Actualization: Interpretation Abraham Maslow Carl Rogers (Case Study Sample)

Self-Actualization
Franklin O’Bannon
Ashford University
Self-Actualization
Introduction
The Theory of Self-actualization brings forth an important theory or concept that emanated from the Humanistic psychological concept which was a method generated by Abraham Maslow. According to Maslow, self-actualization signifies the development of a person to the highest attainable level of fulfillment of the current greatest needs, especially about life. Carl Rogers is also involved in the creation of humanistic psychological concepts (Patrick, 2014). Based on Rogers’s theory, he focuses on creating a lasting impact on the growth potential which has the target of ascertaining the integration between “real self” alongside “ideal self,” having an outcome of developing and molding the “fully functioning person.” Maslow developed a psychological hierarchy of the needs that are essential for the fulfillment which leads to satisfaction based on the needs high on the hierarchy chain (Patrick, 2014).
Abraham Maslow Theory
Hierarchy chain created my Maslow depicts a straight forward pattern showing the growth in a representation of a pyramid where the greatest needs are at the peak. Also, Maslow suggests in his article how individuals who are self-actualizing have the capability to decide dichotomies, for instance, the ones reflected when you consider the ultimate different to free willpower and determinism. Also, he suggests self-actualizes are persons who are very creative and can be found to be psychologically vigorous in nature and their daily operations. It supports the positive psychology theory of the wise man since the depiction of self-actualized persons is that if high intellectual capability (Lau, et al.,2015). Maslow self-actualization hierarchy describes several different ways: physiological wants which include the basic needs of a fully functioning person which are food, good and peaceful sleep and clean, fresh air: there is the need for security and guaranteed security for any fully functioning person. The need for the safety becomes of grave concern in situations of societal and political unpredictability: there are needs for positivity in boosting the morale of a fully functioning person. Factors such as self-esteem and respect, healthy and positive thinking are qualities that are desirable in a person (Lau, et al., 2015).
In the current dispensation, we can look back and observe the famous person who has made a positive and significant impact about self-actualization. Individuals such as Mahatma Gandhi of India, Nelson Mandela of Africa and Viktor Frankl is as actual examples who were able to humanize a truth of self-actualization. From the example of the life of Mahatma Gandhi, we can observe the way he risked his wellbeing and practiced civil disobedience for the sake of liberty of his native community. Viktor being a Holocaust survivor, he never at any point in time relinquishes his grasp of the meaning life gave unto him. As for Nelson Mandela, one can observe how he never lost the approach to the sense of life during the hard times when he gets detained. It is important to note, in the above cases the safety of all the three individuals was at stake because of the struggles to fight for what they believed. In many scenarios persons who find their security compromised tend to become conscious of being values. Such people tend to find the meaningfulness of life explicitly due to the situations of danger upon their lives. In the case, the situation of life-threatening circumstances mainly brings about the contradiction of life and death (Hanna, et al.,2017).
Challenges to Maslow’s Theory on Self-Actualization
From the above reference of self-actualization by Maslow, he describes them as persons considered to be very creative with to notch experiences. He finds self-actualizes to be individuals who have the capability to resolve oppositions that are conflicting with factors such as “freedom and determinism” “the conscious and the unconscious” also “intentionality and lack of intentionality.” Creativity is considered as a hallmark for self-actualizing persons and is perceived as wired into within a dialectical relationship. In many cases, dichotomies are difficult to understand explicitly and become resolvable, the dichotomies stated above are seen to be able to be resolved through creative activities. However, several concepts which need consideration in the process such as one of the aspects of the individual dichotomies which can further show as a “thesis” and the other as an “antithesis,” art represented as the “synthesis” belonging to the dichotomous connection (Teja, et al., 2013).
Self-actualization through the use of art can is perceived to enhance the psychological well-being of any individual. From the interpretation of art, when one considers the part of both the audience I relation to the artist, it becomes an explicit avenue reflecting towards self-realization probably of the personal and independent nature which is self-realization: having in mind self-realization is self-actualization. Preferences have always suggested the most functional persons are considered to have the ability to attain being values, determination of dichotomies, top notch experiences and contain a sense in this life (Teja, et al., 2013).
Carl Rogers Theory
Alongside Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers is also considered to be among the most recognizable founding associates of the humanist movement. According to Rogers, Humanistic psychology focuses broadly on the active role of an individual in line with determining their inner and outside worlds. According to the suggestions by Rogers, his success came about through insisting on the points that a human being is considered a dynamic, creative, undergoing being who is well-thought-out to reside in the current and individually responds to current awareness, associations, and encounters (Gouveia, et al., 2014). Through the use of individual-centered counseling and scientific therapy study, Rogers put together his theory regarding personality growth which brought to light the free will and the enormous reservoir of humankind capability of goodness. Rogers over the years became suspicious over the existing concepts of personality considering how his perspective of the human situation relied upon the perceptual certainty of the person. During this change, Rogers was able to alter the ideology of a therapist viewed as an expert having knowledge (Mahoney, et al., 2014).
According to Rogers, he believed that every human being had the ability to thrive provided he was in the right environment. Based on this, it was in his view that the job of a therapist in such a situation is to provide the patient with the favorable conditions to enable the person to connect with his mental ability. Rogers referred to this as actualizing tendency. Actualizing tendency became the driving motive for Rogers’s theory of the human person. The actualizing tendency of a person tends to survive even in an individual considered to suffer from mental issues. Parts of the organisms of a person may tend to work against the actualizing tendency especially the standard components such as “self.” Rogers identified the existence of the real self which implies to the person that exists when we find ourselves feeling comfortable in our surroundings, and with our actualizing tendency, ideal self-considered as the self we would like to become. He identified the babies born lack the awareness of self; however, as a person grows in age, they tend to develop the need to be recognized positively mostly in the part of self. Over the years individuals have continued to be overcome by the prevailing conditions of loss of their organismic intellect or real self.
Challenges to Roger’s Theory on Self-Actualization
Based on the finding by Rogers, a fully functioning person is considered to have frankness to experiences and all these experiences to be accessible to awareness. The self-structure of such person is consistent with experience and fluid and changing consistently wi...