There are many Myths and Misunderstandings about Maslow and his work which have hindered people for half a century in fully utilizing his research and theories . Maslow Matters aims to take you on a 12 month journey aimed at
1 Better Understanding what Maslow has to offer
2 Tap into your potentials and capacities
3 Become Self- Actualizers
4 Recognize and Enjoy Peak and Plateau Experiences
5 Give back to the world based on the gifts you have[/vc_hoverbox][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Maslow Matters: Your Path to Self-Actualization and Happiness
An amazingly large number of people have both heard of and are interested in learning more about Abraham Maslow. He is on the list of the top 10 psychologists of the 20th century and his work has influenced nearly every professional discipline. More than a million people have tuned in to him by watching his top 5 videos on YouTube and more than 250,000 have subscribed to learn more. He is present in 82% of psychology textbooks, and regularly is quoted in the New York Times.
His books– and books about his work– are on Amazon’s best selling authors lists in categories of humanism and self-help. The Maslow pyramid (although an incomplete representation of his Hierarchy of Needs) is used widely. His theories and research impact our work environments, our relationships, our life goals and our understanding of motivation. His work and strategies appear in such fields as education, management, finances, city planning, nursing, creative problem solving, and positive psychology.
Despite the significant influence he has in our world, most people have only a superficial knowledge of his extensive work other than a colorful pyramid topped by the words Self-Actualization. They do not recognize the impact Maslow has had on their lives and how much more he has to offer. In helping them to live fuller, happier and more satisfying lives, Maslow Matters will provide Maslow strategies to lead even more satisfying lives. Let us start off by testing your knowledge of Maslow’s work.
Maslow Quiz
1 Maslow created the Pyramid diagram to illustrate the Hierarchy of Needs.T F
2 The highest level on the Hierarchy of Needs is Self-ActualizationTF
3 Maslow theorized that only 1-3% of people could achieve self-actualization.T F
4 Only Self-Actualizers could reach the highest experiential level called Peak
ExperiencesTF
5 Maslow believed that the only way to reach the higher motivational
levels were to gratify the deficiency needs of the lower level. T F
If you answered true to one or more of the quiz questions, then Maslow Matters will be an especially useful resource for you. At the minimum it will free you from many myths about his work that have limited your progress on your path to self-actualization and happiness. All the questions above should be answered false because they are based on common misunderstandings of what Maslow’s theories and research have shown. These inaccuracies common on the internet, YouTube, and scholarly journals complicate the readers’ goal of understanding and using Maslow’s ideas in their own lives.
Abraham Maslow was my teacher, my mentor, my friend, and my guide for more than half a century. I not only hung onto my class notes all these years, but read extensively from his published and unpublished works, had many one -on- one meetings with him, have incorporated his ideas into my clinical practice, and believe I am either the last or one of the last Maslowian Psychiatrists with this experience left on the planet.
Abraham Maslow believed that all human beings have core drives, motivations and aspirations to develop our highest potentials. He described the universal search for meaning, fulfillment, happiness, and transcendent experience. He also wrote about our culture’s power to facilitate, suppress, or redirect our internal drives.
Maslow considered himself a theoretical psychologist. He saw his role as pioneering new areas for study and doing the preliminary research necessary for establishing core concepts in motivation, actualization and transcendence. He wanted to leave to others the tasks of substantiating or refuting his hypothesizes, filling in the gaps in his theories, and providing the roadmaps for others to follow. Maslow investigated many aspects of human behavior including: peak experiences, synergy, hierarchy of needs, self-actualization, well-being, Eupsychian business management, finding one’s calling, interpersonal relationships, meta-values, choosing wisely, and the importance of good fortune.
His focus, reflected in his writing, was always to learn more about human behavior so that he could identify the conditions which would enable people to develop their potentials to the fullest. Besides writing, Maslow in his later years worked with leaders of the business community to create Maslowian models in the work place. His goal in this setting was to have the greatest positive impact on society through the workplace environment.
