A. Maslow's concept of self-actualization. Maslow's theory of self-actualization

In 1954, in Motivation and Personality, Abraham Maslow suggested that all human needs are innate and organized in a hierarchical system. This is an interesting theory that shows that by satisfying one level of needs, a person is motivated to be realized on the next. Despite the fact that the Maslow pyramid is often criticized as a broken and absurd model, in this article we will try to prove that for some people it can be of great importance.

About Maslow's pyramid

The pyramid of needs is the name of the hierarchical model of human needs, which is a simplified presentation of the ideas of the American psychologist Abraham Maslow. It reflects one of the most famous theories of motivation - the theory of the hierarchy of needs. Let's briefly go over the seven levels of the pyramid.

1. physiological needs ( lowest level): thirst, hunger, sexual needs, sleep.
2. Need for security: stability, comfort, security, confidence.
3. Social needs: communication, love, support, joint activities.
4. Need for respect and recognition: recognition, self-respect, success, approval.
5. Cognitive (creative) needs: creativity, creation, knowledge, discovery.
6. Aesthetic needs: order, harmony, beauty.
7. Need for self-actualization (highest level): personal growth, realization of one's goals and abilities, .

Criticism of the pyramid

Based on Maslow's theory, an ideally happy society is a society of well-fed people who have no reason for fear and anxiety. He argued that in this case, a person has higher needs. Is it really?

Psychologist Ed Diener explored living conditions, finances, security, nutrition, level social support and emotions of people from 155 countries over five years. The scientist identified both some patterns and deviations. There are people who have moved up as if Maslow's pyramid was an internal constitution for them. However, he discovered what we already knew deep down - a person can demonstrate a high level of self-actualization and wonderful social relations even when his basic physiological needs, as well as the need for security, are not fully met.

Yes, and our life observations show that the majority of people, having satisfied the first two levels, simply begin to mark time. Such people consider themselves happy, but such happiness is small-town and sham. A society in which the majority of people are on the second step and do not strive higher can be called unconscious.

Now let's talk about Maslow's pyramid in more detail and draw some important conclusions from this theory.

Self-actualization in Maslow's pyramid

Self-actualization is a person's desire for the most complete identification and development of their personal capabilities. In pedagogy and psychology of the humanistic direction, it is argued that only with the help of self-actualization can a person realize himself, achieve success and find the meaning of his existence. Sounds pretty similar to Maslow's theory already, doesn't it?

Analyze your life according to Maslow's pyramid. Perhaps you have big problems with self-confidence, conflicts in the family or you have not achieved success by the time you have planned. As a result, you look at the pyramid and it already reminds you more of a giant piece of cheese with holes inside. At this moment, you clearly realize that you did not fully realize yourself in life, did not achieve self-actualization, and did not think enough about your life using this method.

Some people reach the top of the pyramid very quickly. But as a rule, these are yogis, monks or hermits. Perhaps they achieved self-knowledge in the caves, but sacrificed everything else. For example, social needs. It's hard to tell if these people are happy. Therefore, more or less correct will be a gradual ascent to the top of the pyramid.

One of the main problems modern society in the fact that many people cannot find a use for themselves, do not reveal their talents and abilities. And if so, there can be no talk of any realization in life. They are forced to choose a job that does not require any special abilities and takes up almost all of their time. The time they need is just to develop their abilities. These people are in a vicious circle. The desire to develop and motivate oneself for realization in life disappears. They replace the highest values ​​with ordinary comfort. And even if they have time left after work, they fill it completely unnecessary things. Their contribution to society is minimal and subconsciously they understand this. This leads to learned helplessness and victim syndrome. Sadly, there is no effective medicine that will help pull such a person out of vicious circle. That is, of course there are ways (meditation,), but try to force a person to apply them and you will come across a complete misunderstanding.

If you are reading this article, then at least you want a little more out of life than satisfying physical needs. Let's think about success, shall we? What immediately came to your mind? Many people misunderstand the meaning of this word, hence the roots of many problems. Success is not about money or comfort. Even if you think so, you cannot be truly happy. Traveling to other countries, eating a wide variety of foods and best clothes- it's not a success. These are nice things that for many become an end in themselves.

So what is success? This is personal growth. Because if you imagine a situation in which everything was taken away from a person - food, clothes, money, a house - what will be left in the end? The personality remains. Of course, it can be taken away with the help of various psychological tricks and devices. For example, you may have read the book "1984" by George Orwell and understand perfectly well what in question. But you also probably know the name of Viktor Frankl. And this is not a literary character, but a real person. This is a man who cannot be broken. Read about it if possible. This is what personal growth is.

Why do many people not want to engage in personal growth? Because it's boring and difficult. In addition, it implies the rejection of instant satisfaction of their needs. It requires will and thought and a long period of time. The ability to give up short-term pleasures for the sake of long-term goals is what makes the difference between a mediocre and a successful person. A successful person is willing to temporarily sacrifice comfort and focus on higher goals. This even shows up in finance: the ability to avoid spending everything you earn in order to save money for something more important. No, not buying a car instead of a phone, but rather starting a business that you believe in and that can benefit society, no matter how grandiloquent it may sound. There are such people and their units. We consider them blessed and at the same time admire them. Sometimes the thought that we are also capable of this can slip through, but in the next second we drive it away.

Success is the absence of selfishness. Again, wanting to support yourself and your family is a wonderful pursuit, but if you don't want more, you can't achieve true success. We social personalities and no matter how you treat people, they surround and influence us. It's good if you have friends, family and loved ones around you, you have a roof over your head and a decent income. However, you live in a society and every day you are confronted with the most different people. Perhaps not the most pleasant and smart. Actually successful man He sees this as part of his own fault. Being forms consciousness. And if you don't try to change society, it will certainly change you.

Your goal as a reasonable person is to fill these holes in a piece of cheese called Maslow's pyramid, and it doesn't matter in what order. This is a great strategy for self-actualization. To do this, answer two questions, just give yourself enough time to think.

• What level of the pyramid are you stuck on? Perhaps your needs are partially met on many levels, note this for yourself.
• What are you missing? For example, you lack self-respect. There are two options here. First: you achieve your goals, but still do not respect yourself enough - then this is a problem or partly far-fetched. Second: you don't achieve your goals and give up everything halfway through. In this case, you need to develop discipline and.

We wish you good luck in self-actualization!

The term "humanistic psychology" was defined by a group of psychologists led by Abraham Maslow. Maslow called his approach Third Force Psychology, contrasting it with behaviorism and psychoanalysis. The humanistic concept is characterized by an existential view of man. The main principles put forward are the interpretation of the personality as a whole, the futility of animal studies, the perception of a person as a positive and creative being at its core, an emphasis on the study of mental health.

Maslow's theory describes motivation in terms of a hierarchy of needs. Lower (basic) needs must be reasonably satisfied before the needs higher order become the dominant force in human behavior. The hierarchy of needs in order of dominance is as follows:

1. physiological needs (food, water, sleep, etc.);

2. the need for security (stability, order);

3.needs for love and belonging (family, friendship);

4. need for respect (self-respect, recognition);

5. the need for self-actualization (development of abilities).

