these individuals may be understood to
utilize conscious and unconscious aspects of themselves in order for artistic expression
and reception to ensue. The conscious and the unconscious parallel the free-will and
determinism dichotomy, in that conscious action might be considered to be freely willed
and unconscious action may be considered to rely largely on causality.

Another dichotomy that explicates the artistic process is a resolution of subject and
object. The term “subject”, indicating “the artist” may be indicative of “the self”, and the
term “object” may describe “the other” or “the audience”. Through art, there is a joining
of the self and the other, a communication between the two. This is accomplished by
the artist’s use of metaphor and allegory that allows for free expression that may
culminate in a communication with the audience by the artist and what may be
described as a communicative function within the artist himself. Essentially, art may
culminate in dialogue between the artist and the audience, or self-dialogue and self-
realization within the artist. Peak experiences, described as epiphanies, are also
realized by both the subject and the object through art. Art, more than any other type of
communication, is perhaps the least dogmatic, even if it is indefinite. This is true for all
forms of art. Art may only be understood when it is interpreted by the self or the other,
and this is accomplished by both the artist and his audience.

The mentally ill poet, Sylvia Plath, may be said to have realized an epiphany when she
described the birth of her child in the poem, “Morning Song”. In this poem, she stated:

I’m no more your mother

Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow

Effacement at the wind’s hand.

Through unique and innovative language, she described her own peak experience. It is,
then, the creative communication between herself and her audience and that epiphany
within herself that allowed her to achieve that moment of self-actualization. As stated,
Plath was known to suffer from mental illness, and she may not be readily understood
that be a self-actualizing individual. Nevertheless, deconstruction and reconstruction of
the self becomes a possibility through poetic self-expression, resultant epiphanies and
recognition of an evolving self that is characterized by self-actualization. Metaphor and
allegory, as used in artistic expression, can be utilized to create self-permeable
boundaries that are nevertheless intact, for both the artist and his audience.

Self-actualization through art may enhance the psychological well-being of the

individual. Interpretation of art, on the part of both the artist and the audience, becomes
an avenue toward self-realization, perhaps of an idiosyncratic and subjective nature, yet
it is self-realization. And self-realization is self-actualization. It has been suggested that
it is only the most functional people who are able to achieve being values, resolution of
dichotomies, peak experiences and meaning in life. It is contended that self-
actualization is a possibility for all creative individuals. More or less, we are all creative.
https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/self-actualization/

What is Self-Actualization: A Definition + Examples [2018 Update]

05 MAY 2017

THEORY

12 COMMENTS

Sharing is caring.

The concept of self-actualization is best known in the field of psychology in the context
of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The decades-old idea is certainly an area of
interest in modern psychology research, but many still only know it as the top of
Maslow’s motivational pyramid.

This article will discuss self-actualization as it was first outlined, where self-actualization
research stands today, and why self-actualization is relevant to both the positive
psychology movement and the average person.

This article contains:

 What is Self-Actualization? A Definition

 The Theory of Self-Actualization and the Hierarchy of Needs
 Examples of Self-Actualization
 Self-Actualization and Positive Psychology
 A Take Home Message
 References
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What is Self-Actualization? A Definition

Self-actualization is a term “first coined by Kurt Goldstein” that most often refers
to Abraham Maslow’s use of the term while outlining his hierarchy of needs. In his
seminal paper about human motivation where he first introduced his hierarchy of needs,
Maslow defined self-actualization by claiming that “[w]hat a man can be, he must be.
This need we may call self-actualization” (Maslow, 1943).
Self-actualization has also been described as:

“the psychological process aimed at maximizing the use of a person’s abilities and
resources. This process may vary from one person to another” (Couture et al., 2007).
In other words, for our purposes, self-actualization can be thought of as the full
realization of one’s creative, intellectual, or social potential.

Since self-actualization is based on leveraging one’s abilities to reach their potential, it

is a very personal process and can greatly differ from person-to-person. As we will see,
this recognition of individual motivations is a key part of Maslow’s work, and what he felt
differentiated it from the contemporary motivational psychology of his early career.

Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist most affiliated with humanistic psychology. His
interests in human motivation and self-actualization stemmed from his experiences both
early on as a timid child, and later on as a father witnessing the horrors of World War
Two (Frick, 2000; Hoffman, 2008). His hierarchy of needs is still taught as a critical part
of motivational psychology, despite first being outlined over 70 years ago. In fact, some
of Maslow’s work is even thought to cover similar ground as the positive psychology
movement (Goud, 2008).

The Theory of Self-Actualization and the Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s idea of self-actualization must first be contextualized within his hierarchy of
needs. Maslow felt that human motivation needed to be studied beyond the
contemporary scope of behaviorism because the study of “[m]otivation should be
human-centered rather than animal-centered” (Maslow, 1943).
With this goal in mind, he first outlined his hierarchy of needs in his seminal 1943 paper
on human motivation.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is made up of “physiological [needs], safety [needs], love

[needs], esteem [needs], and self-actualization” in a pyramid from bottom to top. Each
level of needs must be taken care of before the next one can be taken care of, so
ensuring one’s physiological needs (like food and water) is a prerequisite to ensuring
their safety needs (like shelter), ensuring one’s safety needs is a prerequisite to
ensuring one’s love needs, and so on.
The final level is self-actualization so that once one’s physiological, safety, love, and
esteem needs are taken care of one can start thinking about self-actualization.

Examples of Self-Actualization
This raises the question, what does self-actualization actually look like? When first
describing self-actualization, Maslow described the top of his hierarchy of needs by
remarking that:

“[a] musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be
ultimately happy” (Maslow, 1943).
Aside from naming general types of people, Maslow (1970) also once named a few
people who he considered to have reached a level of self-actualization in their lifetimes.
These included:

 Abraham Lincoln
 Thomas Jefferson
 Albert Einstein
 Eleanor Roosevelt
 Jane Addams
 William James
 Albert Schweitzer
 Aldous Huxley
 Baruch Spinoza

In that same book, Maslow (1970) also listed a few other potential cases of self-
actualization, without weighing in on whether or not they reached the same level of self-
actualization as the above nine examples. These included Eugene Debs, Frederick
Douglas, Ida Tarbell, Harriet Tubman, George Washington, George Washington Carver,
and Walt Whitman. While all of the above names were public figures in one way or
another, it is interesting to note that Maslow listed a wide variety of people, from
abolitionists and authors to philosophers, politicians, and poets.

A recent study conducted by Krems et al. (2017) was interested in how non-
psychologists viewed self-actualization. The authors found that “lay perceptions of
realizing one’s full potential are linked to the fundamental motive of achieving status and
esteem”.

In other words, participants most associated realizing their potential (and the drive to do
so) with reaching some level of internally-recognized success (esteem, which is notably
on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs itself) and some level of externally-recognized success
(status).

This conflicts with Maslow’s (1943) initial separation of status/esteem and self-
actualization. The authors, however, point out that “a functional reading” of Maslow’s
work, such as the one discussed by Kenrick et al. (2010), indicates that “many of the
behaviors involved in pursuing one’s full potential are linked to status, both directly and
indirectly” (Krems et al., 2017). This relation between status-seeking and self-
actualization also fits in with the fact that the most obvious examples of self-
actualization are of public figures who have achieved high levels of status.

