Self-actualization

Self -actualization is the process of complete unfolding personal potential, the disclosure in a person of the best that is laid down in it by nature, and not set by culture from the outside. Self-actualization has no external goal and cannot be set by society: it is something that comes from within a person, expressing his internal (positive) nature.

The concept of «Self-actualization» is one of the key concepts in humanistic psychology. At the same time, different researchers at different times invested in it different content, and therefore there are serious disagreements in the definition of self-actualization. See →

The reality of self-actualization is complex, and not every self-actualization pleases both a person and others. Self-actualization occurs active and passive, deep and superficial, harmonious and problematic.

. Passive self-actualization occurs in passive personal growth, when the intellect and psychological culture grow by themselves and naturally, just as the human body grows. In active (productive) personal growth, a person has an idea, an intention is formed, many set goals — after which a person independently engages in self-improvement or undergoes classes and trainings that develop the skills and abilities he needs. See →

. A. Maslow was a supporter of energetic self-actualization, Carl Rogers — cautious. Compare: “If we are able to free the individual from defensive reactions, open his perception both to a wide range of his own needs and to the requirements of those around him and society as a whole, we can be sure that his subsequent actions will be positive, creative, promoting him. forward,” K. Rogers muses quietly. Abraham Maslow almost shouts: “Self-actualization is the continuous realization of potentialities, abilities and talents, as the fulfillment of one’s mission, or calling, destiny, etc., as a fuller knowledge and, therefore, acceptance of one’s own original nature, as a relentless striving for unity, integration, or internal synergy of the individual.

. Deep, essential self-actualization is personal growth, personal development, a person’s aspiration “upward”. In everyday life, having passed through the filters of the mass personality, self-actualization becomes something simpler and cheaper, loses depth and aspiration upward. Such a superficial self-actualization is the actualization of oneself (not the best in oneself, but everything that is now in me — indiscriminately), free self-expression, doing everything that seems to come from within, the realization of already existing inclinations and abilities.

Self-expression is the outward expression by people of what is in a person inside him, as his actual content. Self-expression differs from the desire for self-actualization in that in self-actualization there is a growth and development of the personality, and not just an outward expression of what has already been formed and is.

. There is evidence that an untimely or too intense need for self-actualization has a bad effect on the personal and mental health of an individual. You need to plan your self-actualization wisely, just like any other activity. See →

Often, self-actualization is presented as the main path and the result of this path as the pinnacle of personality development, but there are not enough grounds for this. It is true that the path of self-actualization is alluring and attractive for both many psychologists and ordinary people, but it is not obvious that this path of development is the only correct and most effective one. It is a fact that some people who follow the path of self-actualization and live in this style achieve impressive results by old age. They are healthy, happy, successful, loved and respected. It is also true that they are not perfect. At the same time, it is important that there are people who have achieved impressive results in a different way. And also it should be taken into account that in other ages and in other cultures the path of self-actualization turns out to be controversial and gives rise not to a harmonious, but to a problematic personality.

Given that self-actualization occurs from within, from the inner nature of a person, external circumstances can seriously influence the process of self-actualization, contributing to or hindering it. The internal conditions of self-actualization are personal health and the need for self-actualization. There are disputes about external conditions. If K. Rogers was convinced that the main condition for self-actualization is warm support, other authors believe that difficult conditions and the challenge facing a person are no less important for self-actualization.

Are there methods that allow you to grow or develop people in the direction of self-actualization? Are there techniques to help interested people move in this direction? — According to the view of humanistic psychologists, in this case it is impossible to talk about methods.

A. Maslow wrote: “There can be only one best way to a good life for his patient: to be even more himself. Learning to release the repressed, to know one’s own Self, to listen to the «voice of impulse», to reveal one’s majestic nature, to achieve understanding, penetration, comprehend the truth — that’s what is required.

C. Rogers: “Over the years, I have gone far from my original ideas, which consisted in the fact that helping a person is based on technical skill; that a professional can advise, manipulate, shape a person in order to achieve the desired result. The primary guiding force in the therapeutic interaction should be the client, not the therapist.” “When I try to teach, as I sometimes do, I am horrified at how small the results are, even though sometimes the teaching seems to be going well. When this happens, it is found that the result is harm. Apparently, learning instills in a person distrust of his own experience and destroys knowledge that is meaningful to him. So I felt that learning outcomes are either not important or even harmful.”

Perhaps the path of self-actualization in the view of humanistic psychologists does not really involve techniques and methods in the usual sense of these words, but one should not forget that self-actualization is only one of the ideas about the development and self-improvement of a person. According to other ideas, the growth and development of a person can be carried out using a variety of means and methods. In the arsenal of a specialist psychologist involved in the development of the personality of a student, client, participant in the training — cooperation in his self-development, study, training, transfer of knowledge, presentation of samples, development of skills and abilities. And also — rewards and punishments, suggestion and infection, involvement and other positive manipulations, all varieties of positive and other reinforcement, in general, all varieties of classical and operant conditioning. For more on this, see the article Personal Growth or Personal Development.