Maslow distinguished two types of motives in humans: deficit motives and growth motives. The former aims to reduce tension, while the latter aims to increase tension by seeking out new and exciting experiences. Maslow suggested that both kinds of motives are biologically embedded in people.

He singled out several meta-needs (for example, truth, beauty or justice), with the help of which he described self-actualizing people. The dissatisfaction of the metaneeds should cause metapathologies (eg, apathy, cynicism, and alienation).

Maslow's empirical research focuses on the concept of self-actualization. Self-actualizing people are the “color” of humanity, people living full life and reached the potential level of personal development. Their characteristics are as follows: more effective perception of reality; acceptance of self, others and nature; immediacy, simplicity and naturalness; problem centered; independence: need for privacy; autonomy: independence from culture and environment; freshness of perception; summit experiences; public interest; deep interpersonal relationships; democratic character; delimitation of means and ends; philosophical sense of humor; creativity ( Creative skills); resistance to cultivation.

The main source of human activity is in the desire for self-actualization. Self actualization means:
- understanding real life with all its complexities (without "ostrich effects");
- acceptance of oneself and others ("I am I", "You are You");
- naturalness of behavior, independence of judgments;
- benevolence;
- openness to experience;
- professional passion for what you love;
- realization of all its potentialities;
- congruence (correspondence of experience to its true content, achieved by overcoming internal defense mechanisms individual).

Self-actualization is inherent in human nature. But he must realize a number of needs that form a hierarchical ladder:
- physiological needs for food, clothing, shelter, sex, etc. (lower);
- the need for security (preserving the possibility of satisfying lower needs, providing work, ensuring personal security, etc.);
- social needs(satisfaction of individual desires for contacts with other people);
- need for respect, status, awareness dignity;
- the need for self-actualization, self-development, self-improvement (higher needs).

Typically, the implementation is more high level needs involves the implementation (inclusion) of lower levels.

Obstacles to self-realization:
- the feeling of a "cog", depending on everyone and everything (the phenomenon of "learned helplessness");
- sterile division of surrounding people into “us” and “them”;
- "self-eating", psychological critical "masochism";
- the presence of topics forbidden for discussion and analysis, worldview positions, etc.

Psychotherapeutic help (logotherapy) is required for a person when an existential vacuum forms around him:
- when a person has lost the meaning of life;
- when obstacles to self-realization become impassable.

The meaning of life is comprehended by the development of one's abilities to love, empathize.

Weakness Maslow's approach in some biologization of human moral qualities. Unfortunately, people are not born absolutely good, they can become so.

Abraham Maslow - Dr. psychological sciences who developed his own theory based on detailed study psychological concepts of the 50s of the XX century and formed the latest trend in psychology. The need to form one's own approach to understanding the psyche lies in opposing the absolutization of the experience of old schools and their approaches. Maslow considered one of the greatest shortcomings of psychoanalysis not the desire to reduce the role of consciousness, but to reduce the tendency to consider mental development in relation to the processes of adaptation of the human body to the environment and the desire for balance with this environment. Just like his predecessor, he believed that this could be detrimental to the individual. The most important thing in the psyche of Maslow was independence and the desire for self-development. Unlike other psychoanalysts, he was mainly interested in the process of occurrence of deviant behavior. Only in this way it was possible to determine the limits of human capabilities and appreciate the true nature of the human mind.

Thus, Maslow's humanistic psychology was reduced to the development of a certain hierarchy human needs. Consider the needs identified by Abraham Maslow for personal development:

• Physiological needs - food, water, sleep, etc.;
• The need for security - stability, order;
• The need for love and belonging - family, friendship;
• The need for respect - self-respect, recognition;
• The need for self-actualization is the development of abilities.

Personal self-actualization is a need associated with the ability to understand oneself, i.e. learn to exist and build their behavior in accordance with this nature. This process of self-actualization of personality is endless. Maslow considered conscious motives and aspirations to be the main component of the human personality. But when realizing their own needs, a person often encounters obstacles or a misunderstanding of others and their own weaknesses. Most people do not cope with difficulties and retreat, as a result of which personal growth stops. In itself, society cannot become an obstacle to a person's desire for self-actualization, since any society tries to present a person in the form of a template representative, which contributes to the alienation of the individual from essential essence and makes it conform. Thus, Maslow's theory, the only one in which the main emphasis was on difficulties, deviations and negative sides personality. He was one of the first to explore the achievements personal experience. As a result, the way was opened for self-development and self-improvement of each person.

Humanistic psychology proceeds from the idea that "research of the psychotherapeutic process over the past 50 years allows us to state with confidence that the most significant changes in personality and behavior are the result of experience, and not awareness and understanding" (Devonshire C., op. according to Burlachuk et al., 1999, p.163). Even W. James in "Principles of Psychology" suggested that we accept the position, the theory that allows us to understand the facts in the most emotionally satisfying way. James describes this satisfaction as “a feeling of lightness, peace, rest. It is the absence of the need (further) to explain it, to give reasons or justifications ”(cited in Feidiman, Freiger, 1996, p.). Before a person accepts a theory, an explanatory concept, two independent sets of conditions must be satisfied:

Firstly, the theory must be intellectually applicable, coherent, logical, etc.

Secondly, it must be emotionally acceptable—it must encourage us to think and act in a way that is satisfying and acceptable to us.

A. Maslow has repeatedly emphasized that he is not an opponent of behaviorism and psychoanalysis from a pragmatic point of view, but the form of presentation of these theories, their explanatory schemes are unacceptable for him. It was emotional unacceptability that served as the basis for Maslow's intellectual intervention. The first object was the theory of motivation. Before moving on to the presentation, let's add one stroke to the assessment of A. Maslow's personal position in the light of the old dispute about the poetic and metaphysical in science outlined earlier. “I perceive from the point of view of eternity, mythically, poetically or symbolically, all ordinary things. This is like experiencing Zen. There is nothing excluded and nothing special, a person lives in a world of miracles all the time. There is a paradox in this, because it is wonderful, but does not create a breakthrough ”(Maslow A., cited in Faidiman, Freiger, 1999, p. 306). Therefore, in Maslow's texts one should not look for a clear, logically clear presentation, flawlessly verified schemes. It is some form of introspection combined with a call to reflection. Therefore, further, the author of this work is forced to step on the shaky ground of interpretation and understanding of works that are not focused on the transmission of knowledge, but claiming the status of "koan" - a paradoxical poetic impact in order to cause "enlightenment" in the reader.