Self-Actualization and Positive Psychology

Aside from Goud (2008) claiming that Maslow would have approved of the positive
psychology movement’s goals, the concept of self-actualization is further related to
positive psychology. According to Bernard et al. (2010), the work of another humanistic
psychologist, Albert Ellis, indicated that “self-actualization involves the pursuit of
excellence and enjoyment; whichever people choose to desire and emphasize”.
This focus on reaching excellence and enjoyment (even more than a focus on the
realization of potential) prioritizes well-being and shows the relation between self-
actualization and positive psychology. Recently, multiple studies have even examined
self-actualization as a component of well-being (Compton, 2001; Kim et al., 2003). As
the examination of well-being is the main feature of positive psychology, this shows the
importance of recognizing how self-actualization and well-being relate to each other.
Another interesting study examined the effects of a positive psychology course on well-
being and found that college students who took a course on positive psychology
reported increased levels of happiness, hope, mindfulness, and self-actualization,
further highlighting the relationship between positive psychology and self-actualization
(Maybury, 2013).
Aside from well-being, one of the main drives behind outlining positive psychology was
the reinstatement of a “fundamental [misson] of psychology” that Martin Seligman felt
had been too long ignored by contemporary psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi,
M., 2000). This mission that Maslow highlighted was the goal of “nurturing genius”.
Since self-actualization and striving to reach one’s potential are certainly related to
nurturing genius, this shows that self-actualization is certainly an aspect of positive
psychology.
A Take Home Message
While Abraham Maslow’s groundbreaking theory of motivation and hierarchy of needs
are still taught today, it is important to contextualize his idea of self-actualization within
the positive psychology movement. Self-actualization is actually related to positive
psychology in two distinct ways: as a component of well-being and as a way to measure
the nurturing of genius.

Since these were both aspects of psychology that Martin Seligman had felt were long
ignored in psychology, and were both driving factors behind the outlining of positive
psychology, the study of self-actualization can be a valuable tool within the field of
positive psychology.

So what relevance does self-actualization hold for the average person? At the end of
the day, realizing one’s potential is a personal endeavor that depends on where one’s
creative, intellectual, or social potential lies. In other words, self-actualization is not
about making the most money or becoming the most famous person in the world.
Instead, self-actualization is about reaching one’s personal potential, whether that
means becoming a painter, a politician, a philosopher, a teacher, or anything else.

That is, at risk of sounding like a cliché, self-actualization is truly about achieving your
dreams
@@@

https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/self-actualization-finding-onesel

Self Actualization – Finding oneself

‘Self actualization’ the very first time this word buzzed my ears way back in 2006 while
studying ‘Hierarchical theory of human motivation’ by Abraham Maslow, a part of my
‘Organisational Management’ syllabus. I never knew it could be a vital term worth
thinking about, but it is which I understood at a later stage in life and which is why I am
here to share critically important facts which will take you a step closer to finding your
own self and utilising your inner capabilities.
According to ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs’ It is categorised in the last stage of human
needs pyramind as it can be understood, where humans have gone through or
experienced all the other important needs in one’s life. I often feel it shouldn’t be left out
at the end; in fact it deserves to be among the top most rankings factors as its an
ongoing process of understanding oneself including the potentials. Now a days, people
are so caught up in their daily life struggling to fulfil all the other needs that this need of
self actualization is either being ignored or not looked upon.

