7 traits of self -realized people, according to Maslow

Today many comment on the features of self -realized people, because it is a feeling of fullness.

A self -realized person is someone who has reached its maximum potential. These ideas come from Humanist Psychology, from Maslow, considered as a reaction to Freud's psychoanalysis theory and B behaviorism. F. Skinner.

According to this line of thought, subjects aspire to their self -realization, a state in which their abilities and creativity are expressed in a full and free way. This position also estimates that people are good and represent more than the sum of their parts.

American psychologist Abraham Maslow, made this proposal in 1954, with his famous hierarchy of needs, according to which it culminates in self -realization, which coincides with good psychological health. Well, the subject is able to demonstrate his full potential and become his true self.

Content

• What is self -realization?
• Traits of self -realized people
• Criticism of Maslow's Posture
  • Bibliography

What is self -realization?

According to Maslow, self -realization consists in the full development of human potential. In Maslow's words, it is “the continuous realization of potentials, capacities and talents, such as the fulfillment of a mission, destiny or vocation, as a full knowledge and acceptance of the intrinsic nature of the person, as an incessant tendency towards the unity, integration and synergy within the person ".

Following this line, people who feel self -realized would have a series of features or characteristics in common. These traits would express the way in which people conquer their self -realization, a state in which the person feels an eagerness to discover what their goals are in life, their objectives and for which they feel motivated. In case of not getting his aspirations, the individual can feel frustration.

All this is still associated with the pyramid of the needs of Maslow, a theory according to which the human being starts from a series of needs that seeks to meet and that, when satisfying them, then aspires to a higher level.

Abraham Maslow's theory of human needs

Self -realization is found in the peak of the pyramid, these are needs focused on the development of the individual and their potential, in which other aspects such as personal growth, achieving vital objectives or morality converge, by giving sense to the actions carried out.

To be able to reach this level, The person must enjoy freedom and independence, focusing more on solving problems than in the concern of having them.

In other words, self -realization is the The person has to become a better version of himself. Maslow came to affirm that: "This trend could be expressed as the desire to become more and more about what one is, to become everything one is able to become".

However, values, capacities and desires vary from one person to another, so self -realization will manifest in different ways. A person can self -realize through artistic expression, another will do it inventing new technologies and thus vary.

For Maslow, due to the difficulty of satisfying the four lower needs, few people would be successful successfully, or would do so limitedly.

Self -realized people share the ability to reach peak experiences, or moments of transcendence and joy. Although anyone could have a maximum experience, this is more likely to occur in self -realized people. In addition, Maslow proposed that self -realized people tended to be more creative, autonomous and objective, concerned about humanity and accepting themselves and others.

Traits of self -realized people

Among the features of self -realized people are the following:

1. They perceive reality with objectivity: clearly, so that the person does not easily yield to deception, but can establish a judgment of others in an adaptive way.
2. Acceptance: Self -realized people have a high degree of acceptance by themselves, which is reflected in their self -esteem and the image they have of themselves. This trait reaches other areas of life, since, although they are aware that there are situations that are not controllable in life, they can adapt to changes.
3. They are autonomous: Self -realized people tend to be independent, so they do not fit the ideas or concepts that other people have about happiness.
4. They enjoy loneliness: In addition to privacy. Self -realized subjects value these aspects, although they share time with others. But, the most essential for them is to discover internally and cultivate their potentiality at the individual level.
5. They have a good sense of humor: which is reflective, they can laugh at themselves, but without reaching the extreme of ridiculing others.
6. They are spontaneous: They are open, unconventional people. Although the accepted social norms follow, they do not feel trapped in these norms, but also give space to their creativity.
7. They have more often experiences: According to Maslow, these experiences imply: “Feelings of unlimited horizons that open to vision, the feeling of being simultaneously more powerful and also more helpless than ever before, the feeling of ecstasy and astonishment with the loss of location in time And the space, with the conviction that something extremely important and valuable has happened, so the subject was transformed and strengthened, to some extent, even in his daily life, due to such experiences ”.

Criticism of Maslow's Posture

Maslow's position has been criticized for lack empirical support and to suggest that basic needs must be met, before self -realization is possible.

In 1976, researchers Wahba and Bridwell, conducted a study in which they explored the points of this position. They found inconsistent support for theory; However, they found more evidence in the idea that some people are more naturally motivated to self -realization than others.

In another study, conducted by Tay and Diener, in 2011, they found that The satisfaction of the needs coincided with those of the Maslow hierarchy in 123 countries. They discovered that the needs were largely universal, But the satisfaction of one need did not depend on the satisfaction of another, Since a person can benefit from self -realization, even if his need for belonging has not been satisfied, for example. However, the study also showed that when most citizens in a society had their basic needs covered, more people in that society focused on looking for a full and significant life.

In short, the results of said study suggested that Self -realization could be achieved before satisfying the other more basic needs, But that having satisfied the most basic, self -realization was more likely.

The importance of feeling self -realized

Bibliography

• Guerrero, a. B. (2002). The concept of "self -realization" as a personal identity. A critical review. Pedagogical issues. Education Sciences Magazine, (16).
• Maslow, a. H. (1991). Motivation and personality. Díaz de Santos Editions.
• Tay, l., & Diener, E. (2011). Needs and Subjective Well-Being Around The World. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101 (2), 354-365. https: // doi.org/10.1037/A0023779
• Wahba, Mahmoud to., and Lawrence g. Bridwell. “Maslow Reconsidered: A Review of Research On The Need Hierarchy Theory.”Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, Vol. 15, 1976, 212-240, http: // Larrybridwell.com/maslo.PDF