Toward a Psychology of Being

Toward a Psychology of Being encompasses the extended research of Abraham Maslow on the human condition, how people view their wants and needs, the process of psychological growth and how achieving a sense of fulfillment is possible by understanding your perspective on needs and the way your mind works.

Maslow believed in self-actualization as a science. Therefore, he stated that this ultimate state of fulfillment can only be achieved if one follows their true nature and inner voice. For example, maybe you have a burning desire and an inclination towards dancing. But you choose to spend your life being an accountant. In that situation, you’ll never achieve self-actualization.

In contrast, you’ll end up feeling the opposite, which is a state of dissatisfaction, disharmony, and loss of purpose. However, to even begin following your purpose, you must first meet your basic needs and work your way up the pyramid. The first category of needs you ought to fulfill is your physiological needs, like air, water, reproduction, shelter, and so on.

The second category is your safety needs represented by personal security, employment, health, and other similar aspects. Then, there’s the need for love and belonging, having a sense of connection or a family. The fourth category is the esteem need, which implies receiving respect for others, recognition, and freedom. Lastly, there’s self-actualization, at the end of the hierarchy.

On the quest to achieve self-actualization, humans must go through different challenges and fulfill various levels of needs. Advancing to the next category on the pyramid implies that all previous needs have been taken care of. That’s why it is a challenge for anyone to make it to the top. However, once there, Maslow suggests that the person will experience a state of Being.

A state of Being implies that you’ll no longer see people as means to reach your goals. Instead, you love them for their qualities and intrinsic values. That’s because you have already achieved everything. In this state of Being, you’ll achieve a whole set of emotions, such as self-reliance, autonomy, usefulness. Peak experiences feel like pure ecstasy, and you have a lot of those moments.

You become free from all other needs and get to focus on what you wish. When you do so, you appreciate everything in detail and see everything as an end rather than means. In other words, you see the world in its wholeness and uniqueness, instead of focusing on the parts that are important to you, like we all do on our way to the top of the pyramid.