One self can live without having this need, but wait a minute
and think does it really worth living without even knowing the
reason for your existence or your hidden capabilities? I feel
there are two most important days in your life ‘The day you were
born and the day you find out why?’ So how will anyone know what
the extreme force one has within, which will not only provide
the joy of self satisfaction but also gives oneself a reason to
live happily? The answers lies within you, you just have to
start looking out for it via your sub-concious mind.
Do you quickly get upset or you start smiling when you see a new born baby or you burn
out with anger as quickly as a spark catches fire, in whatever category you fall in, it is
important to give time to yourself and analyse the real self. Yes, ‘YOU’ only 1 defective
piece in the whole world, See I said defective and you all started counting your
numerous flaws. Well that’s a negative word and will always have a negative impact as
your sub conscious mind is trained to see it that way. Yes, you might think you are not
good at playing guitar or singing a song or going out and hitting a football. The day you
stop limiting your own self, start enjoying your own company and do the things you love
instead of forcefully loving the things you do, I am sure Life would take a turn as there
will be numerous joy and less of sorrows. Now the Big question is why? How? Will it
happen?, the only answer is that now it’s about you, you as a person started
understanding yourself and you deserves your time much more than anyone else need in
this whole world. After all, from the day of your birth till your last breath, from all the
ups and downs in life, from all those struggles and all the cherishing moments... Who is
always with you? Yes, it’s only ‘YOU’. Analyzing your own self by giving sufficient time to
one self is the first step towards realising self actualization need of yours.The process of
Self actualization is endless, some get the answers they are looking out for whereas
others are still thinking about it and the last category of people who are just alive and
don’t even know something like this Exist.
Will you prefer a life with lots of money or a life with a 1000 volt smile on your face, well
think carefully and answer as ‘money’ doesn’t stays for long and saddening part is it
can’t even buy happiness whereas ‘happiness’ won’t be derived, if you won’t get a regular
meal for a month, which requires monetary considerations. You can generate n number
of these kinds of critical questions, where your mind will not agree with your heart or
let’s be very clear there is a dispute within yourself, fighting with yourself on a daily
basis can be troublesome. The day you start realising the need of self actualization you
will be in a better position to understand yourself and by practicing it on a daily basis
you will be able to direct your sub conscious mind and things will flow without having
this mind and heart conflict, as they both will agree on the same thing, it will be clear-
cut either the ‘money or happiness’ (if we take the same example as given above).

What Experts Say ?

Expressing one's creativity, quest for spiritual enlightenment, pursuit of knowledge, and
the desire to give to society are some of the examples of self-actualization. "The
tendency to actualize itself as fully as possible is the basic drive... the drive of self-
actualization." - Theorist Kurt Goldstein.
As Abraham Maslow noted, the basic needs of humans must be met (e.g. food, shelter,
warmth, security, sense of belongingness etc.) before a person can achieve self-
actualization - the need to be good, to be fully alive and to find meaning in life. Research
shows that when people live lives that are different from their true nature and
capabilities, they are less likely to be happy than those whose goals and lives match. For
example, someone who has inherent potential to be a great artist or teacher may never
realize his/her talents if their energy is focused on attaining the basic needs of humans.
Basically it is "the full realization of one's potential", and of one's 'true self'.
A self-actualizing people 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."

Some of the Self-actualizing characteristics highlighted by Maslow:-

 Self-actualizers are able to judge situations correctly and honestly. They are very
sensitive to the fake and dishonest, and are free to see reality 'as it is'.
 Comfortable acceptance of self, others, nature.
 Reliant on own experiences and judgement.
 Spontaneous and natural. True to oneself, rather than being how others want
  Task centering.
 Autonomy. Self-actu- alizers are free from reliance on external authorities or
other people.
 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.
 Profound interpersonal relationships. The interpersonal relationships of self-
actualizers are marked by deep loving bonds.
 Comfort with solitude. Despite their satisfying relationships with others, self-
actualizing persons value solitude and are comfortable being alone.
 Non-hostile sense of humor. This refers to the ability to laugh at oneself.
 Peak experiences. These occasions were marked by feelings of ecstasy, harmony,
and deep meaning.
 Socially compassionate. Possessing humanity
 Few friends. Few close intimate friends rather than many surface relationships.

In summary, self-actualizers feel finally themselves, safe, not anxious, accepted, loved,
loving, and alive, certainly living a fulfilling life. (Expert’s Views Credit - Wikipedia).

Personally I am very grateful to all the people in my life who have motivated me and to
these experts who made it worth living for, and because of all this knowledge and
research I found out there is a hidden artist within me who doesn’t know how to
paint/portray technically but just love to play with colours and from then I started
taking my interest as seriously as I took my profession.
Last but not the least “Go and follow your dreams, relive your life and this time
for YOURSELF
$$%$$##

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maslow-the-12-characteris_b_7836836

