13 characteristics of self-actualized people according to Abraham Maslow

What traits define individuals who achieve their goals?

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist belonging to the humanistic perspective, the "third force" in terms of psychological currents, after psychoanalysis and behaviorism.

The Humanistic Psychology approach focuses on the most positive aspects of the human experience and its development. Humanists consider the individual responsible for the results of his or her life, and trust that, with the help of the individual, the individual will be able to develop and develop in the best way possible.They are confident that, with the right conditions, he or she will develop in a desirable direction, since all humans possess the potential necessary for optimal growth.

Humanistic psychologists believed that people are intrinsically good and look to environmental causes to explain behaviors considered negative. However, according to Maslow, the fact that all people have the power to be the drivers of their own personal development does not mean that they all do. Only some will make the decision to become self-actualized, with all the efforts and sacrifices that this entails. These will become self-actualized people.

Self-actualized people

Maslow believed that people develop through various levels toward their full potential. While all people can reach the highest levels of self-actualization, in practice it is only a few who reach the highest level of development. These are the so-called self-actualized individuals, and Maslow estimated that less than 1% of the population was self-actualized..

What does self-actualization consist of?

Self-realization, according to Maslow, consists of the full development of human potential. He defines it as "the continuous realization of potentials, capacities and talents, as the fulfillment of a mission, destiny or vocation, as a full knowledge and acceptance of the intrinsic nature of the person, as an incessant tendency towards unity, integration and synergy within the person".

For him, psychological disorders would be nothing but denials of one's own inner potential and attacks against the very nature of the individual.

Characteristics of self-actualized persons

From a series of observations and studies, Maslow identified a series of common characteristics of self-actualized people. identified a number of common characteristics of self-actualized individuals. 

These are not innate traits that some people have inherited through their genes, but are simply ways in which the process of achieving self-actualization is expressed. These characteristics are the following:

Efficient perception of reality 2.

Self-realized individuals perceive reality more clearly and objectively.. Therefore, they are more unlikely to be deceived, as they show ease in detecting the manipulative strategies of others and are able to judge people in a useful and adaptive way.

2. Acceptance

Self-actualized people show a relatively high degree of self-acceptance, and this is reflected in their self-image and self-esteem. This characteristic of acceptance also extends to many other areas of life. Thus, self-actualized individuals accept both the bad and the good in life, having first identified which types of situations are irremediable and cannot be radically changed through human actions.

Self-realized people are aware that there are certain uncontrollable situations in life, and that is why they cope better with losses, and deal better with grief, adapt to changes in their lives and have less fear of death..

3. Spontaneity

By being in touch with their inner impulses and subjective experience, self-actualized people behave simply and naturally, self-actualized people behave in a simple and natural waywithout hiding behind a social mask or a false "I".

4. Problem-focused

Self-actualized people focus on problems outside of themselvesThey have a high level of social awareness, and do not hesitate to abandon their ego to help others. They are usually sensitized and committed to various social causes and do not tolerate injustice.

5. Need for privacy

They enjoy solitude. They do not need to continually enjoy external approval, and they think for themselves rather than letting others make decisions for them. Studies show that they can tolerate sensory deprivation more easily than others.

6. Autonomy

They are also independent, able to meet their own needs and fend for themselves without being overly dependent on others. without excessive dependence on others. They make decisions without seeking the advice of others, trusting their own judgment and taking responsibility for them.

7. Freshness in appreciation

Self-actualized people show an almost childlike sense of wonder and awe. Curious, they let life surprise them, even in those contexts even in those contexts that others would perceive as banal and boring.

8. Peak experiences

Capable of mystical experiences which Maslow defined as "states of oneness where time tends to fade away and the overwhelming feeling makes it seem that all needs are fulfilled".

Some of the sources that unleash peak experiences in the individual are love, art or erotic ecstasy..

9. Human relationship

They identify with human beings in generalThey have a sense of relationship with the human race, without prejudice. In addition, they are able to create healthy love relationships, without attachment or dependence, only focusing on making the loved one grow.

10. Humility and respect

They are humble and can learn from many different people.. They are democratic rather than authoritarian and do not insist on maintaining a status above others.

Ethics and values

They have strong ethical standardsThey have strong ethical standards, although these are not conventional standards of right and wrong, but their own ideas that they have formed based on their own judgment and observation of the world.

12. Sense of humor

They possess a great sense of humor that is not hostile, they do not laugh at other people's expense. It is a more philosophical, existential sense of humor..

13. Creativity

It is present in all self-actualized subjects. They are capable of generating genuine ideas and original solutions to problems..

Self-realization and basic needs

Maslow considered that every human being was capable of reaching his own self-realization having previously satisfied his basic needs, which he set out in his famous hierarchy of needs (usually represented in the form of a pyramid).

Bibliographical references:

• Maslow, Abraham. (2005). El management según Maslow: una visión humanista para la empresa de hoy (orig.: Maslow on Management). Barcelona: Editorial Paidós Ibérica.
• Städler, Thomas (1998). Lexikon der Psychologie, Stuttgart: Kröner.