Entry 7

Abraham Maslow saw basic human needs organized in a very structured, hierarchical pyramid with physical needs at the base and psychological self actualization at the tip (Glassman 273). He broke his model down into five necessities, with the more basic ones at the bottom having to be fulfilled before higher ones can even be attempted. So, physiological needs include food, water, sex, sleep, excretion, air, etc... Most of these must be fully realized before and individual can move on to fulfilling their needs of safety (the next level in the pyramid) which include a secure home life, work environment, family time, health situation (and homeostasis) and flow of income/resources. The next step up is love and belongingness: here is where people must be solid socially, with firm friendships, family situations and sexual relationships. After this step is a step focused on the self... esteem. In order to fulfill the necessary psychological requirements for this step we have to be confident, we have to have respect and be respectful, and we have to be able to achieve or visualize our goals (motivation). Only if all of the previous layers are satisfied can a person be self-actualized. This process involves an individual's ability to be creative, spontaneous, unbiased. accepting, loving and appreciative of the world they are in or have created (274).

Personally, my physiological, safety and love/belongingness needs are satisfactory, and my esteem needs are just about right. So, I believe I am well on the way to proper self-actualization. However, I don't think any of these steps are easily measurable. I think anyone can be self-actualized one moment, and then be at a loss for love/belongingness needs the next (making them un-self-actualized because a step is left unfulfilled). If someone close to a person dies, then that person will have to go through a process of re-fulfilling their love situation before moving back up the pyramid.

I know that I have been fortunate enough to have my lowest needs met favorably from the minute I was born. My physical and safety needs were completely fulfilled, and my family/friends have always been there for me (and nothing bad has really happened with either group). As a personal matter, my esteem has fluctuated. In middle school I had low self-esteem, and I hated what I was going through. But when I switched schools, met new friends and fit into my environment I felt so much better, and since then I have been so much more confident, eager, out-going and in control of my life that I know I am basically satisfied in that aspect. With regards to self-actualization, I am well on my way (if not partially actualized already). Involved mainly with the growth of an individual, and the idividual's desire to use their personal capacities to the fullest, self-actualization is an ongoing process. But I know that I have may qualities of a self-actualized person (like thinking "outside the box" or appreciating the little things in life while caring for others and seeing things unlike before). In a way, it's kind of like an epiphany that I came upon after being in India for a couple of months. It just struck me hard when I understood the inner-workings of the society I grew up in (based on observations I made comparing it to Indian society). And now I understand myself and the world around me a lot better than before.

Sources:

Glassman, William E. and Marilyn Hadad. Approaches to Psychology. New York: Open University Press, 2004.

Diagram and Picture. Wikipedia, The Free Online Encyclopedia. 2006