Hey there! Welcome back to Focus on You! A podcast dedicated to the individual with something to say but not quite sure how to say it. I’m Dachia.

I want to talk about self-actualization a bit. It’s possibly my most favorite phrase or term, or hyphenated word.

Self-actualization is at the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. And I think the reach for that goal is present in every level under it.

self-ac·tu·al·i·za·tion

the realization or fulfillment of one’s talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone.

From wikipedia- Maslow defined self-actualization to be “the desire for self-fulfillment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualized in what he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.”

I want to share a few excerpts of an article and my review of it, concerning self-actualization. 9 Characteristics of Self-Actualized People
Reviewed by Amy Morin, LCSW , Written by Kendra Cherry
Updated on July 17, 2019

Let me preface this by saying I’m not a licensed professional. But I do have opinion based on my own reading and understanding of Maslow’s work and also being a person with a lot of life experience.

So, let’s get started.

The author writes:
“In psychology, self-actualization is achieved when you’re able to reach your full potential. Being truly self-actualized is considered the exception rather than the rule since most people are working to meet more pressing needs.”

My opinion- I have no argument with this. This is a fairly basic and accepted description of Maslow’s work. It sounds very much like what I started off with in the beginning.

The author continues:

“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Psychologist Abraham Maslow outlines what is known as a hierarchy of needs, representing all the various needs that motivate human behavior. The hierarchy is often displayed as a pyramid, with the lowest levels representing basic needs and more complex needs located at the top of the pyramid.

At the peak of this hierarchy is self-actualization. The hierarchy suggests that when the other needs at the base of the pyramid have been met, you can then focus your attention on this pinnacle need of self-actualization.”My opinion: I do think that the pyramid might suggest that a person needs to achieve the lower levels before moving on. However, Jumping over to another article: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
By Saul McLeod, updated 2018 on the website Simply Psychology- he writes

Maslow (1943) initially stated that individuals must satisfy lower level deficit needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. However, he later clarified that satisfaction of a needs is not an “all-or-none” phenomenon, admitting that his earlier statements may have given “the false impression that a need must be satisfied 100 percent before the next need emerges” (1987, p. 69).

So, returning to my opinion, while the pyramid can suggest it, it is not what Maslow intended and he later clarified.

So the writer of the 9 characteristics goes on, and I won’t dive into all of them.

They Fully Enjoy the Journey, Not Just the Destination
While self-actualized people have concrete goals, they don’t see things as simply a means to an end. The journey toward achieving a goal is just as important and enjoyable as actually accomplishing the goal.

My opinion. I love this.

If you see the pyramid as something to conquer in order to get to the top as quickly as possible, you’ll miss a lot of life.

Even levels one and two hold enough joy and growth… enjoy the dirt. Enjoy the challenges there. Those challenges on the first levels will strengthen you. Those levels will help you recognize what self-actualization is and offers.

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See ya next week.