Maslow: The 12 Characteristics of a Self-Actualized Person

By David Sze
Research Editor at The Huffington Post
07/21/2015 06:48pm ET | Updated December 6, 2017
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform.
Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag
this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Abraham Maslow is the leading figure in the tradition of humanistic psychology and the
modern Positive Psychology movement owes a huge debt to his theories. His 'Hierarchy
of Needs' remains widely recognized and used.
Nonetheless, the layperson knows surprisingly little about the pinnacle Maslow wants us
to aspire to- Self-Actualization. Who is this Self-Actualized person, and what
characteristics does s/he have? Maslow's portrait is detailed and complex.
Self-Actualization
Maslow describes the good life as one directed towards self-actualization, the pinnacle
need. Self-actualization occurs when you maximize your potential, doing the best that
you are capable of doing. Maslow studied individuals whom he believed to be self-
actualized, including Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein, to derive
the common characteristics of the self-actualized person. Here are a selection of the
most important characteristics, from his book Motivation and Personality:
1) Self-actualized people embrace the unknown and the ambiguous.
They are not threatened or afraid of it; instead, they accept it, are comfortable with it
and are often attracted by it. They do not cling to the familiar. Maslow quotes Einstein:
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."
2) They accept themselves, together with all their flaws.
She perceives herself as she is, and not as she would prefer herself to be. With a high
level of self-acceptance, she lacks defensiveness, pose or artificiality. Eventually,
shortcomings come to be seen not as shortcomings at all, but simply as neutral personal
characteristics.
"They can accept their own human nature in the stoic style, with all its shortcomings,
with all its discrepancies from the ideal image without feeling real concern [...] One
does not complain about water because it is wet, or about rocks because they are hard
[...] simply noting and observing what is the case, without either arguing the matter or
demanding that it be otherwise."
Nonetheless, while self-actualized people are accepting of shortcomings that are
immutable, they do feel ashamed or regretful about changeable deficits and bad habits.
3) They prioritize and enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
"[They] often [regard] as ends in themselves many experiences and activities that are,
for other people, only means. Our subjects are somewhat more likely to appreciate for
its own sake, and in an absolute way, the doing itself; they can often enjoy for its, own
sake the getting to some place as well as the arriving. It is occasionally possible for
them to make out of the most trivial and routine activity an intrinsically enjoyable
game or dance or play."
4) While they are inherently unconventional, they do not seek to shock or
disturb.
Unlike the average rebel, the self-actualized person recognizes:
"... the world of people in which he lives could not understand or accept [his
unconventionality], and since he has no wish to hurt them or to fight with them over
every triviality, he will go through the ceremonies and rituals of convention with a
good-humored shrug and with the best possible grace [... Self-actualized people would]
usually behave in a conventional fashion simply because no great issues are involved
or because they know people will be hurt or embarrassed by any other kind of
behavior."
5) They are motivated by growth, not by the satisfaction of needs.
While most people are still struggling in the lower rungs of the 'Hierarchy of Needs,' the
self-actualized person is focused on personal growth.
"Our subjects no longer strive in the ordinary sense, but rather develop. They attempt
to grow to perfection and to develop more and more fully in their own style. The
motivation of ordinary men is a striving for the basic need gratifications that they
lack."
6) Self-actualized people have purpose.
"[They have] some mission in life, some task to fulfill, some problem outside themselves
which enlists much of their energies. [...] This is not necessarily a task that they would
prefer or choose for themselves; it may be a task that they feel is their responsibility,
duty, or obligation. [...] In general these tasks are nonpersonal or unselfish, concerned
rather with the good of mankind in general."
7) They are not troubled by the small things.
Instead, they focus on the bigger picture.
"They seem never to get so close to the trees that they fail to see the forest. They work
within a framework of values that are broad and not petty, universal and not local,
and in terms of a century rather than the moment.[...] This impression of being above
small things [...] seems to impart a certain serenity and lack of worry over immediate
concerns that make life easier not only for themselves but for all who are associated
with them."
8) Self-actualized people are grateful.
They do not take their blessings for granted, and by doing so, maintain a fresh sense of
wonder towards the universe.
"Self-actualizing people have the wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again,
freshly and naïvely, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even
ecstasy, however stale these experiences may have become to others [...] Thus for such
a person, any sunset may be as beautiful as the first one, any flower may be of breath-
taking loveliness, even after he has seen a million flowers. [...] For such people, even
the casual workaday, moment-to-moment business of living can be thrilling."
9) They share deep relationships with a few, but also feel identification and
affection towards the entire human race.
"Self-actualizing people have deeper and more profound interpersonal relations than
any other adults [...] They are capable of more fusion, greater love, more perfect
identification, more obliteration of the ego boundaries than other people would
consider possible. [...This devotion] exists side by side with a widespreading [...]
benevolence, affection, and friendliness. These people tend to be kind [and friendly] to
almost everyone [...] of suitable character regardless of class, education, political
belief, race, or color."
10) Self-actualized people are humble.
"They are all quite well aware of how little they know in comparison with what could
be known and what is known by others. Because of this it is possible for them without
pose to be honestly respectful and even humble before people who can teach them
something."
11) Self-actualized people resist enculturation.
They do not allow themselves to be passively molded by culture -- they deliberate and
make their own decisions, selecting what they see as good, and rejecting what they see
as bad. They neither accept all, like a sheep, nor reject all, like the average rebel. Self-
actualized people:
"make up their own minds, come to their own decisions, are self-starters, are
responsible for themselves and their own destinies. [...] too many people do not make
up their own minds, but have their minds made up for them by salesmen, advertisers,
parents, propagandists, TV, newspapers and so on."
Because of their self-decision, self-actualized people have codes of ethics that are
individualized and autonomous rather than being dictated by society.
"They are the most ethical of people even though their ethics are not necessarily the
same as those of the people around them [...because] the ordinary ethical behavior of
the average person is largely conventional behavior rather than truly ethical
behavior."
12) Despite all this, self-actualized people are not perfect.
"There are no perfect human beings! Persons can be found who are good, very good
indeed, in fact, great. [...] And yet these very same people can at times be boring,
irritating, petulant, selfish, angry, or depressed. To avoid disillusionment with human
nature, we must first give up our illusions about it."
This article is part of a series about the Science Behind Well-being. For
more, visit David's website, Living Meanings.
 ^%^%

