Personal self-actualization - what is it in psychology

Perhaps each of us has heard about self-actualization at least once. But few people have a clear idea of what it is. Which person is self-actualized and which is not? How to measure this? In the article you will learn about what it means to realize yourself, how to determine whether you are a self-actualized person or not, and what ways there are to become who you can potentially become. You can find out your strengths and weaknesses, decide on the vector of development and understand what you want in life in our online program “Self-Knowledge”.

What is self-actualization

What is self-actualization, what is its definition in psychology? Self-actualization is the process of personality formation, its psychological development. Every person has an inherent desire for the maximum realization of his abilities, inclinations, and capabilities. Self-actualization is based on a person's internal motives. The concept of “self-actualization” does not include passivity. A self-actualizing person himself strives to master new types of activities; he always has many plans and goals. He doesn't wait for the world to offer him something, he looks for opportunities himself.

The concept of self-actualization is closely related to the concept of self-realization. The first is the search for an answer to the question “Who am I, what should I be?” The second is the search for an answer to the question “What am I doing in order to be who I should be?” In science, the theory of self-actualization and self-realization of a person is closely related to humanistic psychology. In it, the concept of self-actualization is key. The term was introduced by K. Goldstein, who is also the author of the theory. However, besides him, the problem was studied by K. Rogers and A. Maslow. And their vision of the issue is discussed more often in psychology.

The authors’ concepts are somewhat different, for example, Maslow believed that one needs to develop actively, and Rogers preferred slow self-actualization (we’ll talk more about the types below). However, they agreed on the essence and specifics of self-actualization and believed that any person can achieve success in life if he begins to choose and direct his life. Self-actualization is the pinnacle in the theory of personality development.

The difficulty is that self-actualization largely depends on the developmental environment. What type of environment contains the potential for assumptions of favorable development of self-actualization? A friendly, developing environment, where there are warm and trusting relationships, where a person is supported and guided, and assistance is provided. It is extremely important that from an early age a person finds himself in such an environment, then the process of self-actualization will be simpler and more favorable.

Important! A self-actualizing person feels like a harmonious and whole person. He realizes his value and importance and feels that he is benefiting society.

How to define a self-actualizing personality?

Let's figure out how to identify a person in the society around us who is already in the stream of self-actualization. So, a person in the process of self-improvement has the following signs:

Emotional openness: quickly and easily forgives sudden breakdowns of unrestrained or overly sensitive people.
Complete control over your life: it is impossible to influence or put pressure on such people; they make their own decisions and do not depend on the opinions of others.
Continuous striving for development and perfection - prefers to obtain new information from literature.
Most often this is a creative person with positive thinking.

If there are people around you who do what they love, they are definitely among those who are in the process of self-actualization.

Maslow's self-actualization theory

Why don't all people reach the level of self-actualization? It's all about the pyramid of needs that Maslow defined. The transition to a new level is impossible without satisfying the needs of the previous level. Let's briefly consider Maslow's theory of self-actualization.

Levels of the pyramid of needs:

Level (lowest to highest)	Characteristic
Physiological	At this level the need for food and water, sex, sleep, good health, etc. is located. This group includes everything without which a person will die, everything that helps him to exist as an organism. This is the animal level.
Security needs	This group of needs includes the desire to have comfortable and permanent housing, stable work, and confidence in the future. This level also includes psychological comfort, absence of stress and threats to physical or mental health, life in a stable society, etc. This is the level of the animal, smoothly transitioning into the social.
Social	The need for respect, acceptance, family, friends, communication, social interaction. In a broad sense, it can be defined as a need in society. This is the social level.
Self-esteem	The need for self-esteem, self-acceptance. At this level, it becomes more important for a person what he thinks about himself, and not what society thinks about him. He wants to be proud of himself, strives for comfort and inner harmony, self-love and total self-acceptance.
Self-actualization	The need for creative self-expression and social activity. At this level, a person tries to combine the two previous stages, that is, he seeks a balance between personal and social, he learns to be himself in the conditions of society. Harmony with himself is still important to him, but at the same time he is looking for ways of self-expression that will be accepted and appreciated by society and are useful to him.

