Vistopia
To Your Unique Self: 40 Lessons in Personality Psychology
Wang Fang

What Is a Self-Actualizing Person Like?

Hello, I’m Wang Fang. In the previous episode, we saw how Maslow’s hierarchy of needs maps a staircase of human psychological development. Among those needs, the state he devoted himself most fully to studying was the ideal form of personality that everyone has the chance—and ought—to approach:self-actualization.。
Self-actualization is the inner process of realizing one’s potential and growing spiritually. It impels us to do all we can and become all we are capable of becoming.In Maslow’s own words, it is as though:‘A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a person can be, he must be.’ They give true expression to their own nature(Maslow, 1987, p. 22). This does not mean accomplishing something grand or becoming somebody famous. It means doing what fits your abilities and living the life available to you. Perhaps few people attain a very high degree of self-actualization, but many more are climbing the steps and moving along that path.
That raises the question:what exactly are self-actualizing people like?Maslow used qualitative methods. He first identified psychologically healthy people who appeared inclined toward self-actualization, then interviewed some of them. For historical figures, he gathered materials and conducted biographical analyses. Unsurprisingly, most of his subjects were eminent people such as Lincoln, Jefferson, Einstein, and Mother Teresa.
The sample was clearly biased and the process highly subjective, yet Maslow was excited by what he found and eager to share it. Let us look at his empirical summary.
This is where I routinely set the benchmark and measure the gap. Whenever I reach a section like this, I compare it with myself—marveling at how far I remain from self-actualization, reviewing how little progress I seem to have made lately, and then trying again. Here, then, are fifteen characteristics of self-actualizing people (Maslow, 1987).
(1) They perceive reality accurately, comprehensively, and effectively. They do not defensively distort it to satisfy their needs or shield themselves from pain. They tolerate uncertainty better and possess keener insight and judgment.
(2) They accept themselves, other people, and the world around them. They face what they and others are really like, accept unavoidable flaws and desires, and do not feel threatened when someone surpasses them.
Episode editor: 夏夏、小蒲
2022.03.29
Audio in Chinese

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Featured comments

113 comments
  • 浅浅
    2022-03-29 08:52:29

    有一说一，看理想刘瑜老师、徐英瑾老师和王芳老师的节目中都有让我高峰体验的片段，当时的感觉就是好像任督二脉被打通了一样，血一下涌上来，起鸡皮疙瘩；还有就是在和一些人聊天时候，突然响起特别应时应景的音乐，就顿觉世界如此美好。

    步步生莲 ：记住是为了什么呢？是为了勇敢的应用还是为了讨论时的虚荣呢？

    Puterde Reply 152****8239 ：好记性不如烂笔头😅

  • zhu nan
    2022-03-29 14:10:23

    哇!居然几乎都实现了，我是百里挑一的吗？快要40岁了，对现在状态很满意。凡尔赛凡尔赛了不刚相信!

    156****4946 Reply zhu nan ：你太棒了！

    水仙 ：哈哈我也不敢相信我居然几乎都实现了 而且我觉得不难啊。。

  • A
    Anita Deng
    2022-03-29 17:42:52

    这期节目听出了点心流的感觉，坐过了两站地铁

    ddddaniel. ：哈哈哈哈哈哈

  • 水晶石
    2022-03-29 12:39:45

    听看理想的课就是高原体验，特别是王芳老师的心理课

  • daydreamer
    2022-04-08 13:07:49

    我经常有高原和高峰体验，一个人独自生活了许多年，内心平静安宁，但我不是个世俗意义上成功的人，这算是自我实现吗

    柔风柳岸 ：当然算

  • 阿坞漫
    2022-03-29 10:54:54

    追着更新听到今天这一集，真的感受到王芳老师在发刊词中讲到的，心理学对她今天依然源源不断的滋养。好美好呀。只是看到这一种美好在发生着，也会对我有一种激励的感觉。

    乡村骑士 ：是的，而且老师的声音太好听了！

    乡村骑士 ：有什么关于自我实现的书推荐吗？

  • 风残云
    2022-08-06 08:17:12

    快要破产38岁的我，在这集里找到了自豪一些的成就。瞬间治愈不少……

  • b
    bill
    2022-04-01 20:49:03

    容易忽视的是这类人多孤独少伴侣，他们的幽默很高级，他们的友情很深刻，这不是常人所能理解。自古英雄多寂寥，你可有勇气独上高楼望尽天涯路？

  • 林业
    2022-07-19 21:39:04

    没错，开放性的工作环境真的会影响我的创造力，所以每次回家加班或者今天办公室没人的时候反而工作效率变得跟高。

  • 一个绝望的文盲
    2022-03-29 17:00:17

    我刚提交了毕业论文定稿。高峰体验卡，滴

    一个绝望的文盲 Reply DUTCH pig. ：谢谢你陌生人，也希望你一直开心(∩_∩)

    DUTCH pig. ：希望一直很開心吧！

  • 自然风
    2022-03-31 00:07:57

    哇，这百里挑一说得不就是我么！哈哈，原来自己不是个怪胎！

  • 1
    166****9918
    2022-11-28 19:20:40

    无所求的全神贯注，才能满载而归是么。最近真的是一天不听王芳老师的课都睡不着！

  • 非凡公子
    2022-04-26 13:54:07

    做自己，坦诚面对自己和他人，勇于表达真实自己和真实想法，不要戴面具，做自己才能实现自我

  • 给你两巴掌
    2025-04-10 14:39:24

    真的不得不说 马斯洛说的简直就是我啊 全中 我这么优秀吗？我太牛逼了 望周知

  • 木有啥用
    2025-01-26 15:24:49

    2025年春节前听到这儿，激动不已，十五条听完了，怎么发现就是为我总结的呢，哈哈，我真不要脸！不过讲真，每一条我没有那么完美，但却在追求的道路上。 只是这一秒我才知道，原来具备这些就可以说叫小小的“自我实现”？