Wellbeing through self-fulfilment: Examining developmental aspects of self-actualization.

Abstract

Self-actualization is described as an individual's expression of their full potential and a desire for self-fulfilment. It is the leading need in Maslow's hierarchical motivation theory (Maslow, 1943) which does not specify an age range for each level, believing that individuals progress through the hierarchy at different rates. However, he recognises older adults are more likely than young adults to be concerned with higher motivation (Maslow, 1970). Previous work has revealed that people over the age of 36 have a tendency to be concerned with higher motives and people under this age with lower motives (Reiss & Havercamp, 2005). This study looks at the influence of age on the level of self-actualization and discovered that on 8 out of the 12 Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) scales, participants over the age of 36 showed higher levels of self-actualization than participants under the age of 36. These results indicate the relevance of developmental issues in this matter and back up the hypothesis that there is a relationship between one's age and levels of self-actualization. However, results also showed a degree of overlap of self-actualization scores across age groups, suggesting further research may find other important factors, beyond age, which have a relationship with self-actualization.What allows people to progress toward advanced stages of self-fulfilment? In a society where an individual's growth is championed and cultivated, this question is increasingly attracting the interest of both employers and psychologists.Since the beginning of the twentieth century, psychologists have been developing the idea that human need can be classified into different categories (Johnmarshall, 2008;Langer, 1937;Schaffer, 1953), Maslow's (1943, 1970 hierarchy of needs is based on the idea that there is distinction between higher and lower motives and that there are "real psychological and operational differences between those needs called 'higher' and those called 'lower'" (Maslow, 1970, p. 97). Compared to lower, more physiological motives (such as hunger and sex), higher motives (such as altruism and morality) emerge at an older age, are less relevant to survival, and are closer to self-actualization.Maslow's work on self-actualization stems from that of Carl Jung (1928), who describes the process toward achieving self-realization. This is a state at which our unconscious and consciousThe authors report no fi nancial or other confl ict of interest relevant to the subject of this article. The study was conducted in compliance with an appropriate Ethical Code of Conduct.

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