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maslows-hierarchy-needs-benefits-self-actualized-employees-
scott-king

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: The Benefits of Self-Actualized Employees

Published on September 28, 2016

Scott KingFollow
Retired entrepreneur
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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a theory of motivation first published in 1943, offers a profound
perspective on employee engagement challenges and opportunities. We know that employee
engagement drives higher retention, higher productivity, better customer service and lower
absenteeism, and thus bottom-line results. Why certain engagement strategies are successful
becomes clear when viewed through the lens of the Maslow’s five tiers of human needs.

Hierarchy of Needs

First, a review of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as they pertain to the workplace:

1. Survival: Basic needs such as air, food, water and shelter from the elements. In the
context of work, that would be considered financial means (salary) sufficient to pay our
basic household bills.
2. Security: Freedom from physical (or emotional) threat. Equates to a sense of stability in
our employment, that our jobs and benefits are secure, that the rules of the workplace
are consistent so we feel confident that we are performing our jobs as we should.
3. Belonging: Having trust in a group, a sense of fellowship and solidarity, even intimacy.
We see this in the workplace as the feeling of psychological safety that workers require
 to function well – that they are part of a team, and that they won’t be unfairly judged or
criticized.
4. Esteem: The confidence that one has a critical role to play; that they are accomplished
and have control over themselves and their environment. At work this looks like
employees who feel their jobs are significant to the organization, that they have
autonomy and respect, that their work is appropriate for their skills.
5. Self-Actualization: The need people have to fulfill their highest potential; ability to
control one’s destiny and feel a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. At this
level, workers feel their employer is invested in their self-development – as whole
beings, not just employees. They become company champions and influencers.

