You may have heard about self-actualization and, above all, feeling self-actualized. According to psychology, self-actualization is achieved when you reach and express your potential to the maximum. It is also known as “achieving your best version,” and it is usually presented as a goal that has a lot of personal work behind it
To make a general definition, self-actualization is usually associated with the ideas proposed by Maslow and his self-actualization pyramid, although the term was actually coined by Kurt Goldstein. Self-realization refers to the achievement of personal goals and aspirations using one’s own means, in addition to reaching the state of fulfillment and satisfaction that people experience when achieving it.
Etymologically, the word “self-realization” comes from Latin roots auto- (“oneself), realis (“real”) and -izare (“put into practice” or “convert”). Therefore, it could be defined as “making what one wants come true.” Are you interested in knowing more about self-actualization, what self-actualized people are characterized by, and how we can achieve it? In this article we will review the history of the concept, the contributions of its most important theorists and the path to follow to achieve it.
As we have mentioned, the name of Abraham Maslow is often associated with the concept of self-realization due to the importance of his contributions (which we will go into later!), but the person who coined the term was Kurt Goldstein, a German psychiatrist born in 1878. Goldstein proposed self-realization in his organismic theories to refer to the materialization of the potential that each individual has, considering self-realization as their fullest and most positive development.
Nowadays, Self-realization is more related to creative expression, spiritual enlightenment Self-realization is spoken of as a dependent quality present in all areas of human development; family, friends, studies, work, love and relationship with oneself. That is why it is so related to the time invested in achieving it, it is a long process that involves many different factors.
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist from the United States, considered an exponent of humanistic psychology, and whose theories of self-realization endure to this day, being one of the most validated on the planet and in the territory of Psychology. What Maslow proposed was the pyramid of self-actualization. He considered self-realization as the maximum achievement of human needs, determined by the satisfaction experienced with each of them
It considers the development of human potential, self-acceptance, the strengthening of spirituality, knowledge, the maintenance of good interpersonal relationships and the ability to achieve well-being maintained over time, developing appropriate strategies for coping with problems.
In this pyramid, five hierarchical levels of human needs are described that must be achieved one by one until reaching self-realization, the highest of all levels. These needs to be fulfilled range from the most basic to the most complex, and only by surpassing the lower levels will it be possible to access the higher ones. The needs described are:
1. Basic or physiological needs
These are the needs that arise linked to basic physiological needs; breathe, eat, sleep… They are needs aimed at survival and are part of the human foundation They may be, for example, the need to dress warmer to avoid falling ill in winter, for example.
2. Protection or security needs
This next level is made up of needs that foster our feelings of security in life and the world, and that generate feelings of stability and order. Among them, we can find the need to have a job or source of income, to keep one’s health protected from accidents, injuries or illnesses, or to have a home in which one can safeguard oneself and feel safe.
3. Social or affiliation needs
Once the protection or security needs are met, social needs appear; Once stability and protection have been achieved, we have the need to relate and establish links with other people We thus seek the acceptance of a social group, be it a community, a family… Another example of social need is joining cultural, sports or leisure activities.
4. Recognition needs
When we already have security and social relationships, needs appear more related to esteem and the way in which others and ourselves see and recognize us. Without meeting these needs, we can feel undervalued, lacking self-esteem, and insecure. They are closely related to the concept of self-concept; the meaning we create about ourselves based on the union between what other people think and what we think.
The level of self-realization is the last; the tallest. This includes all the most complex goals to achieve and that require our maximum personal growth to be achieved At this level, we use talents, skills and abilities to achieve our maximum development, bringing out the maximum potential of our person and achieving personal success. Personal success cannot be defined as a concrete concept or object; It is defined by each one of us and we are the only people to know the meaning it can have, in addition to the efforts to put into practice to achieve it.
What are self-actualized people like?
Self-actualized people are conceived as those who have all their needs covered, have all the potential to self-actualize and meet their goals. Therefore, here we propose a series of characteristics associated with these people, so that you can get a clearer idea of what it means to achieve self-realization:
1. They are spontaneous
Self-actualized people have a very natural attitude and behavior towards life and problems in general This allows them to explore new experiences, sensations and knowledge, remaining open and willing to learn them and incorporate them into their cognition. Self-actualized people don’t let anything be imposed on them; They are interested in living for themselves the experiences to which they are exposed and developing their conclusions from them. For this reason, they do not usually follow routine lives and are more inclined towards constant fluidity and curiosity.
2. They are autonomous
As we have mentioned, self-actualized people do not get stuck in routine, so they do not feel insecure when making decisions for themselves. Therefore, they take charge of their own actions and are able to determine which decisions will be best for their life plans. They avoid outside influences and rely on their experiences and knowledge to advance.
3. They are realistic
Self-actualized people are conceived as very focused and aware of their environment and the world around them. Therefore, they are very inclined towards the future and moving towards it, which is why they do not usually waste time on weak ideas or ideas that do not have a relevant future projection They tend to be inclined to look for all the possibilities that help them progress.
Having overcome the obstacles of meeting all the needs until reaching self-realization, self-actualized people will have greater patience and calm when facing a problem. No matter how serious it may be, the internal emotional regulation that comes with feeling self-actualized will give them a solid foundation on which to rely on to manage conflicts little by little.
5. He is tolerant of other people
It is said of self-actualized people that, once they know and understand the dilemmas that we may encounter throughout life, they learn the ability to be more patient with those people who have not yet developed those skills. She is able to understand the processes that other people go through, because she has also gone through them before
Reviewing self-actualization
By way of conclusion, we believe that it is important to have a certain critical sense and not accept as true under all circumstances all the theories that have been proposed over time. While it is true that Maslow’s pyramid model makes us understand the way in which we organize our priorities, needs and desires, It is important to keep in mind that this may, in many cases, only be a reflection of Western society Not all cultures use the same yardstick when setting priorities and it is important to consider this.
On the other hand, self-realization is often presented as the only objective or goal of a person’s life. It is also important to give relevance to the fact that the human experience is very diverse; There are many different realities, so the definitions of success or achievement are absolutely subjective. What represents self-realization for one person may not necessarily represent it for another.
Finally, if you want to know more about self-realization and experience it, we recommend that you explore yourself, know how to differentiate what your goals and priorities are throughout life and, most importantly, in case you are not clear about what they are, realize that nothing is happening. The future is a construction that takes shape as we advance in life, self-realization unites feelings that can arrive without having generated so many expectations.
