What lies beyond self-actualization? Is there something higher that a person can look up to besides trying to achieve self-actualization?
Etched into the minds of a majority of social science as well as business students is the hierarchy of needs defined by the known psychologist, Abraham Maslow. In fact, this very diagram can be considered as a mantra, as it is incredibly well known amongst the masses. So, what does Maslow say in this hierarchy of needs?
He claimed that the needs of a human, that have not been satisfied, are what influences that very human. That is not all, he also predicted that once those needs have been satisfied, they will no longer influence the way that a given human is behaving. So, how do these needs fit in a hierarchy setting?
Well, starting from our physiological needs, our needs move in an upwards direction, just like a pyramid does. The hierarchy moves from physiological needs, such as hunger, to security and safety, such as the need for a home, then to social activity, such as love, to esteem, that is ego, and finally ends at self-actualization.
So, all in all, self-actualization is the highest need that we can satisfy and it is through this very hierarchy of needs that we can explore the concept of what lies beyond self-actualization. So, the best way to approach what lies beyond self-actualization is to start by understanding how self-actualized people behave.
Characteristics Of People Who Have Achieved Self-Actualization
After Maslow introduced his theory to the world, The author and psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman started to explore the answer to a single interesting question. Is there a set of modern tools that can show whether or not these characteristics add up into what can only be known as self-actualization’s unifying factors? So, what did Scott Barry find out while looking for an answer?
He found that there are several human indicators, such as feeling satisfied with one’s life, the existence of positive relationships, self-acceptance, personal growth, a known purpose in one’s life, and more, that can be easily associated with the characteristics of those people who have satisfied their self-actualizing needs.
Apart from that, there are multiple other creativity as well as work performance indicators, which include higher satisfaction with one’s work life, higher performance, enhanced creative ability, and more. Altogether, Scott Barry identified seventeen different self-actualization factors, out of which, ten turned out to significantly drive a human towards satisfying their self-actualization needs.
But can there be something that exists even beyond a person’s ability to completely manifest their talent and abilities? Something greater?
Before answering this question, let’s review the different self-actualization factors that are significant for driving a human towards satisfying their self-actualization needs.
Being Able To Continuously Appreciate
One of the ten factors is the ability to appreciate multiple different things over and over. People who have reached the level of self-actualization are able to be feel pleasure and be awed by basic things in life. It’s not only about enjoying status, financial and social assets, wealth, etc., but also to value the beauty and quality that lies in every little thing.
Whether it’s enjoying a flower, a sip of water, the warm sun, stretching your body when you wake up, or enjoying the company of others, people who have reached self-actualization know how to find meaning and value in everything in their environment.
Self-Acceptance
Those who have satisfied the highest need, that is, self-actualization have accepted everything that they are. This means that they have accepted all of their desires, quirks, and even things they would be embarrassed by before then, as they are seeing themselves as a whole. A full human being, with pros and cons.
Staying Authentic
Those who have satisfied their self-actualization needs are able to stay true to who they are, that is, stay authentic and not follow the herd mentality. That is not all, as they are also able to maintain their integrity in situations that could be undignifying.
Since they’ve already fulfilled their ambitions and transcended their ego, they don’t really care anymore how other people see them, as they have more than enough appreciation for themselves and for their values. Therefore, they don’t feel any need to act or express themselves in a way that they do not feel comfortable with.
Being Able To Maintain Equanimity
One common factor that can be seen amongst those who are self-actualized is the ability to maintain equanimity. This means that no matter what happens in their life, including the ups and downs, self-actualized people are able to view them as inevitable. They are also able to accept these good and bad moments with grace.
When things don’t go as they’ve planed, they easily know how to let go of failure and move on. When things are taking more time than they thought that they would take, they see that delay as a blessing of patience. They’re not fighting life, rather than peacefully accepting everything that is happening to them.
Strong Sense Of Purpose
A majority of people, who were able to satisfy their self-actualization needs, had a significantly stronger sense of purpose in their life. So, this group of people who have achieved self-actualization feels a greater sense of responsibility. That is not all, as they also feel a higher duty to rack up accomplishments in their life.
They are aware that there are things that are greater than their own personal gains, since they’ve already achieved whatever they desired to achieve, to begin with. They see themselves as people who have the privilege to do something that is greater than them, to be servants of a higher purpose.
Have An Efficient Perspective Towards Reality
Another characteristic that people, who have fulfilled their self-actualization needs, are known for is holding a perspective towards their reality that can be considered as efficient. So, what is this efficient perspective and approach towards reality?
