Maslow Moved On and So Should We
To date, I’ve taken for granted that I can check off many of the “layers” of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—that all-too-familiar pyramid illustrating our movement from the base layer of physiological needs ascending to a pinnacle of “self-actualization,” with each successive layer attainable only after fulfillment of the one below it. Self actualization, the pinnacle, Maslow described as the drive “to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming,” and captured it in the memorable line: “What a man can be, he must be” (psychclassics.yorku.ca). Many of us are fortunate to have the time, space, and money to explore the type of man or woman we “must be.”
I don’t think I could have foreseen in my journey as a founder the degree to which understanding human psychology has been profoundly instructive and necessary. My striving, through both success and adversity, “to become more and more what I am” has opened up gaps in my experience of wanting well (I’ve written extensively about wanting well here). However, my journey has led me to see that Maslow’s model falls short.
As it turns out, Maslow agreed with me.
OG Maslow and Revised Maslow
Maslow introduced his thinking first in 1943 and the 5 levels of need (physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization) quickly became widely used due to its intuitive basis: once you stabilize the basics of what survival requires, you can grow. The pyramid image came later, with credit often given to management writers in the 1960s in a Business Horizons article titled “How money motivates men.” The pyramid quickly caught on and by now, it would be rare to find a description of the hierarchy in any other type of image.
Regardless of the visual expression of the principles, I now understand that even if I achieve complete self-actualization, I will still fall short of experiencing what I’m convinced makes us even more human.
And here’s where Maslow and I agree: by the late 1960s, Maslow began to observe the insufficiency and incompleteness of his own model. He came to describe his initial apex, self-actualization, as both an “end in itself and a transitional goal” (Maslow, 1961/1999b, p. 125,emphasis added) on the way to something different. He believed that self actualization must occur, but, once it has, a person can transition into someone who doesn’t just know they are loved, but loves in return; who doesn’t just know they belong, but welcome others into belonging.
In a 2006 article published by the American Psychological Association, psychologist Mark E. Koltko-Rivera states the importance of Maslow’s changing perspectives on his own work:
The implications of this change in Maslow’s thought must not be underestimated. The earlier model positions the highest form of motivational development at the level of the welladjusted, differentiated, and fulfilled individual self or ego. The later model places the highest form of human development at a transpersonal level, where the self/ego and its needs are transcended. This represents a monumental shift in the conceptualization of human personality and its development. At the level of self-actualization, the individual works to actualize the individual’s own potential; there is thus, at least potentially, a certain self-aggrandizing aspect to this motivational stage, as there is with all the stages below it in Maslow’s hierarchy. At the level of self-transcendence, the individual’s own needs are put aside, to a great extent, in favor of service to others and to some higher force or cause conceived as being outside the personal self.
In the same article, Koltko quotes Maslow himself on this revision on moving beyond “selfhood”:
As he that is, the person in the peak experiences gets to be more purely and singly himself he is more able to fuse with the world, with what was formerly not-self, for example, the lovers come closer to forming a unit rather than two people, the I-Thou monism becomes more possible, the creator becomes one with his work being created, the mother feels one with her child. That is, the greatest attainment of identity, autonomy, or selfhood is itself simultaneously a transcending of itself, a going beyond and above selfhood. The person can then become relatively egoless. (Maslow, 1961/1999b, p. 117)
In 1967, Maslow said the following at his first lecture on what he called “transpersonal psychology”:
“The fully developed (and very fortunate) human being, working under the best conditions tends to be motivated by values which transcend his self. They are not selfish anymore in the old sense of that term. Beauty is not within one's skin nor is justice or order. One can hardly class these desires as selfish in the sense that my desire for food might be. My satisfaction with achieving or allowing justice is not within my own skin; it does not lie along my arteries. It is equally outside and inside: therefore, it has transcended the geographical limitations of the self. Thus one begins to talk about transhumanistic psychology.
These desires allow a person to transcend themselves, entering into meaningful connections and experiences with others. Transcendent actions and motivations are for another’s benefit, a greater cause, a teaming up with a power outside of oneself. Gone is the selfishness, the individualistic, self-serving motives. The person who operates out of self-transcendence looks outward and engages the world in order to serve, improve, and transform.
Sadly, Maslow died before he was able to fully present his changing views from his seat as the president of the American Psychological Association. In light of his unfinished work, I present a version of what he perhaps intended to teach:
Resonance
We can appreciate Maslow’s revision because it captures more fully the impulse to purpose that we feel deeply. What makes us more human is to move beyond experiencing just our own selves to engage, serve, and participate meaningfully with other humans. I dive deeply into this concept in the apex of my own “pyramid” of ascending principles of Wanting Well, exploring the idea of wovenness and the building of small circles of world-changers who are high on purpose and high on intimacy with each other.
This principle is also at work in leaders I admire, three of whom I describe here.
Like many, I have also been moved by the reflections of psychologist Viktor Frankl who proposed that what fundamentally drives human behavior is the will to meaning. Based on his harrowing experiences in Nazi concentration camps and his observations of fellow prisoners, Frankl concluded that the search for meaning and purpose is the primary motivator in human life.
He identified three avenues through which we find meaning:
Creation: The act of engaging in meaningful work or deeds.
Experience: Encountering beauty, truth, or love adds an unmatched richness to our souls and to our relationships. This is more than just interaction with the natural world and adventure; it is a deep element of our most intimate relationships.
Suffering: Even here, it’s possible to find purpose in unavoidable hardship. In the face of suffering, we can choose our response and reframe challenges as opportunities for growth. This can yield strength and wisdom.
Frankl teaches us that deeper fulfillment over pleasure and power are worth pursuing, even if it involves suffering. Maslow’s initial apex of “self-actualization” does not allow for that profound truth, which is why his later emphasis on transcending beyond the self and its own desires has profound resonance.
Interestingly, according to this article:
“Frankl himself considered self-actualization a by-product of self-transcendence, and introduced interpersonal dimensions. ‘It denotes the fact that being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself—be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter.’ (Frankl, 1985, p. 133).”
Finally, I have had countless conversations with people who, having achieved their professional entrepreneurial “apex,” now want to move on and do something “impactful." That’s the word repeated over and over: “impactful.” It makes me wonder if these men and women are feeling the call to ascend towards an outward-looking posture—a transcendent posture—to create, participate in, and influence projects and practices that will impact the world around them, improving it for the better.
Let’s Make This Change:
I invite you to join me in discontinuing the use of the existing Maslow’s pyramid. It’s too limiting, short sighted, empty. Humans are capable of, and are called to, more than just becoming our best selves. We become more fully alive when we offer ourselves and engage deeply with others, joining them in building a better world, inspiring generosity and creating spaces of belonging.