Nevertheless, some conceptual scheme can be built. At the "entrance" to Maslow's theory is a holistic person, endowed with selfhood, containing both certain needs and the desire to actualize and satisfy these needs. In the first stage of life, basic or "lower needs" must be satisfied. “Lower needs are more localized, more tangible and limited than higher needs. Hunger and thirst are much more "somatic" than the need for love, which, in turn, is more somatic than the need for respect" (Maslow, 1999, p. 159). The lower needs are always more substantive and quantitatively limited, "satisfaction of the need for love and respect, cognitive needs knows no limits" (ibid.). “In physiological terms, a higher need is a later formation… Ontogenetically higher needs are revealed later than lower ones… As for self-actualization, even Mozart acquired it no earlier than at the age of three or four” (ibid., p. 156). Maslow suggests that living at higher motivational levels means "longer lifespan, less disease, better sleep, better appetite, etc." (ibid., p. 157). For the actualization of higher needs, good external conditions are required. The basic needs of the average person are of an unconscious nature (ibid., p. 99) and can be characterized by the measure of their satisfaction “for example, the average citizen has 85% satisfaction with physiological needs, 70% with security needs, 50% with love needs , the need for self-esteem - by 40%, the need for self-actualization - by 10% ... it should be emphasized that the process of actualizing needs is not sudden, not explosive, rather, we should talk about the gradual actualization of higher needs, about slow awakening and activation "(ibid., p.99). Higher level needs are more conscious than basic ones. In any case, it is better to be aware of all your needs, even basic ones, and for this you should use “special techniques”. A satisfied need "disappears" and "cannot be regarded as a motive." “I declare with all responsibility that a normal, healthy, prosperous person has no sexual and food urges, that he does not feel the need for security, love, prestige and self-respect, except for those rare moments when he is in the face of a threat. If you want to argue with me on this topic, then I will invite you to admit that you are tormented by a lot of pathological reflexes, for example, the Babinski reflex, because your body can produce it in case of disorder nervous system"(ibid., p. 104).

The profuse quoting of Maslow in the above excerpt is deliberately done by the author to show that the passages related to Maslow's age of self-actualization, the interest rates of satisfaction of needs, and the absence of almost all needs in the normal healthy person and their connection with the Babinski reflex - this is Maslow's "poetry" or "koans" aimed at "exploding" correct thinking and leading to paradoxical insight. Almost all of Maslow's works read by the author are very saturated with such "koans". Having classified such passages as “koans”, the author will not specifically dwell on them in the future and try to analyze them “scientifically”. There is a qualitatively different group of Maslow's statements, incompatible with either the ideals of humanism or scientific ethics. It is difficult to find allies, allowing such statements in relation to them: “It is not surprising that Freud is often put on a par with Hitler, for their positions are in many ways similar ...” (as instinctivists who persist in the principle of “fatal inevitability”, actively professing a pessimistic view of the future of humanity - author's note (Maslow, 1999, p. 142), assessment of Sartre's concept as "stupidity" in the "Psychology of Being", in the same place invectives against European existentialists and Aristotle, superficial and inadequate assessments of Jaspers and Heidegger - all this could only attract marginal, counter-cultural figures who, for one reason or another, did not understand or accept neither Aristotle, nor Jaspers, nor Heidegger, nor Sartre.

In The Far Reach of the Human Mind, Maslow writes that the topic of self-actualization did not arise in his life as a scientific one. “It all started with the fact that I, then still a young intellectual, wanted to understand my two teachers, who loved to adoration, whom I admired, who were actually wonderful people ...

... It was not enough for me just to adore them, I wanted to understand why these two people are so different from others in this vain world ”(Maslow, 1997, p. 53). These two are R. Benedict and M. Wertheimer. Thus, a special experience of a deeply personal feeling and an attempt to rationalize, search for the causes of this feeling led Maslow to study self-actualization. Everything "bad" that could be related to the emergence of this experience and lay in Maslow's personal past was discarded. The search for special traits, in the spirit of Allport, led to the discovery of a whole complex of them: “It suddenly dawned on me that my subjects have a lot in common. From that day on, I could think about a certain type of person, and not about two incomparable people. This discovery brought me great joy.” Thus, personal feeling and experience began to dissolve in scientific research. But in the final, in Maslow's work, definition of self-actualization, the main emphasis is on what it has grown from: “Firstly, self-actualization is an experience, an all-consuming experience, bright, selfless, with full concentration and absolute immersion in it. This is an experience in which there is not even a shadow of youthful shyness, only in moments of such experiences does a person become a person ... The key word here is “self-forgetfulness”. How often our young people lack it, they are too self-absorbed, too aware of themselves” (ibid., p. 57).

At the first stage of the work, A. Maslow singled out three groups of self-actualizing people. T. Jefferson, A. Lincoln, W. James, D. Adams, A. Einstein and Eleanor Roosevelt were included in the first group of "very specific cases". The second group was made up of "highly probable cases" - these were contemporaries who "slightly" lacked self-actualization. The third group of "potential or possible cases" included such representatives as B. Franklin, W. Whitman, O. Huxley. The use of a method close to that used by G. Allport allowed Maslow to formulate the characteristics of self-actualizing people:

1. More effective perception of reality.

2. Acceptance of self, others and nature.

3. Immediacy, simplicity and naturalness.

4. Focused on the problem.

5. Independence: the need for privacy.

6. Autonomy: independence from culture and environment.

7. Freshness of perception.

8. Summit or mystical experiences.

9. Public interest.

10. Deep interpersonal relationships.

11. Democratic character.

12. Separation of means and ends.

13. Philosophical sense of humor.

14. Creativity.

15. Resistance to cultivation.

In the book “Motivation and Personality”, self-actualization means “a person’s desire for self-embodiment, for the actualization of the potentialities inherent in him. This desire can be called the desire for idiosyncrasy, for identity” (Maslow, 1999, p. 90).

According to Maslow, self-actualization can be done by a person who has completely satisfied his basic needs, is somewhat narcissistic, considers himself endowed with all sorts of instinct-like abilities and values, understands self-actualization “as the main, highest goal of human existence” (Maslow, 1999, p. 118), knows that this goal is "extremely individualistic" and egocentric. It is this awareness of individualism and self-centeredness of one's goal that allows a healthy self-actualizing person to show "compassionate altruism" in relation to other people (ibid., p. 118). Over time, Maslow, under the pressure of facts, abandoned the idea of ​​​​the possibility of self-actualization in young people: “I unambiguously associated the concept of self-actualization with people of mature age. The criteria of self-actualization developed by me allow me to state with a high degree of certainty that the phenomenon of self-actualization does not occur among young people” (ibid., p. 24). He connects this with the fact that before moving on to self-actualization, identity and autonomy must be comprehended, on the basis of one's own life experience, one's own value system must be built, "the altar on which one could put all one's abilities and talents."

There are many obstacles on the way to self-actualization. “A necessary prevention against an overly light, superficial attitude to “personal growth” should be a thorough study of psychopathology and depth psychology of a person. “We have to admit that personal growth, often being a painful process, frightens a person, that often we are simply afraid of it; we have to admit that most of us have ambivalent feelings towards such values ​​as truth, beauty, virtue, admiring them, and, at the same time, being wary of their manifestations. Freud's writings (I mean the facts presented in them, and not the general metaphysics of reasoning) are also relevant for humanistic psychologists” (ibid., pp. 15–16). Another trouble is "these instinct-like tendencies are so weak that they cannot resist culture and learning." The biological essence of man is “weak and indecisive” and needs special methods its discovery (for example, psychoanalysis and "other forms of revealing therapy"). Culture and environment “with a slight negligence oppress or even kill our inherent genetic potential in us, but they are not able to generate or strengthen it” (ibid., pp. 21-22). Culture and environment begin to act on a person from childhood:

1) forming habits that lock us into unproductive behavior;

2) through group pressure on our tastes and judgments;

3) contributing to the formation of internal defenses that "tear us from ourselves."

