Abraham Maslow is best known for his Hierarchy of Needs, something we all learn in one health class or another. This is only a small part of his larger theory of self-actualization. Friedman and Shustack described self-actualization as the “…innate process by which [he or she] tends to grow spiritually and realize [his or her] potential (2012, p. 307).” Maslow's theories fall into the category of humanistic and existential psychology, primarily humanistic, because they address the fact that as humans, we are more than just biological needs and that we have certain aspects that make us "human." Humanistic psychology recognizes that we have these basic needs to survive, but rather than focusing solely on those needs as the driving force that creates "us", as many previous psychologists did, for example Freud and his belief that sex was the driving force of actions of everyone, humanistic psychology encompasses the entire human experience. Friedman and Shustack point out that, based on the concept of humanistic psychology and self-actualization, it is recognized that “[being] deprived of companionship, or being deprived of the meaning of one's life can be just as terrifying and deadly, as being deprived of food (2012, p. 307).”Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Abraham Mallow's theory of self-actualization is based on the idea that human beings have the drive to understand "who we are" by self-reflecting. The term organismic is often used to express theories based on this form of internal reflection, emphasizing the natural tendency of an organism to follow its natural course (Friedman & Schustack, 2012, p. 310). Maslow believed that to advance along the path to self-actualization, we have certain needs that must be met to progress. At the bottom are the most basic biological needs such as food, water and shelter. The next step is the need to feel safe and protected in our environment, then, after that has been satisfied, the need to feel love and belong to a group, followed then by the need to have self-esteem. After all these lower needs are satisfied, we can progress towards our self-actualization as we no longer worry about more immediate needs (Friedman & Schustack, 2012, pp. 311-312). Maslow also talks about peak experiences, these are “powerful and meaningful experiences in which people seem to transcend themselves, be one with the world, and feel completely self-actualized… (Friedman & Schustack, 2012, p. 308).” This can also be described as déjà vu, serendipity or epiphany. Although these experiences are not classified as “mystical” or “religious,” they are described as “…fleeting, truth-illuminating spiritual occurrences” by psychologist and philosopher William James (Friedman & Schustack, 2012, p. 308). I'm sure we can all relate to the concept of the Hierarchy of Needs, as there was probably a time when we all tried to study but struggled because we were exhausted or heard our parents arguing in the next room by third grade. time that week. I know I've had my moments where I wondered if I had made the right decisions and found myself finding validation through a peak experience. I chose Maslow's self-actualization theory to apply to my personality development because of the hierarchy of needs and the idea of ​​peak experiences. I lived the first nine years of my life in a fairly small town in Utah where everyone knew everyone, and everyoneother people's business. I knew where I stood and what was expected of me. I was very outgoing, independent and adventurous. At the beginning of third grade, my father received a promotion that required us to move out of state. We had the choice of two locations, Pocatello, ID or Boise, ID. We decided on Boise because there had been two kidnappings that year in Pocatello and my mom wasn't happy with the idea of ​​living there if she wanted to worry about my brother's and my safety. I was afraid of moving somewhere I had never been, I didn't know a single person, and it seemed so far from my friends. It was really disorienting for me and I felt out of place when I went to my new school. The others in my class seemed nice enough, but I still couldn't get over the feeling of being "new." My independence and sense of adventure were gone. I was no longer the outgoing little girl I had been, I had become withdrawn and unsure of who I was because I didn't know what these new people expected of me. Even though I slowly started to regain my sense of identity, I was never as extroverted as I was before I moved. I regained my full sense of independence, in fact it was stronger than before. However, one persistent problem I had was a sense of anxiety that would flare up from time to time, especially at the thought of spending the night at a friend's house. The worst case was when I was in sixth grade and we went camping for four days and three nights. I was so homesick all the time that I had to call my mother in tears every day to beg her to come get me. She always convinced me to stay and see how I felt the next day with the promise that if I was still unhappy she would come get me. Even though it was the worst homesickness I've ever had, it helped me start to find the feeling of security I needed to branch out more and take more risks because I knew that no matter what, my mom would always be there for me. me . This was an example of how my need for security hindered my ability to achieve true self-actualization, according to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Once I was able to establish that sense of security, I was able to start working more on my self-esteem. I've had several peak experiences in my life that I felt let me know I was on the right path. The first one that sticks in my mind is a time when I was about eight years old and I was going on a bike ride with my brother. We had been on a meandering tour with no real set destination. We decided to make a short stop near a bridge that crossed a fairly narrow stream surrounded by trees. While we were sitting in the shade and enjoying our snack, my brother noticed something hidden in the trees. It was an old rusty car from the 40s or 50s that someone had probably abandoned there years ago. There was also a pile of bones nearby, most likely from a deer that had died the previous winter, but as kids we made up stories about a long-ago car crash, a Bonnie and Clyde-style shootout, or even a suicide that had occurred unnoticed for years. What I remember most distinctly was the relationship that developed in my mind with the car slowly rusting to nothing next to the bones of an animal that was alive. It was at that moment that I realized that we will all die and rot. This should have been a terrifying thought for me, but since that car was there, it wasn't scary. Instead I saw a kind of beauty in the way we slowly fall apart and become something else. It was as comforting as it was scary, we will die and become part of the world around us..