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No. 543, April 18, 2006

What does self-actualisation really mean?

Self-actualisation is a concept used by legendary American psychologist Abraham Maslow to name the highest needs in his well-known hierarchy of needs. Today this concept is sometimes erroneously used to name phenomena lower down on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

At least in Sweden self-actualisation is being used to name needs in the middle of Maslow’s hierarchy like being seen and loved or needs of status, fame, reputation, power and dominance. Excessive expression of these needs in the form of self-centred, inconsiderate and greedy behaviour, rather has its causes in personal limitations in the individual. It has nothing to do with true self-actualisation. Healthy needs of being recognised and acknowledged is a step on the way to excellence, mastery and thereafter self-actualisation. These are obviously the levels which life in the western world is much about today.

True self-actualisation happens on Maslow’s fifth and top level. It is about becoming fully human.

Here are some of the qualities Maslow found among self-actualised individuals with high psychological health:

They have a superior perception. They are difficult to con and can easily recognise the genuine from the false. They are not afraid of the unknown. They see reality as it is rather than coloured from unsatisfied needs lower down on Maslow’s hierarchy.
They accept themselves and others as they are. They are not driven by feelings of guilt, low self-esteem or personal insecurities. They have expanded their comfort zone to be all they are. Therefore they can more easily accept others as they are.
They have deeper relationships with a few people rather than superficial relationships with many. They have a deep sense of connection with all of humanity.
They have a strong inner sense of democracy and everyone’s equal worth. In this way they are both deep individualists and compassionate fellow men. At Maslow’s highest level these and other seemingly conflicting concepts go hand in hand.
They are strongly inner driven. They hold out against social and cultural influences. They stand up for what they believe and have no need to "fit in". They have a strong inner moral backbone.
They have a spiritual perspective in their life, but are more seldom conventionally religious. Rather they have a personal relationship with the Divine.
They more often have "peak-experiences". A peak-experience is a sudden experience of intense happiness and well-being. It can also be described as a feeling of being connected to all of life.

How would a society with truly self-actualised people look like?

Creative regards! Jonas Himmelstrand