Maslow And Personal Development

Robert Fettgather, Ph.D. is a lifelong student of psychology and Buddhist philosophy. He teaches at Mission College in Santa Clara California.

Abraham Maslow was a major proponent of the humanistic approach  to motivation. He proposed a hierarchy of needs that individuals must fulfill before they can reach the highest need of self-actualization (SA) where a person reaches his or her fullest potential. According to Maslow, basic survival needs such as hunger and thirst must be satisfied before the higher level needs can be achieved. Maslow thought that most people could have peak experiences (transcendent moments), although they were more common among those who were self-actualized. Similarly, Maslow maintained that any number of different conditions could trigger peak experiences, from communing with nature to listening to classical music to insightfully solving a problem to orgasm. Apparently there is hope for us all, both to climb the hierarchy toward self-actualization and to glimpse the infinite in a peak experience. 

The last need Maslow proposed is self-transcendence, a kind of rising above the self. This need motivates us to feel outward connections through experiences of ecstasy and awe. Devoting oneself to a cause, pursuing a lofty dream, or seeking spiritual enlightenment could begin to fulfill this need.