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Hello, dear guests and subscribers of the blog. Today we will talk about what self-actualization is and what role it plays in the life of each of us.
The concept of «self-actualization»
The concept of self-actualization has many definitions. However, if we reduce all interpretations to a common denominator, we can say that it means the desire of an individual to reveal his potential and be realized in an industry close to him. I would like to note the fact that this process has no restrictions.
Psychology has been studying the phenomenon of self-actualization for a long time. A significant contribution to the study was made by Abraham Maslow. In addition to him, the representative of humanistic psychology, Carl Rogers, and many others also worked on this topic.
Types of self-actualization
Psychologists-humanists have identified a number of varieties of the process of self-actualization. Next, we will take a closer look at each of them.
- Deep: personal growth, human development.
- Superficial is not the desire to develop, but the desire to express oneself without any personal growth.
- Passive: the natural growth of the intellect and culture of the individual.
- active or productive. It is characterized by the presence of intention. That is, a person sets himself a specific goal, then develops those qualities that are necessary for its implementation.
- Harmonious.
- Problematic.
- Caution
- Energetic.
Very often, self-actualization is taken as the main road leading to the pinnacle of human development. However, this is not at all the case. In view of the limitless possibilities of the mind, the phenomenon we are considering is limitless.
Stages
If you have a desire to develop, you should decide on a plan of action.
First you need to identify the needs. The next step is to assess the possibilities and understand the abilities. That is, you need to take time for yourself. Do self-knowledge, meditate. If it is very difficult to understand yourself on your own, try to contact specialists.
The second stage will be the search for ways of self-realization. It can be anything, regardless of direction. The level of training also does not matter. Here the main thing is only your attitude to the lesson. The main thing is that the chosen business brings pleasure. For girls, I recommend reading this article.
Methods
A. Maslow’s research
Throughout his life from the moment of conception, the body solves many problems. At first, everything happens on an unconscious level. A being, before it becomes a conscious person, seeks to satisfy needs, primarily fundamental ones. With the development of the organism as a whole and awareness in particular, there is an increase in needs, among which A. Maslow names the 5 most common. You must have heard of Maslow’s pyramid.
So, he made a hierarchy: from the simplest to the highest level needs:
- basic (physiological or fundamental): water, food, sleep, etc.;
- security (the instinct of self-preservation is triggered): daily routine, housing, clothing;
- love, belonging: society of relatives, friends;
- respect or participation in public life;
- self-actualization.
In order for us to be able to satisfy the highest and at the same time complex need, it is necessary to know how to do it. There are many methods on how to start the mechanism consciously.
The most common methods of self-actualization
1. Full immersion. Collect your thoughts and let something consume you. Forget about protection, shyness. At that moment something very innocent will fill you, something fresh, a childlike innocence will be reborn. Your habitual cynicism will disappear, and stamina and the desire to appear wise beyond your years will simply disappear. To achieve this state, one must be selfless. After all, very often we suffer from the fact that we are too shy. And really selfless deeds are done very rarely.
2. Imagine that life is a process of continuous choice.. You do it every moment: move forward or take a step back. You seek to protect yourself, looking for a safe hiding place, because you are afraid to leave your comfort zone. Or vice versa — you are ready for accomplishments, discover something new, grow and develop. If every day you make a choice in favor of development and growth, then you are already on the way to self-actualization, which implies this choice. That is, you discard everything that interferes with your personal growth.
3. Listen to your inner voice. This is how your inner self manifests itself. Unfortunately, now most people are used to listening to the voices of others, instead of their own.
4. When in doubt, be honest. Doubt is often accompanied by lies. Demand a clear answer from yourself, do not be afraid to become responsible for your choice, your decision. Only when you are fully responsible for what is happening to you and what you do not have, do you self-actualize.
5. Develop your intelligence and your abilities. Try to maximize the potential that is within you. For self-actualization, you need to work hard to turn what you want into reality. Think about it, because each of us strives to become the best in the area in which he is really good.
6. Higher experiences are very important moments of self-actualization.. That is, these are the same flashes of ecstasy, a feeling of complete satisfaction that cannot be obtained from the outside. Drop all illusions, accept that there is something that is not yours, that you are simply not capable of. In this way, you will gradually reveal your potential, your true Self.
7. Essence. To understand yourself, to discover your true essence, to realize what is good and bad for you, and, in the end, to find your purpose in life, you should dig deep and understand your own psychopathology. To answer all these questions, you need to be aware of your defense mechanisms and overcome them. This is a complex process and very painful, because protection protects against what is unpleasant. However, you will be satisfied with the result if you can overcome this barrier.
Areas of the self-actualization process
- social and political activity;
- hobbies and hobbies;
- a family;
- professional labor.
Psychologist Otto Rank classifies religion as a means of self-actualization. This is because through the prism of faith, a person seeks an understanding of what makes him special.
Another important way of self-actualization in modern society is to become familiar with cyberculture. After all, our world is a world of highly developed digital technologies. For this reason, knowledge of electronics and technology is a good way to adapt in society.
Creativity can be called a separate way of self-realization. It is used by people who have already realized some purely personal aspirations.
barriers
At first glance, it seems that there is nothing difficult to start self-actualization. And now you are ready to get on your way to gradually improve. However, everything is not as easy as we would like. In life, each of us has enough reasons not to start fulfilling our plans.
The following factors may prevent you from reaching your full potential:
- Motivation. More precisely, its absence. If there is no reason to do something, you will not pursue a goal, no matter how important it may seem. The result of such work will be wasted efforts and lack of moral satisfaction.
- Laziness. To achieve something, you need to act, make efforts. It’s just that nothing is given.
- Society pressure. First of all, this applies to those states where the priority is the needs of the collective, and the manifestation of individuality is not welcomed in every possible way, up to severe punishments. Another example: the difficulty of realizing yourself as a person when your talents are not in demand.
- Fear, complexes, lack of self-confidence. A person can calmly live a measured life, consciously avoiding difficulties. But will he be happy or successful at the same time?!
- Low self-esteem and false ideas about their abilities. For example, a person begins to have such thoughts as “I will never achieve this”, “I won’t be able to”, “it’s too difficult for me”, etc.
Most of the factors that can interfere with realization are in the head, that is, in the mind. One has only to get rid of them — and you will see how your business will go up and you will begin to get what you want.
How to define a self-actualizing personality?
Let’s figure it out with you how to determine a person in the society around us who is already in the stream of self-actualization. So, a person in the process of self-improvement has the following characteristics:
- Emotional openness: quickly and easily forgives abrupt breakdowns of unrestrained or overly sensitive people.
- Complete control over their lives: it is impossible to influence or pressure such people in any way, they make decisions on their own, do not depend on the opinions of others.
- Continuous striving for development and perfection — he prefers to receive new information from literature.
- Most often this is a creative person with positive thinking.
If there are people in your environment who are doing what they love, they definitely belong to the number of those who are in the process of self-actualization.
Conclusion
One of the most important postulates of self-actualization is harmony. Your true inner aspirations, material and social position should be in balance.
Self-actualization is continuous work. As folk wisdom says, if you are hardworking, although not very talented, you are able to achieve more than a talented but lazy person.
Thank you for attention! I hope you enjoyed my article. Subscribe to the blog, read new materials, and share with friends on social networks.