11: Maslow - Humanism / The Self-Actualized Person Flashcards
psychologist who originated concept of self-actualization in his book The Organism (1934)
Kurt Goldstein
model created by Maslow which consists of five layers describing core needs in order of importance - pyramid shape
hierarchy of needs
1st layer of Maslow’s hierarchy from bottom - need for food/water, pH and temperature balance, rest, elimination of wastes, physical activity, etc. (85% of people meet)
physiological needs
2nd layer of Maslow’s hierarchy from bottom - need for stability, protection, shelter, structure/order (70% of people meet)
safety needs
3rd layer of Maslow’s hierarchy from bottom - need for friendship, affection, community, family (50% of people meet)
belonging needs
4th layer of Maslow’s hierarchy from bottom - need for status, recognition, appreciation from others, dominance (lower level) and confidence, competence, achievement, independence, freedom (higher level) [40% of people meet]
esteem needs
5th layer of Maslow’s hierarchy from bottom, AKA “growth motivation” and “being needs” (B-needs) - the need to fulfill all of your own personal potentials, to be all that you can be (10% of people meet)
self-actualization
the bottom four levels of Maslow’s hierarchy - when you don’t have enough of them, you feel a need for more
deficiency needs (D-needs)
your body developing a need for a certain substance / thing when it’s lacking in it
homeostasis
Maslow’s term for needs that are built into us genetically for survival (this actually refers to B-needs not D-needs)
instinctoid
an individual’s conceptualization of what their ideal life would be / look like - to Maslow, a significant indication of their needs and which they are lacking
philosophy of the future
qualitative method Maslow used to define self-actualization, by comparing common traits of people (friends, historical figures) who he personally felt matched the definition
biographical analysis
trait of a self-actualized person - ability to differentiate what is fake/dishonest from what is real/genuine
reality-centered
trait of a self-actualized person - treating life’s difficulties as problems to be addressed with solutions, not as personal troubles to be complained about or surrendered to
problem-centered
trait of a self-actualized person - belief that ends don’t necessarily justify means, and that the means (the journey) is often more important than the ends (the destination)
different perception of means and ends
trait of a self-actualized person - comfortable being alone
solitude-oriented
trait of a self-actualized person - enjoying deeper relationships with a few people, rather than shallow relationships with many people
close personal relations
trait of a self-actualized person - relative independence from physical and social needs
autonomy
trait of a self-actualized person - not susceptible to social pressure to “fit in”, nonconformist, autonomous
resisting enculturation
trait of a self-actualized person - preferring to joke at one’s own expense or at the human condition at large, rather than directing humor at others
unhostile sense of humor
trait of a self-actualized person - more likely to take you as you are than try to change you into their ideal, accepting of their own uniqueness, willing to address harmful qualities in themselves
acceptance of self and others
trait of a self-actualized person - prefer being themselves rather than pretentious or artificial (appear more conventional on the surface than noncomformists who are less self-actualized)
spontaneity and simplicity
trait of a self-actualized person - democratic values, openness to ethnic and individual variety, differences
humility and respect
trait of a self-actualized person - social interest, compassion, humanity for others (Gemeinschaftsgefühl)
human kinship
trait of a self-actualized person - strong set of moral principles, spiritual but seldom religious in nature
strong ethics
trait of a self-actualized person - an ability to see even ordinary things with wonder and fascination
freshness of appreciation
trait of a self-actualized person - ability to be inventive and original
creative
trait of a self-actualized person - greater tendency to feel at touch with nature / the world, infinite, eternal
peak experiences
certain flaws that may be present among self-actualized people - suffer realistic anxiety and guilt, overly kind, absentminded, occasionally cold or lack humor
imperfections
a term for the distinct “being needs” (B-needs) in self-actualized people
metaneeds
a B-need of self-actualizers - honesty as opposed to dishonesty
truth
a B-need of self-actualizers - morality as opposed to evil
goodness
a B-need of self-actualizers - tastefulness as opposed to ugliness/vulgarity
beauty
a B-need of self-actualizers - wholeness of self as opposed to arbitrariness / being controlled by others
unity and transcendence of opposites
a B-need of self-actualizers - mindfulness as opposed to emptiness / mechanization of life
aliveness
a B-need of self-actualizers - individuality as opposed to conformity / uniformity
uniqueness
a B-need of self-actualizers - carefulness and deliberation as opposed to sloppiness, inconsistency, accident
perfection and necessity
a B-need of self-actualizers - completeness as opposed to incompleteness
completion
a B-need of self-actualizers - fairness and responsibility as opposed to injustice and lawlessness
justice and order
a B-need of self-actualizers - focus as opposed to unnecessary complexity
simplicity
a B-need of self-actualizers - environmental well-being as opposed to impoverishment
richness
a B-need of self-actualizers - painlessness and ease of living as opposed to strain
effortlessness
a B-need of self-actualizers - joyfulness as opposed to humorlessness, dullness, drudgery
playfulness
a B-need of self-actualizers - self-reliance as opposed to dependency on others
self-sufficiency
a B-need of self-actualizers - purpose as opposed to senselessness
meaningfulness
a term for problems that arise out a self-actualizer not having their needs fulfilled (depression, alienation, cynicism, etc.)
metapathologies
Maslow’s “fourth force” in psychology, following psychoanalysis (1st), behaviorism (2nd), and humanism (3rd) - dealt with matters like meditation, “higher levels of consciousness”, parapsychological phenomena
transpersonal psychologies
influential transpersonalist psychologist who authored books like “The Atman Project”, “The History of Everything”
Ken Wilber
Maslow’s term for science that lacks humanity - devoid of emotion, joy, wonder
desacralization
studies that concentrate on the procedures themselves rather than the content of the research, its purpose
method-centered research
studies that place their emphasis on the subject matter and addressing issues rather than the procedures used - more humanistic approach
problem-centered research
information we are aware of based on having experienced it firsthand ourselves - subjective, part of existentialism
experiential knowledge
Maslow’s approach which emphasizes subjectivity and values rather than the abstract objectivity of behaviorism - didn’t want to discard science outright, but infuse it with subjectivity
Taoist science
need of some individuals to create a sense of beauty in their lives
aesthetic needs
need of some individuals to discover and solve questions/mysteries - curiosity
cognitive needs
fear of self-actualization / B-needs due to belief that oneself is weak and will never amount to anything - because higher-level needs are weaker, they are easily ignored
Jonah complex
whatever need is the most dominant in an individual’s life at a point in time (ex. when you’re hungry, it’s food)
prepotent need
when B-needs becoming primary source of motivation in one’s life after reaching all other levels - less deterministic, in control of pursuit of “being”
metamotivation
Maslow’s term for a hypothetical society comprised of only self-actualized people separated from the disturbances of non-actualized people - society of “good souls”
Eupsychia
tool Maslow used to determine how far along an individual was towards self-actualization (two scores: “inner directed supports” and “time competence”)
Personal Orientation Inventory (POI)
scale on the POI test - the degree to which one is his/her own sense of support
inner directed supports
scale on the POI test - the degree to which one lives in the present (with full awareness, contact, feeling)
time competence
psychological field/movement created by Seligman that concerns itself with what makes people happy / on the “positive side” of human condition (non-humanistic psychologies focused on getting people from the “negative side” back to neutral)
positive psychology