Regarding habits, we note that there is also a directly opposite opinion belonging to W. James: “It is good for the world that in most of us, by the age of thirty, the character hardens like plaster, and no longer softens ... The more little things Everyday life can we trust effortless habitual automatism, the more higher power our minds for the work for which they are intended” (cited in Faidiman, Freiger, 1996, p. 199). Almost any habit can promote growth or hinder growth. The absolutization of the negative influence of habit in Maslow's works is associated with a negative attitude towards the fulfillment by a person of his social duties.

To protect against negative external influences, Maslow offers a rather complex design. He postulates the presence of some hierarchical system of values, rooted in the very nature of man. A person not only wants them and strives for them, he needs them ... in order to achieve these internal values, both animals and people are ready to learn anything, so long as new knowledge or new skills bring them closer to the main, final values ​​”(Maslow, 1999 , p.16). These values ​​must be seen "as inalienable human rights" and, at the same time, as an ideal for faith and service. In the sphere of “law”, these values ​​should be realized in the form of “presenting absolutely equal social opportunities to all babies coming into this world” (ibid., p. 22). In the practice of relationships, especially in relation to children, non-interference “in the being and becoming of a loved one should be introduced. You need to love the child very much in order to allow him to develop independently, following the inner urges” (ibid., p. 29). This thesis of Maslow is specially analyzed in section 3.2.2.§6 of this work.

Internal obstacles to self-actualization are also difficult. The cause of many problems is “material abundance”, which is a prerequisite for the emergence of such pathological phenomena as boredom, selfishness, a sense of elitism ... the suspension of personal growth” (ibid., p. 122). Developing on the soil of abundance Iona complex” lies in satisfaction with what has been achieved, refusal to realize one’s abilities in full. Actually the idea of ​​"suppression", "avoidance of spiritual growth" belongs to A. Angyal. Maslow first "spoke of it as 'fear of one's own greatness' or 'the desire to avoid the call of one's talent'." “We all have untapped or incompletely developed abilities, and it is quite obvious that many avoid the vocations that nature itself suggests to them ... Often we evade responsibility dictated, or rather proposed by nature, fate, and sometimes just chance, and, like Jonah , we are trying in vain to avoid our fate... We are not only ambivalent about our highest possibilities, but we are in constant, universal, even necessary conflict and ambivalence towards these possibilities... We undoubtedly love and admire everyone who embodies truth, goodness, beauty, justice and success. And at the same time, they make us feel awkward, anxious, embarrassed, perhaps envy or jealousy, a certain sense of our own inferiority and imperfection (Maslow, cited in Haronian, 1997, p. 97). This complex and the experiences associated with it resemble the “inferiority complex” described by A. Adler, but within the framework of his theory, Maslow gives a different interpretation. In his opinion, the main mechanism of this complex is projection. The person feels as if he was deliberately forced to experience himself as inferior. The correct reaction to the Jonah complex is awareness of one's unconscious “fear and hatred of the truthful, virtuous, beautiful, etc. people” (ibid., p. 98). Maslow suggests that “if you manage to learn to love the highest values ​​in others, this can lead to the fact that you love them in yourself and stop being afraid of them” (ibid., p. 98).

Another inner danger is also associated with abundance, "only this time with psychological abundance." It's about the abundance of love and respect. Inexhaustible devotion, adoration, admiration, unquestioning fulfillment of all human desires lead him to the fact that he begins to take love and respect for granted, feels himself the center of the universe, and everyone around him is his servants, obliged to praise his every deed, listen to his every word to satisfy his slightest whim, to sacrifice himself for the sake of his interests and goals” (ibid., pp. 122–123). On the basis of this abundance comes the impoverishment of one's own life by refusing to take anything with deep seriousness and involvement. Maslow called this phenomenon "desacralization".

In Self-actualization and Beyond, published in 1967, Maslow characterizes desacralization as a defense mechanism that is not described in psychology textbooks. This defense mechanism manifests itself in young people who believe that "they have been fooled and led by the nose all their lives." Fooled and led by the nose by their own parents “drowsy and lethargic, having a vague idea of ​​​​values, who are simply afraid of their children and never stop or punish them for bad deeds. So we have a situation in which children simply despise their parents, and often rightly so.” (cited in Haronian, 1997, p. 98). Another source of desacralization is the divergence of principles and actions in the lives of parents: "They witnessed how their fathers spoke of honor, courage and courage, but behaved in the opposite way to this." The general result of desacralization is that young people who have received such an “education” do not want to see the prospects for their growth, refuse to perceive themselves in terms of symbolic values ​​and from the point of view of eternity. Self-actualization implies the abandonment of this defense mechanism and the willingness to learn to restore old values. The way to combat desacralization is resacralization, which is described by Maslow as philosophical conversations between a consultant and a client about the sacred, the eternal, the symbolic. The consultant must teach the client to look at a person in general and at himself in particular from the point of view of eternity, from the position of Spinoza, in an unexpected poetic perspective, metaphorically, from the standpoint of medieval Christianity.

In The Psychology of Being, the idea is put forward that it is possible to consider "stupidity" and "lack of curiosity" as well as a defense mechanism expressing anxiety and fear. Considering during this period knowledge and action as synonymous, at least in the “Socratic sense”, Maslow believes that if we know something, then “automatically and involuntarily begin to act in accordance with our knowledge”, and that in this case the choice does not cause internal conflict and occurs spontaneously. If we proceed from this premise, then firstly there is a problem of control over access to knowledge; secondly, the problem of separating "good" knowledge from "bad" knowledge. And then there is no need to educate discriminating thinking and analysis, as well as will and inhibitory mechanisms. It is quite enough that the "chosen ones" dosed out to the "masses" useful and "good" knowledge, in accordance with which the masses will act automatically.

