Become self-actualized

People that have reached self-actualization are characterized by certain behaviors. Common traits amongst people that have reached self-actualization are as follows:

They embrace reality and facts rather than denying truth.
They are spontaneous.
They are interested in solving problems which may include personal problems or the emotional conflicts of others.
They are accepting of themselves and others and lack prejudice.

For Goldstein it was a motive and for Maslow it was a level of development; for both, however, roughly the same kinds of qualities were expressed: independence, autonomy, a tendency to form few but deep friendships, a “philosophical” sense of humor, a tendency to resist outside pressures and a general transcendence of the environment rather than a simple “coping” with it.

The biggest roadblock I find myself at here is the non-hostile humor. I’ve always been quite sarcastic, which doesn’t always come off well. I’m still occasionally crass, still sometimes say things that cross lines. I do still talk shit.

What I’m finding more and more though, is that I find situational eccentricities the most humorous. Strange people with strange habits—not things that I look down on, more like noticing the ridiculous hilarity of life as is.

I feel like camp set me back—it was way too easy to be catty and just adapt to the back-stabbing mentale.

Next year I need to bring Tao Te Ching, because there were quite a few times over the summer that I specifically needed it and wished I had brought it.

Something else that hit it on the head for me:

My wonderful psych teacher gave an example that a self-actualized person, if angry with someone over something relatively small, might react with an “I’m angry at you now. Give me some time to myself to be angry and get over it, and in a few days, it won’t bother me anymore.”

The bells went off in my head, because this was, almost word-for-word how I liked to deal with things. Most people though, thought it was strange and were a bit puzzled and put-off by it.

God, I love Maslow. When we got to this portion of my psych class, I was really surprised, because I spent a lot of time with people that I didn’t think understood my reasons for acting or reacting in the ways that I do. And going through the list, I felt like a lot of it was much like me, but I’m not all there yet.

From my PSYC 380 notebook:

Maslow’s concept of self actualization came from two teachers he admired: they had an intellectual devtion to work, liked to exceed expectations and had senses of humor that never belitted anyone.
-he wanted to study these people and why they were that way; modern psych didn’t explain them.

Traits
-clear, efficient perception of reality and comfortable relations with it
-spontaneity, simplicity & naturalness
-problem-centered (having a mission)
-detachment and need for privacy
-resistance to enculturation (independence)
-continued freshness of appreciation
-mystical and peak experiences (moments of profound insight in which everything in the world makes sense)
-feelings of kinship and identification with human race
-strong friendships but limited in number
-democratic character structure
-ethical discrimination among good and evil
-philosophical, unhostile sense of humor
-balance between polarities in personality

The Kolbe A index/Instinct Test: IQ tests tell you what you can do. Personality tests tell you what you want to do… the Kolbe A index measures what you WILL or WON’T do. This quick and easy 36-question instrument gives you greater understanding of your own natural instincts and allows you to begin the process of maximizing your potential.
http://www.kolbe.com

This site is dedicated to helping you make conscious decisions in your personal development and courageously follow through on them. This means having the maturity to take 100% responsibility for your health, your career, your finances, your relationships, your emotions, your habits, and your spiritual beliefs. It requires taking a hard look at yourself, consciously deciding what kind of person you truly are on the inside, and then getting your actions to be congruent with your true self. The goal is to help you achieve outstanding effectiveness while maintaining internal balance, where your thoughts, feelings, actions, and skills are all working together to create the life you truly desire.
http://www.stevepavlina.com/index.htm

Self-actualization (a term originated by Kurt Goldstein) is the instinctual need of a human to make the most of their unique abilities. Maslow described it as follows:

Self Actualization is the intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately, of what the organism is. (Psychological Review, 1949)

A musician must make music, the artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization. (Motivation and Personality, 1954.)
http://www.ship.edu/cgboeree/maslow.html