Self-actualization according to Maslow is based on 8 principles:

Life "here and now". Not every person understands what is happening around him and inside him. You need to learn to live and understand every minute.
Always choose growth, that is, experience and learning something new. This is closely related to the fear of the unknown.
To live, not to exist. A person should do what he likes and not do what he doesn’t like. You cannot sacrifice your interests for the sake of other people.
Be honest with yourself and others, be able to bear responsibility.
Trust yourself, your impulses and feelings, and not what is supposedly accepted in society.
Constantly develop your abilities, turn them into talents.
Rebirth. The peak of experiences in which a person changes his attitude towards himself and other people.
Identification and elimination of subconscious defense mechanisms (projection, repression, rationalization, etc.), development of conscious behavior.

Important! According to A. Maslow's theory of self-actualization, only the person who has reached the highest level is considered a harmonious, healthy, mature person.

Obstacles

At first glance, it seems that there is nothing difficult to begin self-actualization. And now you are ready to take your path to gradually improve. However, everything is not as easy as we would like. In the life of each of us there are enough reasons not to start fulfilling our plans.

The following factors may prevent you from fully realizing your potential:

Motivation. More precisely, its absence

If there is no reason to do something, you will not strive for a goal, no matter how important it may seem. The result of such work will be wasted effort and lack of moral satisfaction. Laziness

To achieve something, you need to act, make an effort. Nothing is given just like that. Social pressure. First of all, this applies to those states where the needs of the collective are a priority, and the manifestation of individuality is not welcomed in any way, even with harsh punishments. Another example: the difficulty of realizing yourself as an individual when your talents are not in demand. Fear, complexes, lack of self-confidence. A person can calmly live a measured life, consciously avoiding difficulties. But will he be happy or successful?! Low self-esteem and false beliefs about your abilities. For example, a person begins to have thoughts such as “I will never achieve this”, “I can’t”, “this is too difficult for me”, etc.

Most of the factors that can interfere with your realization are in the head, that is, in the consciousness. All you have to do is get rid of them, and you will see how your business will improve and you will begin to get what you want.

Self-actualization as a process

Most people reach level 3 or 4 and stop there. They have housing, a stable job (though not always a favorite one), friends and family, and hobbies. They go with the flow and seem to be happy with themselves and their lives. It would seem that everything is fine, but sometimes melancholy comes and then goes away. Why is it impossible to reach a new level, which complicates the process of self-actualization?

Taking yourself and your life into your own hands is really not easy. However, the instructions already exist; these conditions for self-actualization were identified by A. Maslow:

Conscious and complete experience of any events. You can’t avoid problems, suppress negativity, or pretend that nothing happened if something doesn’t suit you.
Recognizing that a person has a choice, using this feature. We make dozens of choices every day in every area of our lives. Doing nothing or going with the flow, putting something off until tomorrow again and again, enduring is also a choice. But does it really suit you?
Changing attitudes towards responsibility. Choice always comes with responsibility. Many people choose to remain inactive because they are afraid to be held accountable for their actions. You need to realize that the ability to be responsible for yourself and others is a plus, not a minus.
Where there is responsibility and choice, there is freedom and independence. This is exactly what a person wants, who seems to be doing well, but sometimes something is gnawing at him from the inside. In fact, he cannot think and act freely; he is locked within narrow limits. This makes him unhappy and holds back his personal potential.
Self-trust, self-love, self-acceptance. Not all people are ready to talk frankly with themselves, to admit that they don’t like something about themselves, that something influences them from the outside.
Recognizing problems (psychological, somatic, social, etc.) and working on them.
Continuous creativity. It's not just drawing, singing or music. Creativity is coming up with something new and original. There is a place for this in every area of life.

Important! The more internal problems and barriers a person has and the more difficult his childhood was, the more difficult his self-actualization.

Methods

Research by A. Maslow

Throughout its life, from the moment of conception, the body solves many problems. At first everything happens on an unconscious level. A creature, before becoming a conscious person, strives to satisfy needs, primarily fundamental ones. With the development of the body in general and awareness in particular, there is an increase in needs, among which A. Maslow names the 5 most common. You've probably heard of Maslow's pyramid.

