SilentMute
05-24-2010, 03:41 PM
In my medical coding class, while doing CORE, we learned about Abraham Maslow. Maslow developed a theory about human needs. At the bottom were physiological needs--water, food, constant temperature, air, etc. Next came safety--need for physical safety, job security, etc. Then came belonging--the need to be loved, to belong to a family or a group of people.
At the very top was self-actualization. Maslow claimed only a small portion of the population achieved this. When you achieved self-actualization, you were happy. You didn't have any regrets or any unfinished business when you looked back on your life.
Now, there are some flaws--I think--to this theory. For one thing, I often find that as I get happy and content with my life, my brain decides to bring something up that distresses me--a blocked memory, something that has been brewing on the back burner. Recently, I became aware of the social tensions that are going on around me--and realizing that despite my best efforts to be an enlightened person, I have prejudices.
Maslow's theory, I think, assumes that self-actualization is the end. I believe that at every end there is a beginning. But in general, despite a few days of distress, I say I am actually a pretty happy person. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but eventually a second wind comes and I find a solution. I have discovered I have prejudices against my fellow man--well, that makes me all the more determined to be a better person.
So, even though it is a flawed theory, do you think you have achieved self-actualization? Do you think you ever will? What stage do you think you are at?
The stages are (1 being the bottom):
1) Physiological
2) Safety
3) Belonging
4) Esteem--self-esteem and respect of others
5) Self-actualization
The "I'm part of a grasshopper's dream" option on the poll is for our philosophers, who might debate some abstract point that doesn't answer the question. They can't achieve self-actualization because they are part of a grasshopper's dream, and when the grasshopper gets stepped on--they will cease to exist.
At the very top was self-actualization. Maslow claimed only a small portion of the population achieved this. When you achieved self-actualization, you were happy. You didn't have any regrets or any unfinished business when you looked back on your life.
Now, there are some flaws--I think--to this theory. For one thing, I often find that as I get happy and content with my life, my brain decides to bring something up that distresses me--a blocked memory, something that has been brewing on the back burner. Recently, I became aware of the social tensions that are going on around me--and realizing that despite my best efforts to be an enlightened person, I have prejudices.
Maslow's theory, I think, assumes that self-actualization is the end. I believe that at every end there is a beginning. But in general, despite a few days of distress, I say I am actually a pretty happy person. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but eventually a second wind comes and I find a solution. I have discovered I have prejudices against my fellow man--well, that makes me all the more determined to be a better person.
So, even though it is a flawed theory, do you think you have achieved self-actualization? Do you think you ever will? What stage do you think you are at?
The stages are (1 being the bottom):
1) Physiological
2) Safety
3) Belonging
4) Esteem--self-esteem and respect of others
5) Self-actualization
The "I'm part of a grasshopper's dream" option on the poll is for our philosophers, who might debate some abstract point that doesn't answer the question. They can't achieve self-actualization because they are part of a grasshopper's dream, and when the grasshopper gets stepped on--they will cease to exist.