Abraham Maslow contributed significantly to the development of modern approaches in psychology by proposing a completely different perspective of human nature and the tools needed to heal mental problems. In fact, the main difference in Maslow’s approach was the emphasis he put on people’s positive qualities. Thus, the urge to analyze every aspect of a personality which does not necessarily have to be associated with the symptoms of any illness revolutionized psychology in the 20th century. Moreover, the prominent psychologist promoted the concept of self-actualization as one of the strongest desires defining each human being.
Abraham Maslow is known worldwide primarily for the hierarchy of needs he created. The concept seeks to explain that the levels of needs should be fulfilled accordingly for a sustainable lifestyle (Schultz & Schultz, 2017). Maslow’s theory represents an excellent example of how a humanist approach and the philosophy behind it can be applied in different spheres and become accepted in various academic communities across the globe (Shock, 2015).
I believe that the hierarchy itself and the concept of self-actualization are extremely important in people’s lives. Although Maslow clearly states that lower levels generally have to be fulfilled in order to develop a strive for bigger ideas and enhance one’s spirituality, I agree that self-actualization is always the ultimate goal. Every person possesses both the power and the strong desire to realize his/her potential, and this is the main idea behind the highest level in the hierarchy.
I firmly believe that a person becomes stronger if he/she is aware of all the resources available to fulfill the dreams of improving every aspect of personality. Although I do not think that a person cannot skip one of the levels proposed by Maslow, his ideas generally correlate with my worldview. I suppose that every human has a perfect vision of himself/herself which is hard to achieve. Nevertheless, it is possible, especially if one follows the framework provided by Abraham Maslow and fulfills the most essential need first. Maslow’s theory has improved our world and made it more humane by urging society to accept the basic needs every person has to fulfill to be actualized in what he/she is potentially.
References
Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2017). Theories of personality (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Shock, D. J. (2015). A biblical view of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. LinkedIn. Web.