What we’re really interested in when we talk about employee engagement is the top tiers of this
pyramid. Satisfying levels #1 and #2 needs are the bare minimum – a permanent job that pays
decently. But that doesn’t sufficiently engage workers. It’s when we look at fulfilling needs for
belonging, esteem and self-actualization (#3, #4, #5) that organizations see true results.

It’s important to recognize, however, that the baseline is almost always required, or the top tiers
are abandoned as one reverts to satisfying the low-tier needs. Who cares whether your company
offers subsidized education opportunities if there’s massive layoffs going on and your job
security (#2) is threatened? You’re stressed about whether you’ll be able to pay the bills (#1) and
busy casting your eye for a position elsewhere. Likewise, goading employees to develop new
skills that are beyond their current reach in an effort toward self-development (#5) may
undermine their feeling of confidence (#4) and they start to disengage from the process.

Yet self-actualization is the ultimate goal – for your company’s engagement strategy and for us
as human beings. When your employees are self-actualized, that’s when you are able to tap into
their full potential as contributors to your organization.

Self-Actualization in the Workplace

So what does self-actualization look like and how do you get your workers there? Characteristics
of self-actualized persons include:

 An excellent ability to reason

 An understanding of human nature
 Accepting and friendly
 Emotionally intelligent
 Self-starting
 Calm
 Fair
 Autonomous and independent
 Optimistic
 Teachable
 Problem-solving
 Have inner moral standards
  Forge long-lasting relationships
 Aren’t threatened by the unknown
 Want to benefit others as well as themselves

These are the hallmarks of an ideal employee, manager, leader. What company doesn’t want a
team full of people like this?

It’s also important for retention to encourage employees to reach top-tier fulfillment. Because we
are driven by the need to move up the pyramid, it’s better for your company if your workers have
the opportunity to fulfill their needs within your organization; otherwise they will look
elsewhere. Why lose a motivated, high-performing employee to another company when you can
keep them with you, and grow them to their top potential?

The ultimate goal of self-actualized employees can be accomplished through enlightened

leadership that:

 Recognizes high potentials and achievements by all employees

 Communicates corporate mission, goals and values consistently and often to provide
direction
 Invites all levels of employees to participate in corporate goal-setting to increase feeling
of belonging, importance and respect
 Democratizes decision-making to provide a sense of autonomy and trust
 Creates socializing opportunities such as physical hangouts and activity days to build
camaraderie
 Encourages risk-taking and tolerates mistakes so employees can experiment and
innovate
 Provides regular feedback so employees feel secure and know where they can develop
 Encourages collaboration to increase sense of belonging
 Makes leaders accessible to foster a sense of individual importance and opportunity for
innovative thinking
 Offers training, mentorship, cross-functional team placement and new responsibilities
to fulfill desire for self-development

The number one question to ask yourself as a leader is not “What can I do to get my employees
to help meet the needs of my company?” but rather, “What can I do for my employees to help
them meet their own needs?” Because when employees are fulfilling top-tier needs, they are by
default aligning themselves with your company goals, and offering their best value
&^%^&

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/personal-development_b_2479253

