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With the light hand of Abraham Maslow, the concepts of self-actualization and personal growth are one of the key, even cult, in modern psychology. Maslow’s works are often quoted today, although they have become available only in recent years and, frankly, there are few who have carefully read them. They are known mainly in abstract presentation, and most psychology students usually limit themselves to memorizing Maslow’s “pyramid of needs” on the night before the exam, so as not to remember it again. In fact, Maslow’s role in world psychology is much deeper and more serious, and this truly outstanding psychologist deserves to be known firsthand by his colleagues.
What We Should Be Thankful For Maslow
The contribution of A. Maslow to contemporary psychology is enormous. Psychologists should be grateful to him for reorienting attention from the study of neuroses to the study of health psychology, for constructive criticism of psychoanalysis, for his conviction in the need for growth and development. See →
Negative Consequences of Maslow’s Works
There is a paradoxical point of view: «The degree of a person’s genius is determined by how much he slowed down the development of the following specialists.» So, A. Maslow is a genius, because the idea of a “self-developing seed” has become a dogma for a huge number of psychologists for many decades. See →
Strengths and weaknesses of Maslow’s concept of self-actualization
The strength of A. Maslow’s concept is that it motivates and inspires growth and development, makes you think about it and look for your own path. The weaknesses include the fact that A. Maslow does not give hints on how a person determines the direction of his growth and development and does not have methods to help in development. Even more controversial is the fact that Maslow argues that such methods cannot exist in principle. Maslow’s concept is a reflection of the feminine approach in psychology. See →