Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84 chuqui version 1.7 9/23/84; site nsc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!nsc!chuqui From: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Laurie Sefton, C/O chuqui) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Self-Actualization and Maslow and you.. (long!) Message-ID: <3065@nsc.UUCP> Date: Thu, 1-Aug-85 14:55:23 EDT Article-I.D.: nsc.3065 Posted: Thu Aug 1 14:55:23 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 3-Aug-85 03:46:56 EDT Distribution: net Organization: The Warlocks Cave Lines: 182 (To complicate matters, there is a common tendency for people to *project* their own need-behavior styles into their interpretations of others.{1} {2}) I figured as long as we were having a lovely chat about "self-actualization", I might bring out some books and papers on what Abraham Maslow has to think about it--after all, he did make the term popular... (note for the reader--references are given in {}, when the author(s) emphasize something with bold or italics, I'll use **, and short bios will be given for the professors who cheerfully assigned these books/papers. All of this is at the end of the paper, so if you don't feel inclined to rush off to the library yourself, you can just skip that part..) Maslow's Hierarchical Theory of Needs The hierarchical theory of human motivation developed by Abraham Maslow {3,4,5} is the most paradoxical of all the current approaches to work motivation. On the one hand, it is probably the most familiar theory to academicians and practitioners. However, it is also probably the most misunderstood, and the most frequently oversimplified and misrepresented. {6} The building blocks of Maslow's theory are that there are five categories of human needs, which arrange themselves in an hierarchical order. As the most pressing needs are reasonably satisfied, the individual moves up along the hierarchy to the nest most pressing, or prepotent need.{7} These needs are: 1. Physiological 2. Safety 3. Love 4. Esteem 5. Self-Actualization So, when the most prepotent need, physiological, is reasonably satisfied, the next, safety, will be most prepotent, and so on. Since physiological and safety needs are reasonably satisfied in most members of society, love, esteem, and self-actualization needs tend to have considerably more influence on an individual's behavior. An individual attempting, and not succeeding at satisfying their love needs may have feelings of rejection, loneliness,and ostracism. Maslow claims that the thwarting of the love needs are commonly the root of maladjustment {8}. This is also the first level wherein the illness becomes mental, rather than physiological. The *esteem* needs can be broken into two categories; desires for strength, achievement, adequacy, competence, and fundamental confidence; and the desire for prestige and the esteem of others. The satisfaction of these needs brings self-confidence, capability and worth, frustration results in feelings of helplessness, weakness and inferiority. {9} The *self-actualization* needs are the highest set of needs on the hierarchy. the most widely accepted view of self-actualization is that it is the requirement of individuals to fulfill their potentialities, to become what they are capable of becoming {10}. A list of characteristics of a self-actualizing person includes: They have more efficient perceptions of reality and are more comfortable with it. They accept themselves and their own natures almost without thinking about it. Their behavior is marked by simplicity and naturalness and by lack of of artificiality and straining for effect. They focus on problems outside themselves, they are concerned with basic issues and eternal questions. They like privacy and tend to be detached. They have relative independence of their physical and social environments; they rely on their own development and continued growth. They do not take blessings for granted, but appreciate again and again the basic pleasures of life. They experience limitless horizons and the intensification of any unself-conscious experience often of a mystical type. They have a deep feeling of kindship with others. They develop deep ties with a few other self-actualizing individuals. They are democratic on a deep sense; although not indiscriminate, they are not really aware of differences. They are strongly ethical, with definite moral standards, though their attitudes are conventional; they relate to ends rather than means. Their humor is real and related to philosophy, not hostility; they are spontaneous less often than others, and tend to be more serious and thoughtful. They are original and inventive, less constricted and fresher than others. While they tend toward the conventional and exist well within the culture, they live by the laws of their own characters rather than those of society. They experience imperfections, and have ordinary feelings, like others. {11} (It should be noted that while previous psycho-therapists studied maladjusted individuals for their theories, Maslow created his theories from studies involving highly created and psychologically healthy people. {12}) Another important aspect of self-actualization is that it is expressed in different behaviors in different people. Also, the satisfaction of self-actualization tends to *increase* their importance rather than reduce it--they actually become addictive {13}. _________________________________________ References: 1. Zalkind and Costello. Perception: Some recent research and implications for administration. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1962, 7, 218-235. 2, 6, 9, 10. Pinder, C. Work Motivation Theory, Issues, and Applications. Glenview Ill., Scott Foresman and Company, 1984. 3. Maslow, A. H. A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 1943, 50,370-396. 4, 7, 8. Maslow, A. H. Motivation and personality. New York: Harper and Row, 1954. 5, 13. Maslow, A. H. Toward a psychology of being (2nd edition). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1968. 11. Maslow, A. H. Motivation and personality, (2nd edition). New York: Harper & Row, 1970. 12. McConnell, J. V. Understanding human behavior (3rd edition). New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1980. ________________________ Professors who cheerfully supplied the class notes, and the reading assignments: Komaki, J. (PhD Psychology, University of Illinois) -- When Dr. Komaki isn't advising GM on how to manage and motivate their employees, and when she isn't being the cutting edge in research concerning motivational aspects and training methods for individuals, she's teaching excellent Industrial/Organizational psychology courses at Purdue University. If you have a chance to hear her at your local university, do so--she is phenomenal. Naylor, J. (PhD Psychology, Purdue University)-- After receiving his Phd in two years, Dr. Naylor went on to found the Congress of Industrial/Organizational Psychologists. He has since been the head of the Dept. of Psychological Sciences at Purdue, and when he isn't busy teaching Quantitative Topics in Psychology, or running seminars, he's busy with UNESCO. He has recently aided the chinese (PRC) in setting up their own Dept. of Psychological Sciences in Beijing. ____________________________________________ --and while *some* individuals wouldn't recognize these two as psychologists, be assured that the APA does... Laurie Sefton courses at Purdue -- :From the carousel of the autumn carnival: Chuq Von Rospach {cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA Your fifteen minutes are up. Please step aside!