So, he compiled a hierarchy: from the simplest to the highest level needs:

basic (physiological or fundamental): water, food, sleep, etc.;
safety (the instinct of self-preservation is triggered): daily routine, housing, clothing;
love, belonging: society of relatives, friends;
respect or participation in public life;
self-actualization.

In order for us to satisfy the highest and at the same time complex need, we need to know how to do it. There are many techniques on how to start the mechanism consciously.

The most common methods of self-actualization

1. Full immersion. Gather your thoughts and let something consume you. Forget about protection, shyness. At this moment you will be filled with something very innocent, something fresh, your childish innocence will be reborn. Your usual cynicism will disappear, and your resilience and desire to appear wise beyond your years will simply disappear. To achieve such a state, one must be selfless. After all, very often we suffer from being too shy. But we very rarely perform truly selfless deeds.

2. Imagine that life is a process of continuous choice. You do it every moment: moving forward or taking a step back. You strive to protect yourself, looking for a safe shelter because you are afraid to leave your comfort zone. Or vice versa - you are ready for achievements, discover something new, grow and develop. If every day you make a choice in favor of development and growth, then you are already on the path to self-actualization, which implies this choice. That is, you discard everything that interferes with your personal growth.

3. Listen to your inner voice. This is how your inner self manifests itself. Unfortunately, now most people are accustomed to listening to the voices of others, instead of their own.

4. In times of doubt, be honest. Doubts are often accompanied by lies. Demand a clear answer from yourself, do not be afraid to become responsible for your choice, your decision. Only when you are fully responsible for what happens to you and what you don't have, do you self-actualize.

5. Develop your intelligence and your capabilities. Try to maximize the potential that is within you. For self-actualization, you need to work hard to turn what you want into reality. Think about it, each of us strives to become the best in the area in which we are really good.

6. Higher experiences are very important moments of self-actualization. That is, these are those very flashes of ecstasy, a feeling of complete satisfaction that cannot be obtained from the outside. Throw away all illusions, accept that there is something that is not yours, that you are simply not capable of. In this way, you will gradually reveal your potential, your true Self.

7. Essence. To understand yourself, discover your true essence, realize what is good and what is bad for you, and, ultimately, to find your purpose in life, you need to dig deep and understand your own psychopathology. To answer all these questions, you need to become aware of your defense mechanisms and overcome them. This is a complex process and very painful, because protection protects against what is unpleasant. However, you will be pleased with the result if you manage to overcome this barrier.

Areas of the self-actualization process

socio-political activity;
hobbies and hobbies;
family;
professional work.

Psychologist Otto Rank lists religion as a means of self-actualization. This is because through the lens of faith a person seeks to understand what makes him special. Another important way of self-actualization in modern society is joining cyberculture. After all, our world is a world of highly developed digital technologies. For this reason, knowledge of electronics and technology is a good way to adapt in society.

Creativity can be called a separate way of self-realization. It is used by people who have already realized some purely personal aspirations.

Types of self-actualization

The process of formation and development of personality is strictly individual. However, it is possible to classify types of self-actualization according to how it manifests itself in three criteria: depth, harmony and activity.

Superficial and deep

Occurs most often. With this type, a person chaotically develops all his qualities and abilities, chooses any means of self-expression, and refuses to critically evaluate his actions. By proudly declaring “I am who I am,” a person demonstrates both strengths and weaknesses, both good personality traits and bad ones.

With a deep type of self-actualization, a person selectively approaches self-expression, struggles with his shortcomings and further develops his personal strengths. He constantly reflects, evaluates and analyzes himself and his actions. He tries to reveal and develop qualities that will help not only become happy, but also build harmonious relationships with society.

Harmonious and problematic

With a harmonious type, a person clearly knows where he is going, what talents and abilities he has. He rejoices in victories and learns from his mistakes, perceiving them as opportunities for growth. Society supports him.

With a problem type, a person cannot decide who and what he wants to be. He does not know himself and does not know what society wants him to be. He grabs first one thing and then another. Often disappointed in himself and conflicts with society.

Active and careful

With the active type, a person strives to achieve everything he has planned as soon as possible. Energy pours out of him; he infects others with his enthusiasm. Such people are not used to waiting and tend to take risks.

“The slower you go, the further you will go” is the motto of careful self-actualization. Such people are accustomed to carefully calculating, thinking through, and developing strategies. Sometimes they end up overtaking those who chose the active path.