In addition to the mentioned “Jonah complex” and desacralization, Maslow points to the traditional psychoanalytic list of defenses. He emphasizes that the choice in favor of growth, in the direction of self-actualization, must be made in every situation of choice. Any refusal to fully realize the potential is fraught with the occurrence of pathology or even matapatology. The criterion by which one can judge progress in the right direction is the highest experiences (hereinafter - peak experiences), they are also the reward of a self-actualizing personality. The intensity, depth and duration of these experiences play an important role: “in my opinion, healthy, self-actualized people who have not reached the limits of higher experience, living at the level of everyday comprehension of the world, have not yet gone all the way to true humanity. They are practical and efficient, they live in real world and successfully interact with it, but completely self-actualized people who are familiar with higher experiences live not only in the real world, but also in a higher reality, in the reality of Being, in the symbolic world of poetry, aesthetics, transcendence, in the world of religion and its mystical, very personal, not canonized meaning, in the reality of higher experiences. I think that this distinction has some prerequisites for it to become an operational definition of "caste" or "class". This criterion can acquire special significance in the sphere of public life” (Maslow, 1999, p. 240). Self-actualized people singled out in a special "class" in their motives, thoughts, emotions, behavior are fundamentally different from others, they feel like strangers, aliens, wanderers surrounded by "normal" people. The self-actualizer, despite external alienation and coldness, deeply worries about the people around him, “their weaknesses and vices sadden him, sometimes even plunge him into despair ... But he forgives them for their weaknesses, because he has no other brothers” (ibid., p. 241). The self-actualizer tends to bond with healthy people approaching self-actualization. He “tends to completely forget about himself, about his needs, he merges with a person close to him, dissolves in him, becomes a part of him” (ibid.).

The allocation of self-actualized people into a special class closed within themselves, in combination with the earlier differentiation of higher and lower needs, led Maslow in The Psychology of Being to divide motivation into two types: the desire for development and overcoming the deficit. He further divided perception into scarcity-motivated and self-development-motivated. Then there was a division of love into B-love and D-love. Being began to stratify into separate zones and spheres; the descriptions of B- and D-love are such that it is difficult to guess whether there is a connecting bridge between them. Later, in "The Far Limits of the Human Psyche", Maslow's existence was stratified into 3 zones, described in terms of "Theory X - Theory Y - Theory Z". The "Psychology of Being" emphasizes the pleasure that self-actualizing people get: "self-actualizing people enjoy life itself in general, and almost all of its aspects ... even auxiliary activities give the same pleasure as the main one" (Maslow, 1996, p. 56 ). The very process of development generates primordial joy.” Development is seen as a constant and continuous movement forward and upward. " The more an individual receives, the more he wants, so this kind of desire is infinite and can never be satisfied.. It is for this reason that the usual division into motivation, the path to the goal, the achievement of the goal, and the corresponding effect are completely absent here. Here the path itself is the goal, and it is impossible to separate the goal of development from the motivation. They also represent one whole” (Maslow, 1996, p.58). Additional pleasures of self-actualized people are especially noted: for example, they effortlessly master the necessary skills and knowledge. Maslow develops the thesis: “development through joy”, believing that this position makes it possible to harmonize the theory of self-actualization with all dynamic theories from Freud, Adler and Jung to Perls, Assagioli and Frankl. In relation to the peak experience, the idea is carried out that “the peak experience can only be positive and desirable, and in no way can it be negative and undesirable” (ibid., p. 113). Further, the idea is carried out about the ideality of peak experiences, their absoluteness, their existence “somewhere out there”, outside a person’s life (ibid., pp. 118–119). From this moment on, the space of existence of an “ordinary” person, his problems cease to interest Maslow. Now he is interested in the "absolute world", the outlines of which he found in the philosophy of Taoism, especially in Lao Tzu and Krishnamurti. According to the text of "Psychology of Being" it is clear that the main feature of this world in Maslow's perception is its "lack of will". Here everything happens as if by itself: on the basis of passive perception, “involuntary awareness” occurs, leading to inactive “empathy” from the position of the “big brother of humanity”. Those who have reached this magical level of being are aware of their “insignificance compared to the greatness of experience” and “desperate unwillingness to descend from this peak into the valley of ordinary experiences” (ibid., p. 121). “At the moment of peak experiences, the individual is likened to God” (p. 126), on a personal plane, he experiences a “second naivety” and “healthy childishness”. Based on individual fragments of the works of some ego psychologists, it is postulated that love is a form of regression, “ a person who cannot regress cannot love"(p. 131); creativity also “is a healthy regression, a temporary escape from the real world. What I am describing here can be thought of as a fusion of ego, subconscious, superego, ego ideal, consciousness, preconscious and unconscious, primary and secondary processes, a synthesis of the pleasure principle with the reality principle, a fearless healthy regression in the name of greater maturity, true integration of personality at all levels"(p. 131).

In The Psychology of Being, Maslow redefines self-actualization, free from statistical and typological flaws, so that self-actualization does not seem like an all-or-nothing pantheon that only a very few people, not before the age of sixty, can fall into. We can define it as an episode, or "breakthrough", in which all the forces of the personality are extremely effectively fused together, delivering intense pleasure, when a person finds unity, overcomes fragmentation, is more open to sensations, is distinguished by originality, expression and spontaneity, is more fully functioning, possesses great creativity and a great sense of humour, able to rise above the ego, more independent of one's lower needs, etc. During these “breakthroughs”, he becomes more himself, realizes his potential better and approaches the very heart of his Being, becomes a more complete person ”(Maslow, 1996, p. 132).

Here, in the spirit of a new understanding of self-actualization, Maslow notes “one basic paradox, which I have already mentioned above, and which we cannot help but face, even if we are not aware of it. The goal of the individual (self-actualization, autonomy, individuation, Horne's "true Self", authenticity, etc.) seems to be both a final and an intermediate goal, an initiation, a step up the ladder to the transcendence of identity. It can be said that its function is to self-destruct. In other words, if our goal is, as the East interprets it, - avoiding the ego, from self-consciousness, from self-observation, complete oblivion of the past, merging with the world and identification with it (Buke), homonomy (Angyal), then it looks like for most people, the best way to achieve this goal is to gain the power of the true Self and satisfy their basic needs, and not indulge in asceticism ”(Maslow, 1996, pp. 151-152).

However, there is a very significant difference between Maslow's theory and Taoism and Buddhism. In all major versions, Taoism and Buddhism assume that any emotionally reinforced activity is detrimental to the achievement of a religious ideal and offer their followers special techniques to combat this shortcoming. So. Buddhism considers one of the main causes of human suffering in the world to be the “principle of dissatisfaction”: the initial cause of suffering is “thirst”, that is, a passionate desire to experience sensory experience. The Dhammapada says (XIV, 187): “Even divine pleasures will not quench the passions. Satisfaction lies only in the destruction of desire.” The Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism provides for the avoidance of those thoughts and actions that can harm oneself and others. The theory of self-actualization based on the practice of "peak experiences" definitely cannot "please" a Buddhist. The list of "existential values" given by Maslow is also in conflict with the Buddhist view of the world. In addition, the fundamental attitude of a Buddhist is "the truth of the path." He knows that the Buddha has already walked this path: “Remember that you must go alone. The Buddha only showed you the way” (Life of the Buddha, 1994, p. 238). All the specific details of the path must be mastered by the walker himself, taking responsibility for his actions and becoming a more mature person. “Earth surveyors break channels, archers throw arrows, a wise man shapes himself” (Dhammapada). Proceeding from the “truth of the path”, any setting for regression, no matter how it is motivated, directly contradicts the teachings of the Buddha. Another significant difference with Buddhism concerns Maslow's concept of the self. The Buddhist canon, Tripitaka, postulates three main characteristics of existence: 1) impermanence (anitya), 2) absence of self, soul (anatma), 3) dissatisfaction (dukkha), that is, "non-eternal" - "non-soul" - " suffering". The principle of no self suggests that the individual is only a temporary combination of properties - intellect, emotions, body - each of which is also impermanent and constantly changing. The idea of ​​relative dynamic wholeness (pudgala) means only a certain conditioned (karma) strange construction of heterogeneous elements - an individual who suffers due to an unnatural desire to enjoy life in unchanged forms. In Buddhism, immutability and eternity are incompatible concepts. That which wants to belong to eternity must change. Anyone who does not want to change, and change in the only right way, is doomed. If a person during his life does not have time to know the “four noble truths” and follow the path of the Buddha, death will come, the bundle will crumble and, according to the laws of causality, another one will be formed. Consequently, if in Buddhism it is possible to speak of selfhood, it is mainly metaphorically and as some desirable construction. This construction, as the highest consciousness, or the highest form of consciousness, according to the philosophy of Buddhism, is considered as empty (ashunya) only from the point of view of ordinary, empirical consciousness. It is empty for an ordinary idea, since it is, in relation to such an observer, transcendent (this position in European philosophy was developed by I. Kant in his argument about things in themselves as empty for our consciousness). In itself, this highest form of consciousness is not empty, but endowed with endless number of good qualities and attributes. This form is achievable by self-construction, so any form of regression is unacceptable.