Well, self-actualized people are always seeking out ways through which they can get closer to the real truth about their environment and the people who surround them. Seeking truth, in this case, can be to seek social justice, carrying for the environment, or generally adding value where it’s most needed.
Humanitarians
One of the last three characteristics that self-actualized people have, is the strong ideology of that of a humanitarian. This means that a majority of these people hold a genuine desire to help out the underprivileged and marginalized communities of their society. All in all, these people hold the desire to have a positive effect on their society.
Feeling As If Every Experience Is A Peak Experience
Since self-actualized people have all of their other needs met, they are able to view all of their experiences, no matter how mundane, as a new horizon. In fact, they always look at every event as something that will open them up to new opportunities, even if it was not part of their plan.
So, no matter what, every experience that they have is a peak experience for themselves and the people who are with them in that experience. They understand that sometimes a black hole can sometimes be a doorway to different realities, and they are being aware of the uniqueness that every moment holds within itself.
Have Fairly Accurate Moral Intuitions
A characteristic that is incredibly prevalent in people who have reached self-actualization is having moral intuitions that are fairly accurate. This group of people base some of their decisions on gut feelings. In fact, when something might not be what it seems to be, self-actualized people are able to tell that deep down, there could be something wrong.
Have A Creative Spirit
Another great characteristic that defines the way self-actualized people behave is having a creative spirit. This means that, in every aspect of their life, they are able to think outside of the box. It also means that everything they do touches them in some way or the other.
They see the different roads and paths that can lead to desired outcome in ways that others can’t, since they are connected to their intuition, that enables them to have a very different perspective than those who are not used to leverage intuition to finding solutions and answers in life.
Beyond Self-Actualization
Now that we understand what achieving self-actualization is, we can now approach the question, that is, is there something that lies beyond self-actualization, and could it be spiritual? Something that is beyond the realms of what we can see and feel in our physical reality?
Something that is of a higher dimension?
What Lies Beyond Self-Actualization?
As mentioned before, there are five different levels in the hierarchy of needs as identified by Maslow. So, what comes after one reaches the fifth, that is the top-most level? Well, this question can also be answered through the research that Maslow produced. In the 1930s Maslow resided in Blackfoot Reserve in Alberta, Canada. So, how is this relevant to what lies beyond self-actualization?
Well, the research that will answer our question was heavily inspired by the time he spent in the mentioned location. So, within this second version of the hierarchy of needs by Maslow, that is, the Blackfoot version, there exist two separate levels beyond self-actualization. In fact, this pyramid’s base is self-actualization. So, what lies beyond self-actualization is community actualization and cultural perpetuity. And one more thing as well.
What Is Community Actualization?
When you think about it, community actualization quite obviously lies beyond self-actualization. While self-actualization exists within the characteristics of individuals, community actualization exists within communities. Once a majority of the members in a community are able to satisfy all of the previous needs, which includes self-actualization, they are able to step into the world of community actualization.
What this means is that the communities who exist together are able to understand their reality clearly. They are more accepting of a wide variety of people and can then be considered as humanitarian communities, and reach collective enlightenment, as they are not bound to the common earthen needs of mankind, rather than to reach the elevated levels that humans can evolve into.
What Is Cultural Perpetuity?
Cultural perpetuity if something that, once achieved, will allow communities to exist peacefully forever. So, what is this cultural perpetuity? Imagine the basic ideal of self-transcendence. Now, imagine that every member of a community has been able to self-transcend. Cultural perpetuity is achieved once you understand that, in time, a large majority of the population is forgotten.
However, despite having this belief, it is important that you play your part in ensuring as many important teachings that must live on. So, while community actualization is something that does innately hold spirituality, the spirituality that connects humans together is unlocked at the last level, that is, cultural perpetuity.
The Spiritual Awakening
The third element of what lies beyond self-actualization is something spiritual that, once achieved or satisfied, can create the perfect world that most people would definitely want to exist in. These two levels are the keys through which humanity can unlock their spiritual side, as it is an expression of unity between the entire mankind, a wholeness that connects everything in the universe.
They will be able to transcend their physical forms and be able to connect with all those who surround them, through ideologies. So, there is definitely something spiritual that lies beyond self-actualization. In fact, self-actualization is just the stepping stone, when it comes to what lies after.
One can only imagine what the world would look like if communities were able to step into the spirituality that lies beyond self-actualization and satisfy their need for community actualization, cultural perpetuity, and awaken into a completely new awareness.
