self-actualization

(noun)

Self-actualization is a term that has been used in various psychology theories, often in slightly different ways. The term was originally introduced by the organismic theorist Kurt Goldstein for the motive to realize one's full potential. However, the concept was brought most fully to prominence in Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, in which "self-actualization" was the final level of psychological development that can be achieved when all basic and mental needs are fulfilled. In such a case, the "actualization" of full personal potential takes place.

Related Terms

Examples of self-actualization in the following topics:

  • Religion and Social Support

    • A review of 498 peer-review academic studies revealed that a large majority of them showed a positive correlation between religious commitment and higher levels of perceived well-being of self-esteem.
    • Religious involvement was related to less psychological distress, more life satisfaction, and better self-actualization.

  • Cooley

    • In 1902, Charles Horton Cooley created the concept of the looking-glass self, which explored how identity is formed.
    • An example of the looking-self concept is computer technology.
    • The looking-glass self is a social psychological concept created by Charles Horton Cooley in 1902.
    • George Herbert Mead described the self as "taking the role of the other," the premise for which the self is actualized.
    • An example of the looking-self concept is computer technology.

  • The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

    • A good example of the looking glass self is a person trying on clothes before going out with friends.
    • Such an individual has incorporated the "social" into the "self. "
    • There are three main components of the looking glass self:
    • George Herbert Mead described self as "taking the role of the other," the premise for which the self is actualized.
    • This drawing depicts the looking-glass self.

  • Adolescent Socialization

    • Researchers have used three general approaches to understanding identity development: self-concept, sense of identity and self-esteem.
    • Exploring these possibilities may result in abrupt changes in self-presentation as the adolescent chooses or rejects qualities and behaviors, trying to guide the actual self toward the ideal self (who the adolescent wishes to be) and away from the feared self (who the adolescent does not want to be).
    • Unlike the conflicting aspects of self-concept, identity represents a coherent sense of self stable across circumstances and including past experiences and future goals.
    • The final major aspect of identity formation is self-esteem, which is one's thoughts and feelings about one's self-concept and identity.
    • High-quality romantic relationships are associated with higher commitment in early adulthood and are positively associated with self-esteem, self-confidence and social competence.

  • Identity Formation

    • Pieces of the individual's actual identity include a sense of continuity, a sense of uniqueness from others, and a sense of affiliation.
    • Self-concept is the sum of a being's knowledge and understanding of himself.
    • Self-concept is different from self-consciousness, which is an awareness of one's self.
    • Components of self-concept include physical, psychological, and social attributes, which can be influenced by the individual's attitudes, habits, beliefs, and ideas.
    • Discuss the formation of a person's identity, as well as the ideas of self-concept and self-consciousness

  • Mead

    • For Mead, the self arises out of the social act of communication, which is the basis for socialization.
    • Lastly, if we want to understand actors, we must base that understanding on what people actually do.
    • One of his most influential ideas was the emergence of mind and self from the communication process between organisms, discussed in the book, Mind, Self and Society, also known as social behaviorism.
    • His theory of "mind, self, and society" is, in effect, a philosophy of the act from the standpoint of a social process involving the interaction of many individuals, just as his theory of knowledge and value is a philosophy of the act from the standpoint of the experiencing individual in interaction with an environment.

  • Psychological Approaches to the Self

    • In modern psychology, the earliest formulation of the self derived from the distinction between the self as "I," the subjective knower, and the self as "me," the object that is known.
    • Kohut called the pole of ambitions the narcissistic self (later called the grandiose self).
    • Jung , the Self is one of several archetypes.
    • To Jung, the Self is both the whole and the center.
    • While Jung perceived the ego to be a self-contained, off-centered, smaller circle contained within the whole, he believed that the Self was the greater circle.

  • Differential Treatment by Age or Ageism

    • There are nearly 2 million cases of elder abuse and self-neglect in the U.S. every year.
    • Abuse refers to psychological/emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, caregiver neglect or financial exploitation while self-neglect refers to behaviors that threaten the person's own health and safety.
    • And elders who suffer from self-neglect have an even higher risk (up to 5 times higher) of premature death than do elders who do not suffer from self-neglect.
    • Up to about the age of 75, older drivers are actually safer than drivers of other ages.
    • Thus, many older drivers are actually much safer than the youngest drivers (under 18).

  • Symbolic Interactionism

    • In symbolic interactionism, this is known as "reflected appraisals" or "the looking glass self" and refers to our ability to think about how other people will think about us.
    • And while they are deciding, the dialogue that is taking place inside their mind is usually a dialogue between their "self" (that portion of their identity that calls itself "I") and that person's internalized understanding of their friends and society (a "generalized other" called the "me").
    • Such an individual has incorporated the "social" into the "self" and will thus experience the world through an ongoing internal communication process that seeks to determine "if I do this, what will be thought of me. "
    • Processual Symbolic Interaction seeks to uncover the elaboration and experience of meanings in natural settings of social interaction through primarily qualitative methods (e.g., examining the process whereby people become and signify selves) while Structural Symbolic Interaction seeks to map the contours of the self through primarily quantitative methods (e.g., examining the structure of the self by asking who people believe themselves and others to be).
    • This drawing illustrates the idea of the "looking-glass self" by illustrating that we can internalize how other people view us and then reflect upon those external appraisals without having to actually converse with others.

  • Social Construct or Biological Lineage?

    • Additionally, because race is self-determined and there is discrimination based on race (white are favored), Brazilians have a tendency to "self-lighten," or report their race as being lighter than an independent observer may suggest.
    • That people can "self-lighten" illustrates that race is not a fixed construct but rather that it is socially constructed.
    • Recent research within this tradition argues that self-described race is a very good indicator of an individual's genetic profile, at least in the United States.
    • But the actual criteria used for racial classifications are artificial and socially constructed, as was shown in the cases of the U.S. and Brazil.
    • For instance, self-described African Americans tend to have a mix of West African and European ancestry.