4 Steps to Self-Actualization and Becoming the Best Version of You

To achieve self-actualization, when you conquer one thing, you must move on to the
next. Self-actualization does not require any tricks or tools. To reach this level, you
need only to accept who you are and then take the steps necessary to becoming the best
version of you that you can be.
By Dr. R. Kay Green , Contributor
Senior Marketing Consultant / CEO of EDesign Consulting Ltd.
01/18/2013 01:10am ET | Updated March 19, 2013
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform.
Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag
this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Why is it so difficult for people to accept who they really are? In a word, pressure.
There's so much pressure -- especially in today's hypercompetitive and hyper-informed
society -- for people to be something they're not. You get it from parents, from friends,
from spouses, from television, from the Internet, from magazines, from advertisements
you pass in the street, from nearly everything you see and do in any given day.
With all of the pressure that exists in today's hypercompetitive, hyper-informed society,
how does one truly accept themselves holistically? As Abraham Maslow highlighted, we
all follow our own paths, it matters only how completely we dedicate ourselves to
achieving the personal and psychological greatness that lies at the top. At the top of the
self-acceptance pyramid lies the concept of self-actualization.
With self-actualization, you achieve expert control of your creativity, spontaneity, and
problem-solving skills. You have assumed a comfortable and sensible morality. You
operate with the ability to separate fact from fiction, while eliminating prejudice. It is, in
its own way, the clearest definition of what it means to be enlightened as a person and as
an entrepreneur.
The first part of self-actualization is accepting your true self, but the second part is
understanding that the journey has no end point. To self-actualize, you must always
strive to expand your horizons as a human being. To achieve success, you must always
seek it. The potential to self-actualize is something that lies within us all. You must only
make yourselves willing to progress and then take the steps necessary to unlock that
self-actualization. Having stated this, here are four important steps to consider on your
path to self-actualization:
1. Stop measuring yourself against others.
Most of us have the tendency to measure our self-worth by comparing our
accomplishments and abilities to those of the people around us. If you want to see how
you're doing, the easiest way is to see how you measure up with your counterparts. It's
the surest way to demonstrate how far along are you on the path to achieving success. If
you're farther than others, you deem yourselves achievers. If you're not, you tend to
stress and work on ways to improve.
The problem is that self-actualization doesn't have anything to do with the people
around you. Notice the "self" part of the term. The only thing that matters is your
progress, not the progress of others. If you hope to self-actualize -- or at least get on the
path to self-actualization -- you must stop gauging yourselves against other people's
accomplishments. Whether it's education or material things or even beauty standards,
you cannot consider this as your standard. You must not work from a standpoint of how
you compare; rather, you must work from a standpoint of where you are personally and
independently of everyone else.
To achieve this step, you must be able to look in the mirror and say, "This is my portrait.
This is who I am. This is my canvas." With that canvas in mind, do everything in your
power to not let your perception of others color that canvass. Only you can paint the
picture of who you want to be. No one else is in control of your destiny.
2. Learn to accept yourself holistically.
It's so easy to become dissatisfied with who you are and what you have accomplished.
Oftentimes, when you look in the mirror, it actually serves to increase the negativity
with which you think about yourself. You cannot fall into that trap. In order to self-
actualize, you must accept your whole self -- your strengths and weaknesses -- and you
must embrace them all. You cannot downplay your weaknesses or exaggerate your
strengths if you hope to get anywhere in life. If progress is to be made, you must operate
first from truth.
3. Understand that you are in control.
No matter how much influence an external factor might have on the people around you,
the self-actualized remain unaffected. This is because they know exactly who they are,
and can therefore always adapt (and adapt quickly). Because they do not lie to
themselves about their own identities, strengths, and weaknesses, they have an
immediate and clear picture of the adjustments they need to make to render the external
factor irrelevant. Understand that the power you possess in terms of your outlook is
absolutely astonishing. If you are realistic, honest, and above all, authentic, there is
nothing you can't achieve.
4. Don't stop growing.
Those who self-actualize understand that the journey is never over. To self-actualize
requires self-awareness, and self-awareness requires an understanding that there is no
such thing as a finished product. There is no such thing as perfection and no such thing
as an endgame. To be self-actualized means to understand that you must never stop
growing as a person and learning as a professional.
To achieve self-actualization, when you conquer one thing, you must move on to the
next. Self-actualization does not require any tricks or tools. To reach this level, you need
only to accept who you are and then take the steps necessary to becoming the best
version of you that you can be. Once you are 110% comfortable with who you are, who
you've surrounded yourself with, and what you're destined to do on this earth, you may
begin your journey towards self-actualization.
As a final point, see who you are. Really see it. When you have seen it, adopt an attitude
that you're not afraid to go against the grain. Stop adapting to society and start being
you. The empowerment that results will astonish you.

!@#$%