Characteristics of a self-actualizing person

Maslow describes the self-actualizing individual as a person from whom nothing has been taken away. And an ordinary person is a creature who has drowned out the talents given by nature.

Are you ready to stop thinking about your problem and finally move on to real actions that will help you get rid of your problems once and for all? Then perhaps you will be interested in this article .

Parameters of personality self-actualization:

realistic assessment of one’s own activities;
accepting oneself with shortcomings;
natural treatment of people, without pretense;
actions and actions are aimed at achieving the goal;
need for privacy;
no dependence on the environment;
even ordinary things are perceived as a miracle;
ability for sensitive interpersonal relationships;
freedom from prejudice.

But self-actualizing people are not ideal. Like others, they can be angry, irritable, boring, and selfish. A sign of a developing individual is temperamental outbursts. The characteristic of interpersonal relationships is the ability to quickly change from deep to cold.

In his research, Maslow gave the following example of the process of self-actualization: a woman who realized that she did not love her husband. She divorced her husband with cruelty and coldness, without worrying about his feelings. The realization of her potential was inadequate and developed into selfishness.

What is the motive for self-actualization?

Self-expression motive. If a person does what he does not want to do and does not do what his nature actually requires, then he will be unhappy. This strength, unsatisfied need, suppressed desires and abilities force him to move forward, to self-actualize. If a person was naturally meant to be a musician, but he tries to be a teacher, then he will not be satisfied with his life. This is the motive of self-actualization - the internal desire to live according to one’s nature. It reflects a person’s desire to be himself, this is his motivation for development.

conclusions

Self-actualization is the embodiment of your best qualities, skills and talents. We can say that self-actualization is the peak of development of any person. Personal growth is a necessary part of our lives. Without him, our life cannot be complete. And it is self-actualization that makes us unique individuals, helping us to pursue our goals and ideals. Psychologists believe that every person has hidden potential that he can realize. Perhaps you have long wanted to start drawing, playing a musical instrument, or learning a foreign language. But self-actualization is not limited to art. This is creativity that can be used in all areas and will make your life much more interesting.

Need for self-actualization

According to the theory of Carl Rogers, the need for self-actualization is inherent in every person from birth. Subconsciously, we all strive to become an integral and independent person. The psychologist believed that no circumstances can suppress the desire for self-actualization, and as soon as suitable conditions arise, it will burst out.

Examples

A great example of the need for self-actualization is starting a business. For example, one day a girl realizes that working in a 5/2 office and doing the same type of paperwork does not bring her joy. At the same time, she understands that she likes to draw, she is good at it. Inner strength forces her to analyze the profession market, where she finds the profession of a designer. She realizes that she could become one. Then her inner strength forces her to find suitable courses, the girl makes a list of qualities that she needs to develop in herself, and a step-by-step plan for achieving her goal - working as a designer (opening an individual entrepreneur).

Another example. For several years now, the man has been sitting at home without work, doing some part-time work that does not require special skills. He hates himself and everyone around him. He feels that he wants and can achieve more. He wants to be truly useful to society, to inspire, to guide. At the same time, he doesn’t know what to do, and he’s also afraid of society. Inner strength (need) forces you to turn to a psychologist to get rid of psychological problems. After psychotherapy sessions and professional training, the man himself becomes a psychologist. He likes it, he is useful to society.

Stages

If you have a desire for development, you should decide on a plan of action.

First you need to identify your needs. The next step is to evaluate the capabilities and understand the abilities. That is, you need to take time for yourself. Engage in self-knowledge, meditate. If it is very difficult to understand yourself, try turning to specialists.

The second stage will be the search for ways of self-realization. It can be anything, regardless of direction. The level of training also does not matter. The only thing that matters here is your attitude towards the activity. The main thing is that the chosen business brings pleasure. For girls, I recommend reading this article.

Who can be called a self-actualizing person?

