Core of Personality

I. Core Tendencies:

1. Called deprivation motivation, it arises from pain and discomfort associates with biological deprivation. Aim is tension reduction.

2. Can be satisfied (Eat a Big Mac)

3. Ensures the maintenance of life.

4. D-Values: the goals of deprivation motivation - food, air, water, etc.

5. Must be satisfied first, before one can become interested in self-actualization.

B. Push toward the actualization of inherent potentialities - called self-actualization (SA)

1. Called Growth Motivation: It doesn't repair deficits, but rather expands horizons. The aim is not tension reduction, but tension increase.

2. Can not be satisfied - when do you have too much truth or beauty?

3. Serves the enhancement of life, not survival.

4. B-values (Being values) are the goals of growth motivation - truth, beauty, justice, etc.

1. Affects perception - When on a diet, see golden arches five miles away. Aware of smells of food. Basis of TAT & projective tests.

2. Can be satisfied - eat a steak.

3. Job talk - focus is on next pay check.

4. Deprivation --> sickness (Vitamin D and rickets).

5. Pathology - eat, drink too much. Hoarding behaviors.

B. Safety Needs: Crucial for infants.

1. Affects perception - paranoia

2. Can be satisfied - go into teaching & get tenure.

3. Job talk - fringe benefits, dental insurance

4. Deprivation --> neurosis, insecurity

5. Pathology - phobias such as agoraphobia.

C. Love and Belongingness Needs: People live in groups.

1. Affects perception - singles vs. marrieds.

2. Can be satisfied - can have a good marriage.

3. Job talk - desires good boss & good working conditions

4. Deprivation --> loneliness

5. Pathology - antisocial, inadequate personality

D. Esteem needs: First comes from others (respect), then is internalized (self-respect). These needs kick in when the person is "comfortably situated".

1. Affects perception - "I get no respect"

2. Can be satisfied - can do a job well.

3. Job talk - "employee of the month" awards

4. Deprivation --> feelings of inferiority

5. Pathology - depression

E. Self-Actualization Needs: From here on out, there is no hierarchy. Only about 1% of population are self-actualized. We need to study them, not neurotics (Freud) or rats (Skinner). Now called Growth Motivation, or Metamotivation. SAs don't strive, they develop.

1. Affects perception - have accurate perception, because have basic needs taken care of.

2. Can never be satisfied - when can you have enough truth, beauty, or justice?

3. Job talk - discuss ways to make better use of staff, to increase productivity.

4. Deprivation --> lack of meaning in life, boredom.

5. Pathology - Metapathologies such as boredom, cynicism, alienation, etc.

F. Need to Know and Understand: similar to Erikson's concept of wisdom.

G. Aesthetic Needs: Need for beauty, order, symmetry - in art, music & literature. One of these days you might even find loud rock music to be annoying.

Not much specification, but Maslow is in basic agreement with Rogers. If the survival tendency is not blocked by society, the actualization tendency can be vigorously expressed. Blockage leads to defensive behavior.

Periphery of Personality

Maslow studied self-actualizers (48 in all). Freud was on the list, but was not one of the list of "probable self-actualizers" that included Lincoln, Schweitzer, Einstein, Jefferson, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

I. Characteristics of Self-Actualizers:

1. Perceive reality accurately. Not defensive in their perceptions of the world

2. An acceptance of themselves, others, and nature. The AA Serenity prayer. Acceptance not same as happiness.

3. Spontaneity, simplicity, & naturalness. Do not live programmed lives.

4. Problem-centered. Possibly the most important characteristic. SAs have a sense of mission to which they dedicate their lives. Einstein once said "the man who regards his life as meaningless is not merely unhappy, but hardly fit for life".

5. Like privacy & detachment. Enjoy being alone; can reflect on events.

6. Freshness of appreciation. Don't take life for granted.

7. Mystic or peak experiences. A peak experience is a moment of intense ecstasy, similar to a religious or mystical experience, during which the self is transcended. More currently, Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi developed the term "flow experience" to describe times when people become so totally involved in what they are doing that they forget all sense of time and awareness of self.

8. Social Interest. Similar to Adler.

9. Profound interpersonal relationships. SAs tend to attract admirers or disciples.

10. Democratic character structure. SAs display little racial, religious, or social prejudice.

11. Creative. Especially in managing their lives.

12. Resistance to Enculturation - SAs are autonomous, independent and self-sufficient.

B. Other Characteristics of SAs - from different writings.

1. Philosophical sense of humor. SAs can laugh at the absurdities of life & don't take themselves too seriously. Compare Bob Hope or Bill Cosby with Richard Prior or George Carlin.

2. Transcendence of Culture. SAs can overcome the pathologies of their culture.

3. Personal Integrity. SAs are basically simple in psychological lives. "What you see is what you get".

4. Transcendence of Dichotomies. SAs transcend typical dichotomies such as work/play.

C. Metaneeds and metapathologies. Metaneeds (or B-values) are goals toward which SAs evolve. Failing to satisfy these goals produce a metapathology. A list of four metaneeds with their corresponding metapathologies is parentheses is presented below.

1. Truth, (mistrust, cynicism)

2. Beauty, (vulgarity)

3. Simplicity, (confusion, bewilderment)

4. Playfulness, (grimness)

B. Culture stifles. Must be able to "overcome culture".

C. Must choose growth over safety.

D. Jonah Complex. The most important reason - many people are afraid of their own destiny and fear that maximizing their

potentialities will lead to situations where they will be unable to cope.

B. Make risky choices. Try to expand your world, learn from failures.

C. Trust yourself more. Similar to Roger's organismic trusting.

D. When in doubt, tell the truth. This will simplify your life.

E. Recognize the need for discipline. Get the requirements of life out of the way quickly.

F. Cultivate peak experiences (non-chemical variety). Best way to do this is to pay attention of the world and your feelings.

G. Give up your highly-valued pathologies. Experiencing a lot of pain is not sensitivity - it is dumb. Get rid of psychological garbage.