Fulfilling our best-state potential: Abraham Maslow's influence on positive psychology

Abstract

Multiple factors have led to a shift from psychology’s physiologic and mechanistic beginnings to a more integrative, encompassing bio-psychosocial model in order to explore and explain human behavior: dissatisfaction with the incompleteness of the explanatory powers of the biologically-based, pathology-oriented model; a shift in funding structures; a demand for increased public accountability; and the efforts of a few luminaries. One of the eminent proponents at the heart of this shift was Abraham Maslow, and his work includes perspectives that have informed a wide range of human behavior and human potential. This paper uses a Maslowian lens as its point of departure and surveys his ideas of autonomy, human choice, spontaneity, volition, motivation, excellence, growth, and transformation (Maslow 1965, 1970, 1971, 1987) that have formed many of the precepts of what we now call the positive psychology movement. Maslow’s enthusiasm, knowledge, and far-sightedness touched many blank or partial canvases in the landscape of what has been termed humanistic psychology. Maslow developed far-reaching theories in broad areas including motivation, meta-needs, the ‘value life’, aesthetics, work and work relationships, intelligence, leadership, and even education (Hoffman 1988; Lowry 1979). In fact, he developed an extensive list of requisite components of strong educational programming (Simons, Irwin, and Drinnien 1987), arguing that spiritual, moral, and ethical values should be the “far goals of psychotherapy, of child care, of marriage, the family, of work, and perhaps of all other social institutions” (Maslow 1970, p. 57). Maslow sought, studied, and created intentionally unrepresentative samples, which is an approach that is generally viewed as both heretical and antithetical to the scientific tradition upon which psychology is predicated. However, this explorational style permitted unfettered data collection and contributed unique perspectives that were not bound by the confines of traditional normatively-based psychology. Maslow was also one of the first psychologists to study industrial relations, developing his Theory Y based on the relationships people have with their jobs. His theories on job perception were harbingers that have formed the basis of specific work such as doctoral dissertations (Wrzesniewski 1999, 2002), large bodies of work surrounding work motivation, job satisfaction, and that even have helped form the human relations movement as a whole (Kelloway, Gallagher, and Barling 2004). Perhaps most importantly, Maslow made major contributions to the intellectual discussion leading to linkages between “I” and “we”, or the ‘interiority’ (Wilber 1998) of a person, and “it”, or the scientific and technological portions of the world. Acknowledging these factors has forged new ways of assessing their respective roles in human nature, culture, values, and ultimately, growth toward fulfilling our best-state potential. Abraham Maslow developed far-reaching theories in many broad areas. This paper uses a Maslowian lens and surveys many of his ideas regarding autonomy, human volition, spontaneity, motivation, excellence, growth, and transformation (Maslow 1965, 1970, 1971, 1987) that have formed many precepts of what we now call the positive psychology movement.