Portrait of a self-actualizing personality according to Maslow (suitable for diagnosing self-actualizing personality):

thinks positively;
trusts himself and the world;
open to the world;
free from anger and hatred and other negativity;
lives in harmony with himself and the world;
accepts oneself and other people as they are;
loves his job and does it with pleasure;
free from stereotypes and clichés;
has a developed sense of humor;
knows how to admit his mistakes and learn from them;
strictly distinguishes between good and evil;
does not hide from problems, but solves them;
does not depend on other people's opinions;
strives for development;
knows how to choose and take responsibility for his choice;
has its own system of beliefs, principles, values;
has psychological flexibility.

If you recognize yourself in this description, then congratulations - you are a mature and healthy person.

Article on the topic: “The concept of self-actualization and its psychological characteristics

The concept of self-actualization and its psychological characteristics

Self-actualization is the basic concept of humanistic psychology. The main contributions to the development of the idea of self-actualization were made by K. Rogers, A. Maslow and E. Sjostrom.

Humanistic psychology is based on the statement that the desire to understand the real values of existence and their implementation in practical activities is considered an important condition for the full development of a person. She also believes that the main direction for the reconstruction of society and its social institutions is one that will give any child entering the world the opportunity throughout his life to develop his own inclinations to the maximum and realize them for the benefit of society and himself. At the center of her interest is the issue of training and formation of a harmonious and competent personality that fully realizes its own capabilities in the interests of individual and social growth. She proposes self-actualization theory as a way to overcome this issue.

The act of self-actualization is a certain final number of operations performed by the subject on the basis of the goals consciously set for oneself in the process of self-realization, as well as the developed strategy for achieving them. Any act ends with a kind of emotional response - a “peak experience”, positive in case of success, and negative (suffering, disappointment) in case of failure.

Self-actualization (Latin actualis – actual, real) is the individual’s desire for the most absolute disclosure and formation of one’s own individual capabilities. In certain directions of modern Western psychology, self-actualization is put forward (as opposed to behaviorism and Freudianism, which believes that personal behavior is driven by biological forces, and its meaning lies in defusing the tension they create and adapting to the environment) as the main motivational factor. True self-actualization presupposes the presence of suitable socio-historical circumstances. Self-actualization according to A. Maslow is the need for self-improvement, for the full realization of one’s potential. Rogers believes that self-actualization is considered the force that forces a person to improve in various directions - from mastering motor skills to higher creative heights.

The result of self-actualization can be defined as an impeccable way of existence. According to A. Maslow, these people represent the “color” of the human race, its best representatives. He also believed that such individuals had achieved the degree of individual development that is potentially inherent in any of us. Of course, as with every abstract form of flawless psychological formation, it is impossible to achieve self-actualization by simply adhering to prescriptions. On the contrary, it is a slow and painful process that is better analyzed as a continuous selection, rather than the result of a fixed point. Every individual tries to realize his own internal capabilities in his own way. Thus, every desire to use A. Maslow’s criteria for the purpose of self-actualization must be tempered by the realization that any individual must consciously choose his own path of self-improvement, striving to be what he is not capable of being in life.

A. Maslow came to the conclusion that self-actualizing individuals have the following properties:

1. More adequate perception of reality. Self-actualizing people are ready to accept the world around them, including other people, objectively and impartially. They see reality as it is, and not as they would like it to be. They are less emotional and more objective in their perceptions and do not allow hopes and fears to influence their assessment.

2. Acceptance of yourself, others and nature. Self-actualizing people can accept themselves as they are. They are not overly critical of their shortcomings and weaknesses. They are not burdened by excessive feelings of guilt, shame and anxiety - emotional states that are generally so inherent in people.

3. Spontaneity, simplicity and naturalness. The behavior of self-actualizing people is marked by spontaneity and simplicity, the absence of artificiality or the desire to produce an effect. But this does not mean that they constantly behave contrary to tradition. Their inner life (thoughts and emotions) is alien to convention, natural and spontaneous. But this unconventionality is not intended to impress; they may even suppress it so as not to upset others, and observe certain formalities and rituals. Consequently, they may adapt to protect themselves and others from pain or injustice.

4. Focused on the problem. A. Maslow believed that all the individuals he examined, without exception, were committed to some task, duty, calling or favorite work that they considered important. That is, they are not self-centered, but rather focused on problems that are higher than their immediate needs, problems that they consider to be their life mission. In this sense, they live to work rather than work to live; work is subjectively experienced by them as their defining characteristic.

