Maslow’s Self-Actualization: Why the Final Stage of the Pyramid Is Harder Than It Seems
Many people often equate the concepts of “self-realization” and “self-actualization.” However, while the former is driven by desires that come from outside, self-actualization, as described by Abraham Maslow, concerns the very nature of the individual. Together with Scottie Hendricks, let’s explore what lies behind this concept and why self-actualization is not a result, but an endless process.
What Is Self-Actualization According to Maslow?
According to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the highest human need is self-actualization. But reaching this stage is no easy task.
Self-actualization itself is a noble goal. It motivated the creation of humanistic psychology and is the reason publishers release millions of self-help books every year.
While most people are familiar with the basic levels of “Maslow’s pyramid,” few know about the challenges Maslow faced while developing it. It turned out that many people mistakenly believed they had already reached the stage of self-actualization.
How Did Maslow Find Out?
According to psychologist Barry Stevens, a friend of Maslow, something unusual happened when the idea of self-actualization became public:
“He (Maslow) was dissatisfied with the reaction of many people when they learned about ‘self-actualizing individuals.’ The reaction was strange. I received many letters from people saying, ‘I am a self-actualized person.’ Maslow felt he had missed something.”
After reading Maslow’s work, people began convincing their therapists that they had reached the top of the pyramid. But Maslow himself noted in his book Toward a Psychology of Being that “less than 1% of the adult population manages to reach the final stage.”
So, if you told Maslow you were already self-actualized, it would probably make him laugh.
How Difficult Is It to Become a Self-Actualized Person?
One of the most common criticisms of Maslow’s concept of self-actualization is that it seems limited to those who have been fortunate in life. Consider his hierarchy of needs: the lowest level is basic needs, and the second level is the need for safety to create comfortable living conditions. If you lack the finances to meet the first level, you can’t move up to the second. The final stage is out of reach in such cases.
This issue arose long before “Maslow’s pyramid.” Aristotle, whose concept of eudaimonism (the philosophical idea that human happiness is the highest good and the basis of morality) clearly echoes self-actualization, openly stated that only a wealthy Greek man who had enough luck in life could “live well.” Other psychologists discussing self-actualization face similar problems.
Maslow himself believed that anyone was capable of self-actualization. Nevertheless, according to Maslow, only one percent of college students and exemplary historical figures met the criteria for self-actualization. He realized that the number of people claiming to have achieved self-actualization indicated he hadn’t fully explained the concept.
Were These “Self-Actualized People” Mistaken?
Many of them—undoubtedly, yes. Psychologist Fritz Perls, however, believed that this misunderstanding could also be related to the concept of self-realization. Self-actualization is the process of becoming who you truly are. But many people think self-actualization means becoming who you think you are or who you want to be. But that’s self-realization. It’s likely that many of Stevens’ acquaintances simply realized their ideal self-image.
Maslow tells us:
“Self-actualization is the ongoing realization of potential, abilities, and talents, as the fulfillment of one’s mission, or calling, destiny, etc., as a fuller understanding and, therefore, acceptance of one’s original nature, as a relentless striving for unity, integration, or inner synergy of the personality.”
Maslow also warned that self-actualization does not mean acting according to your own desires. Such actions can be called self-expression, not actualization. So those people were probably mistaken.
What’s the Takeaway?
Well, first of all, you probably haven’t self-actualized yet.
But now you have a better understanding of how complex this concept is. People not only need to satisfy all their needs in order, but also be open and willing to make themselves psychologically vulnerable to meet their “true self” and constantly strive for psychological growth.
However, according to humanistic psychologists, it’s not worth talking about specific methods for developing personality in the process of self-actualization. This makes the task much more difficult.
It’s truly not easy. You can’t achieve self-actualization in a couple of days, and unexpected circumstances can always interfere with your progress. Carl Rogers, an American psychologist who also worked with the concept of self-actualization, saw it not as a final stage, but as an endless process.
Maslow writes:
“…It is clear that a musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if they are to be ultimately at peace with themselves. What a man can be, he must be. He must be true to his own nature. This need we may call self-actualization.”
Finally, remember the old Greek saying—“know thyself.” You can’t become who you are if you don’t know who you are. This wisdom goes back to Socrates, and he would advise you to start with that.