Grow | CREZCA

As humans, we have an almost unconscious or innate desire to be well, to grow and improve our lives so that we can achieve the family, the job, the life we dream of. In doing so unknowingly or knowingly, we are climbing a pyramid of psychological needs. 

If you never heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, you are probably kind of confused now so let me explain. In 1943 Abraham Maslow outlined the principles behind the hierarchy of needs and then those principles or stages were placed on a pyramid, that is the pyramid I was referring to earlier. Maslow explained that we all have specific psychological needs geared towards satisfying deficiencies or satisfying a desire for growth.  

So, about the pyramid. At the base, we have physiological needs. These are the needs for food, sleep, and air. The next level is the need for safety or security; we all have the need for protection from violence, social and political instability. The third level of the pyramid contains our needs for love and belonging. We need to feel loved and connected to others; as Sue Jonhson has found in research, we are hardwired for connections. The fourth level of the pyramid is the need for self-esteem. It turns out that based on Maslow’s theory, the drive to achieve a healthy level of self-esteem is part of our journey to reach the highest and last level of the pyramid… the self-actualization level. See the pyramid here. 

Self-actualization is our tendency to grow towards the fulfillment of our highest psychological needs, the need for meaning, the embodiment of values. What does that mean? It means that we strive to maximize the use of our personal abilities and resources, we want to be the best version of ourselves and feel both challenged and accomplished. Of course, this process is different for everyone especially because we each have different ideas of what feeling accomplished means. 

Maslow also said that defensive behaviours can get in the way of growth and must be properly regulated for one to fully realize one’s potential. 

For some is the ability to use our talents, strengths, intelligence, etc. at a scale where it can be viewed and admired by many people, for others is the opportunity to make a difference and have an impact in our own worlds. Regardless of the scale of our dreams, we all like the opportunity to reach our potential. That is what self-actualization is about. 

The thing is that when we are on the path of self-actualization the needs at the lower levels at least partially met. Look at it this way, if or when we have a need for security or safety our energy will probably not go towards increasing our self-esteem or finding love and belonging. Our energy and efforts will go towards finding that safety and the security we need and just like that, at every level we need the previous ones to be at least partially met

Why should we strive for self-actualization? Well, studies show that traits of self-actualization correlate with well-being, with positive relationships, personal growth, authenticity, purpose and autonomy in life and much more. I don’t know you but it seems to me that self-actualization is at the root of a state of all-around happiness. 

Those reporting more characteristics of self-actualization were more motivated by growth, exploration, and love of humanity than the fulfillment of deficiencies in basic needs. The characteristics of self-actualization were also associated with greater well-being across a number of indicators of well-being, including greater life satisfaction, self-acceptance, positive relations, environmental mastery, personal growth, autonomy, purpose in life, and self-transcendent

Of course, I do not have the research to back it up but sometimes I wonder if people who feel stuck or unhappy with what they have, in part, feel that way because they are stuck on the brink of self-actualization. Let me paint a picture, they have a good home and family life, they have friends with whom they can have great times, connect with and enjoy simple pleasures. They many times self-recriminate or speak negatively about themselves, and when you ask about their work, they mainly say “it’s ok”, as in ‘I don’t hate’ it but there is no satisfaction nor joy. If you know someone like this, you should let them know that it is possible they are stuck on the pyramid between self-esteem and self-actualization.