Taoism, as a traditional Chinese teaching, is based on the representation of the sensually perceived world (cosmos) as the only reality of being. All wealth, immortal and supernatural beings are placed by Chinese tradition in the space between Heaven and Earth. The world is divided into two "parts": it is the "world of absence" (y) devoid of corporeality and the world of existence (y). These two aspects of the unified cosmos correspond to the two main stages of cosmogenesis: the initial undivided state of the world and the cosmos of many beings and things. The highest state in the religions of ancient China was usually perceived as an achievement complete unity with the cosmic beginning, “one-bodily” with the universe (i-ti), and was considered in the pantheistic spirit of merging with the universe, identifying individual consciousness with the universality of being: the world is a single organism with which the sage must become “one-body”. Taoism in a broad sense is the “Teaching of the Way”, which systematized the centuries-old practice of “nurturing life”, including treatises on sexual practice, breathing exercises, gymnastics, methods of concentration of consciousness and contemplation. At a certain stage, out of all this diversity, Taoism was formed as a doctrine of methods for gaining personal immortality in the process of “nurturing life”. This let was divided into external and internal and was associated with the acquisition of "elixirs". The actual path (Tao) cannot be defined in any way (“He who knows does not speak, the speaker does not know”), but the key is the principle of non-action (non-violation of the natural order of things and non-interference in the nature of things), which is followed by the “perfect sage”. He, like Tao, is self-natural and follows his own nature, and not external conditions and false conventions. Having become like a baby, he returns to the bosom of Tao - the Great Mother of the Middle Kingdom and acquires perfection and immortality. Taoism preaches the rejection of the tricks of civilization, including writing, statehood, education. A wise ruler governs by "non-action", and his subjects only know about his existence, but nothing more. Good and evil, beautiful and ugly, sleep and wakefulness, life and death are only conditional and relative concepts, since in true reality everything is present in everything, each part contains the whole and everything passes into everything. At this level of its development (III-II century BC), Taoism formulates the “beautiful past” into which A. Maslow calls us. In a certain sense, the "Psychology of Being" is an attempt to create an "elixir", thanks to which one can make a virtual escape into a fairy tale. The truth is that in real China, poetic Taoism was balanced by rationalistic Confucianism, the main motive of which was, in modern parlance, socialization. In confrontation and interaction with Confucianism, Taoism at the turn of our era was transformed into a religion of revelation from Lao Tzu, turned into a great God, who periodically incarnates on earth as a sage and mentor of sovereigns. In this concept, the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism is already noticeable. In the Middle Ages, the confrontation, in the main, was replaced by cooperation: the three wise men: Lao Tzu, Confucius and Buddha are revered together as the three faces of truth and truth. Interest in the ancient modification of Taoism has not faded. They are also interested in physicists (F. Capra "Tao of Physics") and lyricists, and psychologists (K. Jung, A. Watts). The difference lies in the fact that A. Watts is trying to explore specific techniques of "nurturing life" and adapt them to the practical needs of modern psychotherapy. K. Jung explores the symbolic side of the search for elixirs and transformation, tries to decipher the cryptography of ancient Chinese texts from the "Tibetan Book of the Dead", yogic treatises, the philosophy of gnocism and various religions and integrate the knowledge gained into the universal system of "saving the soul", making it indivisible (individuation) . Behind this is also a certain pragmatics - the analytical psychology created by Jung and the corresponding psychotherapeutic practice.

At the same time, A. Watts did not offer his clients any yogic goals, and K. Jung warned both against merging with the self and from transferring control from the "ego" to the self. Maslow's attempt to "combine" the reality principle with the pleasure principle by turning all life into sheer pleasure is alien to all the teachings and theories considered in this work, even the individualist pays for his pleasure with a continuous struggle. So we have a pure Utopia. And at this stage, Maslow's psychological theory can be characterized as utopian determinism. Maslow will return to the theme of Utopia in The Far Reach of the Human Psyche.

