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Self-Actualization: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Self-Actualization: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

BY ANDREAS KOMNINOS | 1 YEAR AGO | 5 MIN READ

410

SHARES

The things we use and consume may satisfy the first four levels of needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs,
but they will never provide us with the characteristics, outlined below, which help us identify the
attainment of self-actualization. Take all the safety, love, etc. you like; for all their importance, they don’t
complete the jigsaw that makes up a person – or rather, the pyramid that constitutes the needs within.
For this reason, we as designers must focus on how we can support our users in their activities – it’s the
only way to meet them on this, the apex of needs.

In Motivation and Personality (1954), Abraham Maslow states, "What a man can be, he must be".
Maslow's quote refers to self-actualization, which is the highest level or stage in his model of human
motivation: the 'Hierarchy of Needs'. According to the hierarchy of needs, self-actualization represents
the highest-order motivations, which drive us to realize our true potential and achieve our 'ideal self'.
Self-actualization needs are also referred to as our 'being' needs; these include personal and creative
self-growth, which are achieved through the fulfilment of our full potential. Maslow studied 'exemplary'
people, or individuals considered to have realized their full or near to their full potential in their
particular area of expertise or focus. These individuals included Mahatma Gandhi, Viktor Frankl, and
Albert Einstein, who "personify a reality of self-actualisation".

Characteristics Common in Self-Actualized Individuals

Self-actualization is the final stage in the linear growth of an individual. Maslow believed that in order to
achieve this state of personal fulfilment, the person must first satisfy the preceding needs (i.e.
physiological, safety, love/belonging, and esteem, in that order). He contested that self-actualized
individuals possess a number of characteristics that enable them to, first, satisfy the four initial
categories of needs and, second, to contend with the dissonant relationship between free will (i.e. the
supposed capacity to act based solely on our personal drives) and determinism (i.e. the effect of societal
pressure and an internal consideration of how we will appear to others and the effects our actions will
have on them). Below is a list of the characteristics possessed by self-actualized individuals as outlined
by Maslow (1954):

Acceptance and realism: Self-actualization reflects the individual's acceptance of who he/she is, what
he/she is capable of, and his/her realistic and accurate perception of the world around him or her
(including the people within it and how they relate to the individual). When we have an inaccurate view
of ourselves or the outside world, there is a dissonant, unsettling and deleterious disparity between our
internal self and the external world. Self-actualization is achieved by those who have the most accurate
view of themselves and the world around them.

Problem-centering: Self-actualized individuals are not purely focused on internal gain; they appreciate
the benefits of solving problems that affect others so as to improve the external world. The desire to
assist others is borne out of an internal sense of right and wrong, which is grounded in empathy.

Spontaneity: The self-actualized individual thinks and acts spontaneously, as a result of having an
accurate self- and world-view. In spite of this spontaneity, these individuals tend to act and think within
the accepted social norms and according to the expectations of others. These individuals are also usually
open in their interactions with others, yet unconventional in their interaction styles, speech, and other
aspects of behavior.

Autonomy and Solitude: While the self-actualized among us conform to societal norms and are often
people-centered in their problem-solving, they often display the need for personal freedom and privacy.
These private times are spent testing their potential, both mentally (i.e. thinking about their problems)
and physically (i.e. acting out to identify strengths and weaknesses).

Continued Freshness of Appreciation: No matter how simple, straightforward or familiar an experience,

the self-actualized individual is capable of seeing things from new perspectives and appreciating the
breadth and wonder of things in his/her world. This capacity allows these individuals to develop new
problem-solving strategies, and it fosters creativity as a result.

Peak Experiences: These are experiences that display three core characteristics: significance, fulfillment,
and spirituality. These intense psychophysiological experiences include joy, wonder, awe, and ecstasy,
and in self-actualized people they are thought to be more common. These peak experiences are thought
to produce invigorating feelings such as inspiration, physical and mental vitality, and a renewed sense of
perspective.

Self-Actualization and Design

This layer of human motivation represents the toughest nut to crack for designers. It would be fair to say
no one product can provide us with an experience or series of experiences which allow us to achieve
self-actualization. However, they can facilitate the realization of our true potential. The better products
are, the better we can be. Conversely, if the products we are using are inefficient or ineffective, we are
obstructed in our efforts to improve and reach our pinnacle.
While 'a good workman never blames his tools', when performance on many tasks in the modern world
depends on the objects we have at our disposal, the workmen (and women) of today would be forgiven
for blaming their tools to a certain degree. Therefore, your products may not satisfy all human needs or
carry users to the peak of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but they can enable and support the process. As
the conditions that impinge on or constrain products differ, we cannot isolate any qualities which
guarantee the transition from disaffected user to self-actualized human being.

However, a bottom-up approach, taking into consideration the factors, qualities, and characteristics that
constrain all users (e.g., psychology, perception, sensation, and societal restrictions), can provide the
insights necessary for developing products that are sympathetic to the human condition.

Design to Support, Facilitate and Enable

Web psychologist Nathalie Nahai states, in her book Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online
Persuasion (2012):

“Sites such as Pinterest, Tumblr and Flickr...provide a platform for people to share images for the sheer
beauty of it. Although some may consider these services pointless (debates rage about the difficulty of
monetising such platforms), the fact that people are flocking to these sites from all over the world points
towards their intrinsic value...Therefore, any service that provides us an easy way in which to do this is
bound to garner a lot of attention.”

Products that allow us to connect, communicate, learn, and share knowledge have the capacity to
improve (and, unfortunately, negatively affect) our lives. The sharing of knowledge is of particular
importance; in order for us to reach our true potential, most pursuits require knowledge. For example, if
we want to learn a new language, we need resources that help us commit the rules and patterns of this
new language to memory. Likewise, keep-fit fanatics may seek dietary information to help them develop
a meal-plan so as to achieve their peak physical strength and ensure they maintain good health in the
process.

Ultimately, design can help self-actualization by obtaining first a thorough understanding of the obstacles
and processes involved in attaining a goal and then providing solutions that support the user’s activity in
doing so.
The Take Away

The things we use and consume may satisfy the first four levels of needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs,
but they will never provide us with the characteristics, outlined above, which help us identify the
attainment of self-actualization – or being the best we can be. For this reason, we as designers must
focus on how we can support our users in their activities. Indeed, while we cannot produce any single
artifact with which a user can actually achieve self-actualization, we always have the chance to design in
order to make it easier for our users to realize their potential. The insights we gather from considering
the factors, qualities, and characteristics that restrict all users (e.g., psychology, perception, sensation,
and societal restrictions) will be a vital ingredient in helping us make designs that truly chime in with the
human condition and the associated needs.

References & Where to Learn More

Hero Image: Copyright holder: ArunMash on Flickr.com, Copyright Terms and License: CC-BY-2.0

Nahai, Nathalie. Webs of Influence: The Psychology of online persuasion. Pearson UK, 2012.

Kendra Cherry (2016) What are peak experiences?

https://www.verywell.com/what-are-peak-experiences-2795268

Kendra Cherry (2013) What is self-actualisation?

http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds_2.htm

Ann Olson (2013) The Theory of Self-Actualisation

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-and-psychopathology/201308/the-theory-self-
actualization

Topics in this article:

Abraham Maslow Self-Actualisation Emotional Design

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