From: Toward a Psychology of Being, by Abraham Maslow

From: Toward a Psychology of Being, by Abraham Maslow

“We now have from a few research beginnings and from countless clinical experiences some notion of the characteristics both of the fully evolved human being and of the well-growing human being….
Among the objectively describable and measurable characteristics of the healthy human specimen are-

1. 
   Clearer, more efficient perception of reality.
   
2. 
   More openness to experience.
   
3. 
   Increased integration, wholeness, and unity of the person.
   
4. 
   Increased spontaneity, expressiveness; full functioning; aliveness.
   
5. 
   A real self; a firm identity; autonomy; uniqueness.
   
6. 
   Increased objectivity, detachment, transcendence of self.
   
7. 
   Recovery of creativeness.
   
8. 
   Ability to fuse concreteness and abstractness
   
9. 
   Democratic character structure
   
10. 
    Ability to love ……
    

In addition, there are subjective confirmations or reinforcements of self-actualization or of good growth toward it. These are the feelings of zest in living, of happiness or euphoria, of serenity, of joy, of calmness, of responsibility, of confidence in one’s ability to handle stresses, anxieties, and problems. The subjective signs of self-betrayal, of fixation, of regression, and of living by fear rather than by growth are such feelings as anxiety, despair, boredom, inability to enjoy, intrinsic guilt, intrinsic shame, aimlessness, feelings of emptiness, of lack of identity, etc.

If the various extant religions may be taken as expressions of human aspiration, i.e. what people would like to become if only they could, then we can see here that all people yearn toward self- actualization or tend toward it. This is so because our description of the actual characteristics of self-actualizing people parallels at many points the ideals urged by the religions e.g., the transcendence of self, the fusion of the true, the good and the beautiful, contribution to others, wisdom, honesty and naturalness, the transcendence of selfish and personal motivations, the giving up of “lower” desires in favor of “higher” ones, increased friendliness and kindness, the easy differentiation between ends (tranquility, serenity, peace) and means (money, power, status), the decrease of hostility, cruelty and destructiveness (although decisiveness, justified anger and indignation, self-affirmation, etc. may very well increase).