5. Independence: need for privacy. A. Maslow writes that self-actualizing people have a great need for the inviolability of their inner life and solitude. Since they do not seek to establish relationships of dependence with others, they can enjoy the richness and completeness of friendship.

6. Autonomy: independence from culture and environment. Based on the characteristics discussed above, it can be assumed that self-actualizing people are free in their actions, regardless of the physical and social environment. This autonomy allows them to rely on their own potential and internal sources of growth and development.

7. Freshness of perception. Self-actualizing people have the ability to appreciate even the most ordinary events in life, while experiencing novelty, awe, pleasure and even ecstasy.

8. Summit or mystical experiences. While studying the process of self-actualization, A. Maslow came to an unexpected discovery: many of his subjects had what he called peak experiences. These are moments of great excitement or high tension, as well as moments of relaxation, peace, bliss and tranquility. They represent ecstatic states that are experienced in the culminating moments of love and intimacy, in impulses of creativity, insight, discovery and merging with nature. Such people can “turn on” without artificial stimulants. The fact that they are alive includes them.

9. Public interest. Even when self-actualizing people are worried, saddened, or even angry about the shortcomings of the human race, they nevertheless share a deep sense of intimacy with it. Consequently, they have a sincere desire to help their "mortal" fellow humans improve themselves. This desire is expressed by feelings of compassion, sympathy and love for all humanity.

10. Deep interpersonal relationships. Self-actualizing people strive for deeper and more intimate personal relationships than “regular” people. More often than not, those they associate with are healthier and closer to self-actualization than the average person. That is, self-actualizing people tend to form close relationships with those who have similar personalities, talents, and abilities, although due to their social interest they have a special sense of empathy for less healthy people.

11. Democratic character. Self-actualizing individuals, according to Maslow, are the most “democratic” people. They have no prejudices, and therefore they respect other people, regardless of what class, race, religion, gender they belong to, what their age, profession and other indicators of status are. Moreover, they readily learn from others without exhibiting superiority or authoritarian tendencies.

12. Distinction between means and ends. In everyday life, self-actualizing individuals are more definite, consistent and firm than ordinary people about what is right and wrong, good and bad. They adhere to certain moral and ethical standards, although very few of them are religious in the orthodox sense of the word.

13. Philosophical sense of humor. Another notable characteristic of self-actualizing people is their clear preference for philosophical, benevolent humor. While the average person may enjoy jokes that make fun of someone's inferiority, demeaning someone or obscene, then a healthy person is more attracted to humor that makes fun of the stupidity of humanity in general.

14. Creativity. A. Maslow discovered that all self-actualizing people, without exception, have the ability to be creative. However, the creative potential of his subjects did not manifest itself in the same way as outstanding talents in poetry, art, music or science. A. Maslow spoke, rather, about the same natural and spontaneous creativity that is inherent in unspoiled children. It is creativity that is present in everyday life as a natural way of expressing an observant, perceptive and invigoratingly simple personality.

15. Resistance to cultivation. And finally, self-actualizing people are in harmony with their culture, while maintaining a certain internal independence from it. They have autonomy and self-confidence, and therefore their thinking and behavior are not subject to social and cultural influence.

Thus, the above can serve as a reason for the conclusion that self-actualizing individuals are a selected category, approaching impeccability in the art of living and standing at a height unattainable for other people. A. Maslow clearly denied similar conclusions. Being non-ideal according to their own human nature, self-actualizing people are also subject to stupid, unconstructive and unnecessary habits, just like us, perishable ones. They can be inflexible, irritable, boring, absurd, selfish or depressed, and under no circumstances are they immune to baseless ambition, excessive pride and infatuation with their friends, family and children. Temperamental outbursts are not that unusual for them. A. Maslow also revealed that his subjects were ready to express a specific “surgical coldness” in interpersonal conflicts. For example, one girl, realizing that she no longer loved her husband, divorced him with a determination close to ruthlessness. Others recovered after the death of their loved ones so simply that they looked ruthless.

Self-actualizing people are not free from feelings of guilt, anxiety, sadness and self-doubt. Due to excessive concentration, they often cannot tolerate empty gossip and easy conversation. In fact, they may speak or behave in ways that suppress, shock, or offend others. Finally, their kindness to others can make them vulnerable to interactions that are not helpful to them (say, they are in danger of getting bogged down in interactions with annoying or unhappy people). Despite all these imperfections, self-actualizing people are excellent examples of mental health.

