Self-actualization needs: what are they, according to Maslow?

All or most of us want to feel good, achieve our goals, and feel a sense of progression into the future. We want to be ourselves, true to our nature and at the same time strive to achieve our ideal. This will does not arise from nowhere nor is it exclusive to a few, but is part of the main and most evolved human needs: self-actualization needs.

This concept, which is especially known by Maslow's theory despite having been worked both previously and later by different authors, it is especially relevant in our society and in order to seek personal well-being and Social. And it is about him that we are going to talk throughout this article.

• Related article: "Personal Development: 5 reasons for self-reflection"

Maslow's theory of human needs

To talk about the needs for self-actualization, it may be convenient to first mention Maslow's theory of human needs, probably the theory better known that includes them (although the idea of ​​self-realization was used for the first time by Goldstein and similar concepts existed in theories such as Jung or Erickson).

According to Maslow's theory, which arises from his research regarding the factors that allow personal development and well-being (which in turn arose as a reaction against the pessimism of the psychology of the moment, focused on the pathological), the human being finds his behavior motivated by the presence of a series of needs established around the trend of growth and the achievement of objectives, which can be structured in the form of a pyramid depending on how necessary they are for well-being and even survival.

These needs are arranged hierarchically and in order to focus on satisfying the higher ones it is necessary that the previous ones are covered for the most part, otherwise it would be the uncovered that we would need to satisfy first place.

From the bottom to the top: the five great types of needs

The base of this pyramid is found in basic or physiological needs, which have biological origin and the achievement of which allows our survival. This mainly includes the need for food and water, as well as breathing and sleeping.

Once these are satisfied, it is possible to focus on a second level, where the security needs are. In this sense, the human being needs to find a safe and protected refuge, as well as the means to remain stable and with minimal conditions. Thus, these needs would include home, close / family environment and employment).

The third level would include the affective and affiliation needs, as we need to be part of the environment and feel included and loved. It is about the need for social-emotional bonding with those who matter to us, including family, friends or partner, as well as being part of a group of belonging.

A fourth level refers to the esteem and recognition needs, which speak to us of social recognition and the maintenance of self-esteem: it is about the need to feel respected and recognized or to do it ourselves.

Finally, At the top of the pyramid of the hierarchy of human needs are the needs for self-actualization, on which we will focus below.

What do we call self-actualization needs?

We give the name of self-realization needs to the set of needs centered on one's own development, grow and develop in such a way that the potential of the human being is reached to the maximum possible, both one's own and that of others. At this level there are elements such as the development of morality, orientation towards others and the pursuit of ideals, in addition to exploiting one's own faculties and potentialities. It is the search for the maximum possible development, to overcome the barriers of one's own possibilities and to transcend, as well as to live the here and now to its fullest extent.

It is also possible to understand self-realization needs such as the will and pursuit of the ability to give meaning to the life we ​​have, or as the search for the completeness of the course of our life, the achievement of our vital goals and the struggle to achieve them.

It is the highest type of need, the peak of the pyramid of human needs, and represents the highest exponent of the search for happiness through one's own personal evolution and connection with the environment and one's own to be. The need for self-realization implies growth and the pursuit of vital goals or objectives, and ultimately it is often associated with the search for one's own identity and a sense of self. lifetime.

The need for self-realization is universal, and although it is at the culmination of human needs, it is ultimately what structures the development of others. Despite this, according to Maslow It is difficult to focus on these types of needs if you do not have the above and most basic ones covered: if, for example, we need to find food and shelter in order to survive, we can hardly think about how to feel fulfilled.

What do self-actualized people usually have in common?

Although being fully self-actualized is complex (in fact Maslow indicated rather the existence of a need for self-actualization or continuous improvement when considering that few people reached the ideal of self-realization), both this author and others consider that self-actualized subjects have a series of characteristics in common.

In the first place, those who feel self-realized tend to have an adequate vision and perception of the world, being able to accept himself and the world around him as it is. This is carried out independently of sociocultural influences or the opinion of others.

Self-realization entails the assumption of freedom for oneself, being self-realized people capable of being as they are and manifesting naturalness and spontaneity. They do not tend to fall into stereotypes, and they tend to worry more about solving problems than about having them.

Their personal relationships are often deep, although they tend to be selective about them. They need privacy with a few people, although they also recognize the need to distance themselves and maintain a certain level of privacy. Still they have a high sense of community and of identifying with humanity.

They focus on ideals and are consistent with their values ​​and idealsIn addition to being able to focus and solve the real problems they have. Feeling self-realized usually leads these people to feel good, in a state of emotional elevation and even sometimes experiences of flow and mystique.

It especially highlights that self-actualized people tend to display high levels of creativity, and be nonconformist with what does not seem right to them (despite being able to see that their option is not the only valid). They also have ethical certainty and tend to act in accordance with their convictions., in addition to acting with a democratic tendency and with the ability to appreciate others. Of course, feeling self-realized does not imply that we do not have defects or imperfections, like everyone else.

Bibliographic references:

• Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50 (4), 370–396.
• Rosal Cortés, R. (1986). Personal growth (or self-realization): goal of humanistic psychotherapies. Anuario de psicología / The UB Journal of psychology. No.: 34