One of the generic concepts of humanistic pedagogy is the concept of "self-actualization". Actual is important, essential for the present time, manifesting itself in reality. The concept of self-actualization originated in philosophy. Actualization (philosophical) is the realization, the transition from the state of possibility to the state of reality. In psychology, actualization means an action that consists in extracting learned material from a long-term or short term memory for the purpose of its subsequent use in recognition, recall and reproduction. In pedagogy, to actualize means to extract, to claim the moral values ​​hidden, inherent in consciousness by nature, to make them significant for the individual. Each scientist and practitioner of humanistic pedagogy (Socrates, Jan Amos Comenius, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Adolf Diesterweg, John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Charlotte Buhler, etc.) used the philosophical, psychological and pedagogical aspects of this phenomena. As a term, with the prefix "self-" the concept of actualization began to be used relatively recently. It was first introduced by Kurt Goldsch-tein to denote activity biological process that exists in any living organism. In psychology, the concept of self-actualization appears due to the work of Abraham Maslow (1908-1970, USA). He put many meanings into this concept, but the most significant for humanistic pedagogy is most likely the following: self-actualization is the desire for self-fulfillment, for the actualization of what is contained as potentialities. According to Maslow, self-actualization is the desire of a person to fulfill himself, namely, his desire to become what he can be. This is the full use by the person of talents, abilities, opportunities, etc. Maslow imagined the self-actualized man not as ordinary person, to which something is added, but as an ordinary person, nothing is taken away from him: “The average person is a complete human being, with muted and suppressed abilities and talents.” A. Maslow in his concept of self-actualization offers the following interpretation of the nature of personality: a person is naturally good and capable of self-improvement, people are conscious and intelligent creatures, the very essence of a person constantly moves him in the direction of personal growth, creativity and self-sufficiency; for the study of man as a unique, integral, open and self-developing system A. Maslow used the concept of self actualization (English). The development of a person in this theory is presented as climbing the ladder of needs, which has levels, in which, on the one hand, the social dependence of a person is “highlighted”, and on the other hand, his cognitive nature associated with self-actualization. The author believed that "people are motivated to seek personal goals, and this makes their life significant and meaningful." Questions of motivation are central to the humanistic theory of personality and describe a person as a "desiring being", rarely achieving satisfaction. A. Maslow considers all needs as innate. The hierarchy of needs, according to Maslow, can be traced from the first level, which are physiological needs associated with maintaining the internal environment of the body. As these needs are saturated, next level needs arise. The second level is the need for security, stability, confidence, freedom from fear, security. These needs function similarly to physiological needs and cease to be motivators when regularly satisfied. The next, third level includes the need for love and affection, communication, social activity, the desire to have one's place in a group, family. This is followed by the fourth level, which consists of the need for respect, independence, independence, skill, competence, confidence in the world, the desire to have a certain reputation, prestige, fame, recognition, dignity. Dissatisfaction with the needs of this level leads a person to a feeling of inferiority, uselessness, leads to various conflicts, complexes and neuroses. And finally, the last, fifth level of needs is the need for self-actualization, self-realization and creativity. The hierarchy of needs, according to A. Maslow, is a pyramid from the lowest needs (needs) to the highest needs (growth needs). The need for self-actualization special kind needs: “This is the need for “growth”, in contrast to the needs of “deficit”, which include the needs of the four lower levels. A. Maslow wrote that self-actualization means "the desire of a person to fulfill himself, namely, his desire to become what he can be." According to A. Maslow, the tendency to self-actualization is the essence, the core of the personality, i.e. the desire of a person to constantly embody, realize, objectify himself, his abilities, his essence. But a person can realize, embody himself only in activity. A person self-realizes in activity, and the content of the need for activity and the need for self-realization are the same for the individual. The theory of self-actualization developed by A. Maslow still continues to cause discussions, disputes and even protests. Apparently, such an ambiguous attitude is due to the fact that A. Maslow considered as samples of self-actualizing people those who have a certain level of personal achievement both in their professional and personal lives. By studying the best, A. Maslow believed, one can explore the boundaries of human capabilities. As criteria for the selection of self-actualized personalities, he established a relative freedom from neuroses and best use their talents, abilities, opportunities: "Self-actualized people, without a single exception, are involved in a matter that goes beyond their selfish interests, in something outside themselves." After analyzing the life achievements and characteristics of prominent people (A. Lincoln, A. Einstein, A. Schweitzer, B. Spinoza, P. Kropotkin, etc.), A. Maslow singled out the characteristics of self-actualization:

1. A more elective perception of reality and a more comfortable relationship with it.

2. Acceptance (of oneself, others, nature). Self-actualizing people accept themselves and their nature without complaint or embarrassment, understanding its shortcomings, its discrepancies from the ideal, but not experiencing real anxiety.

3. Spontaneity, simplicity, naturalness. Self-actualizing people lack artificiality and the desire to produce an effect.

4. Centering on the task (problem center - tion). They have a life mission, a task that requires fulfillment, an external goal in relation to themselves. They live in a world of broad, universal and enduring values.

5. Some-paradise isolation and the need for solitude. The desire for loneliness, non-involvement in what captures and absorbs others.

6. Autonomy, independence from culture and environment. People who are motivated to grow tend to be self-sufficient.

7. Constant freshness of evaluation. The ability to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. They draw strength from the main life experiences. Ordinary people learn the true value of the ordinary environment (nature, loved ones, work) only after they are deprived of them.

8. Mysticism and experience of higher states.

9. Feelings of belonging, unity with others. In relation to other people, self-actualizing individuals experience deep feelings of identification, sympathy, love, a genuine desire to help.

10. Deeper interpersonal relationships based on greater dedication, love, more complete going beyond the boundaries of one's "I". The circle of friends is small. They do not forgive betrayal, hypocrisy, narcissism.

11. Democratic structure of personality. They do not notice class, social, professional, racial, etc. differences. They consider it possible to learn from anyone, as long as he has something to teach.

12. Distinguishing means and ends, good and evil. Strong moral standards. They concentrate on goals, being able to subordinate means to them, and not vice versa, as is customary among the majority. But any activity is considered by them as a goal, turned into exciting game, entertainment.

13. Philosophical, non-hostile sense of humor. They do not accept laughter at causing harm to others, laughter of superiority, protest against authority.

14. Self-actualizing creativity. Creativity, as an expression of the health of the individual, is projected onto the whole world and colors any activity. Everything is done with a certain attitude to the matter, with a mood. A person can even see creatively, as a child sees.

15. Resistance to acculturation (average "cultivation", familiarization with popular culture). They coexist with culture, but resist "cultivation", maintain an internal detachment from the culture in which they are immersed. But they fit into the framework of the conventions of clothing culture, although of great importance it has nothing for them: making life easier, things are not worth making a fuss about. Everything that is not essential is calmly accepted. But these conventions, if observance of them seems superfluous, can be discarded like boring clothes.

The culmination of A. Maslow's reflections on self-actualization, which do not always fit into the framework of generally accepted scientific and logical thinking, are eight types of behavior leading to self-actualization.

1. Self-actualization is a complete, living, concentrated experience of what is happening with a person and outside of him. Moments of heightened awareness and intense interest Maslow calls self-actualizing.

2. Life is a process of choices. Self-actualization involves deciding in favor of growth in every choice. Choosing growth means opening yourself up to new, unexpected experiences, but risking ending up in the unknown: “You can’t choose life wisely if you don’t dare to listen to yourself, to your own self, at every moment of life.”

3. To become actualized means to become real, to exist in fact, and not only in potentiality. Self-actualization - learning to tune into your own inner nature: decide for yourself whether you yourself like a certain food, film, book, regardless of opinions, etc. others.

4. Honesty and taking responsibility for your actions.

5. Trust your judgment and instincts.

6. Self-actualization is a constant process of developing one's potentialities.

7. "Peak experiences" - transitional moments of self-actualization. These are especially joyful and exciting moments in life. They are caused by a strong feeling of love, works of art, an experience of the exceptional beauty of nature.

8. Finding your "defenses" and working to abandon them. According to A. Maslow, personality is based on the motivational sphere, i.e. what moves a person, what makes him a person.

Self-actualization as a capacity may exist in most people, but only in a small minority is it to some extent accomplished. Such people fully embody the human essence. But there are very few self-actualized people, less than 1%, and teachers striving for self-actualization, according to the Psychological Institute Russian Academy education, only from 12 to 18%. Many people do not see their potential, and the process of growth requires a constant willingness to take risks, to make mistakes, to give up old habits. A. Maslow defined the life of a self-actualized person as “an effort or a jerk, when a person uses all his abilities to the fullest”. The author assumed that the actualization of human potential is possible "in a conducive society", which practically did not exist yet in human history.