In psychology, the term “self-realization” is used, which is close in meaning to the concept of self-actualization. Recognition of the identity of these concepts is the fact that in the most famous psychological dictionaries published both here and abroad, the concept of self-realization is absent, but the concept of self-actualization is given as the most developed category in modern science, which includes all the characteristics of self-realization. According to R. Assagioli, the term “self-realization” includes self-actualization and self-comprehension.

The concept of “self-realization” thus means the mental, cognitive aspect of activity, theoretical activity, work on the internal plane. Self-realization is manifested in the construction and adjustment, restructuring of the “concept of self”, including the “ideal self”, picture of the world and life plan, awareness of the results of previous activities (formation of the concept of the past). Self-actualization and self-realization thus turn out to be two inseparable sides of one process, the process of development and growth, the result of which is a person who has maximally revealed and used his human potential, a self-actualized personality.

An act of self-actualization is a certain finite number of actions performed by a subject on the basis of the goals consciously set for oneself in the course of self-realization and the developed strategy for achieving them.

According to S.L. Rubinstein, the main characteristics of a subject are his abilities for self-development, self-determination, self-improvement, in other words, the ability to achieve the highest, optimal level of his development. The concept of “self-actualization” is defined by him through the category of “direction”, considered as a characteristic of the individual.

Z. I. Ryabikina notes that changes occurring in external spaces, for reasons independent of the individual, continue to influence the development of the individual if they reveal their significance for it. The main source of contradictions is associated with intrapersonal semantic transformations and the process of self-actualization, which comes into conflict with external existence (limited physical capabilities of the individual; lack of necessary skills, knowledge about the world; resistance to ethical and other stereotypes, etc.).

Self-actualizing people strive for the realization of higher values, which, as a rule, cannot be reduced to something higher. These values (goodness, truth, decency, beauty, justice, perfection, etc.) act as vital needs for them.

Existence for a self-actualizing personality appears as a process of constant choice. At every moment of life, an individual has a choice: moving forward, overcoming obstacles that inevitably arise on the path to a high goal, or retreat, giving up the fight and giving up positions. A self-actualizing person always chooses to move forward and overcome obstacles.

Self-actualization, at the same time, presupposes reliance on one’s own strengths, the presence of an independent opinion on the main issues of life. This is a process of constant development and practical implementation of one’s capabilities.

The decisive sign of the stage of maturity is the awareness of oneself as a subject of life, when external events, internal transformations, as well as personal achievements are linked by it into the sequence of consequences of some ideal plan, a strategy of self-determination and self-realization in the future, in the process of implementing the “life plan”, the plans themselves are clarified and detailed , sometimes change, causing a semantic contradiction with previously accomplished and achieved. This contradiction is removed by rethinking. Thus, self-actualization is a person’s desire to identify and develop his personal capabilities as fully as possible.

Therefore, a self-actualizing person can be called a person who thinks and acts independently, is successful in his activities and realizes his maximum potential. In addition, the basis of the value system of a self-actualized person is his philosophical attitude to life, his agreement with himself, with his biological nature, acceptance of social life and physical reality. This attitude to life is total and everyday, its traces can be noted in every assessment and in every judgment of a self-actualized person. Everything that he likes or dislikes, everything that he approves or condemns, everything that he offers or rejects, everything that makes him happy or sad, all his tastes, preferences and evaluations - all this is rooted in his inherent basic acceptance. life.

Thus, self-actualization can be defined as a process of self-development of an individual, his personal growth, as a process of a person becoming a subject of his own life activity, aimed at building a life strategy, at building a hierarchy of values, and finding the meaning of life. A self-actualizing personality is a personality characterized by a stable, high-level focus on creativity, motivational and creative activity, which manifests itself in organic unity with a high level of creative abilities that allow it to achieve socially and personally significant creative results in one or more types of activity. It is characterized by such qualities and characteristics as a comfortable relationship with reality, a sense of community, basic satisfaction, a sense of well-being, prosperity, abundance, the ability to separate means from ends, and other qualities.