It is hardly appropriate to argue that "refined" self-actualization must certainly become the goal and meaning of education. However, if we keep in mind that the need for the realization of physical and mental forces is most relevant in adolescence and adolescence, for which the growth of self-consciousness is characteristic, the transition from external determination of the activity of behavior to self-determination, then the help of adults in determining the direction and methods of self-realization becomes very important for older students. And this is already connected with the very real organization of pedagogical support for the processes of self-knowledge, self-understanding, and an adequate attitude towards oneself. A. Maslow considered a person based on the position of his nature. It is probably these positions that it makes sense to take into account for a teacher who has risked creating conditions for self-actualization of his pupils.

1. A person is free and responsible for his decisions, what way of life to choose and how to strive to actualize his potential; the older the person, the higher he rose in the hierarchy of needs, the freer he is.

2. Human behavior is regulated by rational forces, acceptance rational decisions and the desire to rationally actualize their potential.

3. The person is considered as a whole. “It is John Smith who wants to eat, not the stomach of John Smith,” therefore a person is a holistic being, strives for self-actualization.

4. Moderate constitutionalism, expressed in the concept of meta-needs using terms such as "innate desire", "instinctive", " human", means that the desire to actualize one's potential is an innate, not an acquired quality.

5. The constant desire for personal growth, when people have the ability to decide what they want to become, leads to the fact that the personality will inevitably change.

6. Each person is unique in expressing these needs, ie. a person seeks to actualize the unique self in accordance with his own assessment.

7. Despite the fact that needs are innate, a significant role is given to situational variables, i.e. the influence of motivation (innate needs) and the social and physical environment that influences human behavior.

9. People cannot be studied by traditional methods, which is why they are unknowable, the traditional study of a person in parts must be replaced by an approach that allows people to demonstrate their subjective experience in a holistic manner (as a hierarchy of wholes).

The desire for self-actualization is the desire for self-affirmation through the manifestation, specific inclusion of a whole set of personal structures of consciousness: reflection, conflict, motivation, meaning creation, creating one's own picture of the world, etc.

In psychology, the term "Self-actualization" means the full discovery and disclosure by a person of his own, the realization of his skills and talents in all spheres of life, the use of all existing inclinations, inclinations.

Thus, we can say that this mechanism manifests itself in the form of a desire for any identification and external expression by the individual of his capabilities. It should be noted that the possibility of self-actualization largely depends on the conditions of the external environment, social conditions and other factors, but at the same time, it can in no way be imposed or transformed from outside.
It is also noteworthy that this aspiration does not have any external goal in front of it and is determined by the purely internal positive nature of man. Self-actualization often lies at the heart of humanistic areas of psychology, being seen as a complex of individual freedom, the desire for the development of the individual, the realization of all the potentials and desires of a person.

Personal self-actualization

It should be noted that such specialists as K. Rogers and A. Maslow were more interested in the problem of self-actualization. Thus, the very essence of this concept comes from the classical directions humanistic psychology. Moreover, the formation of the term is directly related to the formation of humanistic psychotherapy in the middle of the 0th century, when it took one of the leading places on a par with psychoanalysis, which was already popular at that time.

Taking the sami as a basis, the current is seen as a direction based on the belief that each individual has the ability for absolute disclosure, if he is given the freedom and necessary conditions for this. In doing so, the subject will be able to fully determine and direct his own destiny.

Some experts, in particular A. Maslow himself, believed that it is precisely such mechanisms as self-realization and self-actualization of a person that are absolutely leading human needs, capable of replacing even food and sleep.
Also, experts identified a number of qualities, some common features character traits of individuals who are very successful in self-actualization or have already reached great heights in it:

Such people often do what they love throughout their lives.
They are not subject to outside influence and are in complete control of their lives.
The individual strives for continuous improvement and development. Likes to receive new information through reading.
Usually these are expressed creative personalities. They also tend to have a positive mindset.
Opened in emotional sphere. Much faster and easier to forgive themselves for any breakdowns or sensitive incontinence.

To summarize, we can say with confidence that such an approach is the "golden key" to happy life because such people are in complete harmony with themselves.

Maslow's self-actualization

A. Maslow became known as the founder of the current of humanistic psychology. Unlike his contemporaries, colleagues and specialists, he strove to study the psychological norm. That is, he paid much more attention to healthy individuals, creatively developed, and also, later, to those who reached certain heights within the framework of self-actualization.
Maslow's self-actualization, or rather, his theory about the given psychological process, is based on the inner experience of the individual. From the point of view of a specialist, this was an absolute experience, liberated, lively and pure, that is, not burdened with "teenage shyness."

Maslow also offered his list characteristic features, which he singled out as leading for a person striving for self-actualization:

Such a person has a more accurate and effective perception of the surrounding reality and is able to contact it more adequately.
Absolute acceptance of yourself and your personality, environment, other people.
Such people are somewhat spontaneous, they are open, they never cheat, while they always clearly know their goal and move towards it.
They are autonomous. They are independent of the surrounding society and any cultural conventions. At the same time, they often need a certain solitude, isolation.
They are capable of deeper and stronger interpersonal relationships. They are also able to separate the end from the means and to separate the concepts of “good” and “evil”.
Quite often they feel a sense of union with those around them, rarely are impartial.
As a rule, these are creative people.

Maslow's main assumption regarding self-actualization was that in order to achieve the set goals and avoid disappointment in human nature, the individual must first of all give up the illusions imposed on him about it. That is, such people initially perceive themselves and others as they really are.

The need for self-actualization

In humanistic psychology, the need for self-actualization is considered as the main internal manifestation of the individual to the desire for development.
For example, K. Rogers in his concept assumed that self-actualization is based on a quality or even a whole phenomenon inherent in any living being, which literally pushes it to move forward. That is, this theory is based on the assumption of the existence of a certain innate quality, which, according to K. Rogers, always exists and is only waiting for certain positive conditions in order to manifest itself.
At the same time, if we consider the theory of A. Maslow, the main motivating force for human development can be strong feeling experiences of the individual, aimed at his inner self-consciousness and personal experience. Also given nature suggests that self-actualization is also reflected in the mechanisms of hedonism, that is, the enjoyment of the highest blessings, finding its reflection in the feeling of absolute satisfaction with life, inner harmony, enlightenment.

Development of self-actualization

Today at modern world, the development of self-actualization is not only topical issue but also very problematic. The rapid pace of life, the development of technology, the constant new conditions that our century dictates - all this sets before each person the task of adapting to these conditions.
Very often, self-actualization is perceived as psychological neoplasm, a kind of complex. Which is very strongly associated with the achievement of maximum peaks, opportunities and skills in all areas of life relevant to the individual.

Success in this direction sets the further pace of development of the subject. The process of actualizing oneself ensures the preservation of integrity inner world, its balance. At the same time, the harmony of the psychological organization of the personality largely determines the individual's motivation for further actions and self-development as a unique personality.

Self-actualization has always remained and remains a topical issue for any person - it has a great positive influence on a positive experience and foundation in the external world and manifestations of a person, which steadily leads to his internal positive experience and the growth of self-esteem.